Recall action mice

08september2010
Source: wormsandgermsblog.com (text and photo)
An American company that sells frozen mice, day-old chicks and other reptile food via the Internet has been linked to Salmonella outbreaks in humans. The company has therefore issued a recall for millions of mice.
Frozen mice and day-old chicks are an easy way to store food for, for instance, reptiles for a longer period of time. These can be bought via the Internet. The mice of the company in question appeared to be contaminated with Salmonella. This is not necessarily a problem for the reptiles, because they can be carriers without being sick themselves. For humans this is different. They can come into contact with Salmonella by handling mice or by being in contact with surfaces that the mice have been in contact with. In this case, many Salmonella contaminations have been directly linked to the frozen mice.
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has indicated that the products of this company will now be irradiated in order to avoid future contaminations.
Worms and Germans Blog advises reptile keepers only to buy irradiated products for their pets in order to reduce the risk of contamination.

There are some other tips to avoid Salmonella contamination via pet food like frozen mice or day-old chicks:
  • Keep the pet food away from human food.

  • When the pet food is defrosted in the refrigerator, use a sealed container that is not used for human food, and disinfect it after using it.

  • Wash your hands after handling the food.

  • Disinfect all surfaces that have come into contact with the (potentially contaminated) food.
  • Discard any uneaten food directly, because Salmonella can multiply fast, especially in warm, moist environments (like terrariums).