Salmonella Infections in Dogs and Cats

Salmonellosis occurs worldwide in dogs and cats and is of clinical and public-health importance. Infections in these animals are usually asymptomatic, with intermittent excretion of Salmonella in faeces. Clinical syndromes, which are comparatively uncommon, are often most severe in young or debilitated animals. These syndromes include enterocolitis, septicaemia and, rarely, abortions. Conjunctivitis has been reported in cats. Outbreaks of salmonellosis have occurred in veterinary hospitals, where predisposing factors, such as immunosuppressive therapy or major surgery, can precipitate disease in a carrier animal. The significance and extent of the carrier–excreter state in dogs and cats was perhaps not fully realized until the early 1950s, when surveys of apparently healthy animals were conducted. One of the earliest comprehensive reviews of Salmonella infections in animals was by Buxton (1957), who documented the occurrence of the organisms in cats and dogs.