An outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen gastroenteritis after consuming wild hunted kangaroo, Northern Territory, Australia, 2024

Abstract

An outbreak of salmonellosis occurred in August 2024 after consuming wild hunted kangaroo in a remote area of the Northern Territory (NT), Australia.
We conducted an outbreak investigation via telephone and face-to-face interviews, using a standardised questionnaire that recorded symptoms and exposures to foods and activities prior to onset of symptoms. A confirmed outbreak case was defined as anyone with laboratory confirmed Salmonella Muenchen infection who was part of a group of people who shared meals on 25–26 August 2024. A probable outbreak case was defined as anyone who was part of a group of people who shared meals on 25–26 August 2024 and subsequently experienced diarrhoea, in the absence of a laboratory test.
Of the seven members of the group who shared meals, all became ill (attack rate 100%); three were confirmed cases and four were probable cases. The median age was 32 years (range 23–65 years); six (86%) were male. The median incubation period was 24 hours (range 6–30 hours). The most commonly reported symptoms were diarrhoea (100%, 7/7) and abdominal pain (86%, 6/7). Two cases were admitted to hospital, both for an overnight stay; all recovered.
All seven cases consumed the same meal – a single, locally hunted and butchered kangaroo. Contamination likely occurred due to unsafe butchering, storage, transportation and insufficient cooking of the meat. This outbreak highlights the risks of contamination of game meat (in this case kangaroo) with Salmonella. Those preparing hunted meat should wash hands and knives regularly while butchering an animal to avoid contamination; should store butchered meat below 5 °C to avoid bacterial growth and cook foods thoroughly to kill microbes. We estimate that the cost to society of this outbreak was 9,810 Australian dollars.