Transmissible drug resistance in Shigella and Salmonella isolated from pet monkeys and their owners.

During two dysentery outbreaks in primate pet owners, Shigella and Salmonella strains were isolated from the enteric flora. In both outbreaks the source of infection was traced to asymptomatic spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). The spider monkeys and their owners shed multiply drug-resistant Shigella and Salmonella serotypes. Six of the nine bacterial strains isolated from the animals were multiply drug-resistant and capable of transferring antibiotic resistance patterns.