Since October, 11 people across eight states have been infected with a particular strain of salmonella, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported, and all but one of those infected said they had contact with a hedgehog.
“Don’t kiss or snuggle hedgehogs because this can spread salmonella germs to your face and mouth and make you sick,” the agency warned.
No deaths have been reported and one person has been hospitalized, the CDC said. Three cases have been reported in Missouri and two in Minnesota. Infections have also been reported in Colorado, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming.
Animals can pick up salmonella from contaminated food, or the bacteria can live naturally in their intestines. Some can even pick up the bacteria from their mothers before they are born, according to the CDC’s website.
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Although pet hedgehogs may not show signs of sickness, they can carry the bacteria and spread it through their droppings. Once the hedgehog passes the germs to their surroundings — like their toys and beddings — humans are vulnerable to infection when they handle those objects.
This is not the first time pet hedgehogs have been linked to a salmonella outbreak. From December 2011 to April 2013, 26 people were infected with the same bacterial strain, Salmonella typhimurium; a majority of them reported contact with hedgehogs. One person died and eight people were hospitalized in that outbreak, the CDC reported.
“The fact that hedgehogs are a risk is not new,” said Jane Sykes, a professor of small animal internal medicine at the University of California, Davis. “But we don’t know how common the shedding of salmonella is among hedgehogs specifically.”
For people with compromised immune systems, she recommends choosing a pet that poses a lower risk, like a dog.
Salmonella infections can lead to diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. The illness typically resolves itself in four to seven days, although some patients may require hospitalization.
The CDC recommended that owners take precautions, such as washing their hands after touching a hedgehog and not letting their pets loose around the kitchen.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.