Eggs
There were more than 9,500 cases of salmonella in Maryland from 2002 to 2012, and a study by university researchers revealed that infections might become increasingly common due to climate change.
The June study, which was published in the Environment International journal, shows a link between extreme weather events and the risk of salmonella infections, with higher risks in coastal areas.
Warmer temperatures and moisture allow for the salmonella bacteria to grow, said Amir Sapkota, a professor at the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health.
“These [temperature] events are predicted to become more frequent – we’re not seeing any cooling trends,” said Kristi Shaw, co-author of the paper and professor at the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. “We are probably going to see an increase in salmonella infections.”
The study, which focused on this state, found that in non-coastal areas, a one-unit increase in temperature events increased the risk of salmonella by 1.5 percent. A one-unit increase in precipitation events in non-coastal areas increased the risk of salmonella by 3.6 percent.
In coastal areas, these risks were higher, with a 5.1 and 7.1 percent increase per one-unit increase in temperature and precipitation events, respectively. University researchers said the differences are due to the land use and soil type in coastal and non-coastal areas.
Salmonella spreads easily with contact and occurs naturally in the gut of animals such as cows and chickens. The bacteria is transferred through the animals’ waste, which can end up in the water used to grow crops.
In areas such as the Eastern Shore, the soil is mostly sand. Sand has the lowest retention time for groundwater, which means that the water will go right through it, Shaw said.
“If you had any sort of land-applied salmonella source such as manure or if you had wildlife that were leaving their scat with salmonella in it, you’re going to see that move through the groundwater the fastest in the areas with predominantly sandy soil,” Shaw said.
The relevance of the study lies in the fact that climate change affects all people, said environmental health sciences graduate student Priti Patel, who was not involved in the research.
“These issues are significant, because problems are arising in areas where previously communities didn’t have to deal with health concerns such as dengue fever or, in this case, salmonella outbreaks,” Patel said. “We are seeing ripple effects of climate change and should focus on climate resilience as a way to combat these issues.”
