Darwin infants are contracting the potentially fatal infection salmonella at dramatically higher levels than other Australian children and environmental factors including geckos, frogs and family pets are partly to blame, according to a just-released study.

And the researchers from the Department of Health’s Centre for Disease control have also concluded that breast-feeding conferred protection from salmonella infection.

One of the authors of the report, Dr Peter Markey, said the study also found household cleanliness was another important preventative factor.

Notification rates among Territory children in the 5-9 age group were 16.5 times greater than the national age specific rate. In the 0-4 age group, notifications among Territory children were 6.8 times greater than the national age specific rate.

“Our research included testing animal faeces and we found salmonella in the faeces of pets such as dogs, cats, turtles, lizards and in fishponds and also in geckos and frogs,” Dr Markey added.

 “We compared households where there had been a recent case of salmonella with other households.  

“And we found salmonella in about 70 per cent of households irrespective of whether there had been a recent case of salmonella in the house.

“In households with salmonella cases we found the infecting salmonella in about a third.”

The study also examined factors associated with salmonella infections and concluded that bottle-feeding, pets and recent antibiotics were associated with salmonella infections while breast-feeding and regular vacuuming reduced the risk of infection.

“These findings reinforced what we have previously suspected; that domestic animals carry salmonella and climatic conditions in the NT allow that environmental contamination to persist.  Hence, salmonella is most common during the humid months of February and March. It is the contamination of the environment which leads to salmonella in young children. So our advice is to breast feed as long as possible and ensure that floors are regularly vacuumed and all animal faeces quickly disposed of, “Dr Markey said.

“Washing your hands after touching pets or changing nappies and before meals is also a good hygiene measure.”        

Salmonella is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality worldwide with about 155,000 deaths annually from an estimated 93 million cases.

The study was funded by the Commonwealth Government through OzFoodNet, the national foodborne diseases surveillance network.

CONTACT: Fred McCue 0401 119 792