30 People Sickened By Infection Linked To Contact With Pet Store Puppies, CDC Says

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The Centers for Disease Control says it is investigating an outbreak of a multi-drug resistant infection linked to contact with pet store puppies.

According to the CDC, 30 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of Campylobacter jejuni across 13 states, including in Florida.

No deaths have been reported.

"Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicate that puppies purchased from pet stores are the likely source of this outbreak. Many of the cases had contact with puppies or were employees at pet stores, including Petland," said the CDC.

The CDC has not yet identified one common supplier of puppies, it said.

The symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever and usually last for about a week. People usually recover without antibiotics, the CDC said.

Some of the illnesses date as far back as January 2019 and people who have been infected range from 8 months to 70 years old.

The CDC said that pet owners should wash their hands after touching their puppy, after handling their food and after cleaning up after them.

Campylobacter causes an estimated 1.5 million illnesses each year in the United States.