The Salmonella outbreak blamed on pet bearded dragons is over, but the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta expects that a lower level of infections from the reptiles will continue. In a final update on the outbreak involving both the Salmonella Cotham and the Salmonella Kisarawe strains, CDC reported that 166 cases were recorded in 36 states, with a 37-percent hospitalization rate. No related deaths were reported. The final numbers increased by 16 cases and just one state since CDC’s previous interim report on June 12, indicating the outbreak slowed during the summer. Here’s CDC’s wrap-up on its final numbers for the outbreak: “A total of 166 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Cotham (160 persons) or Salmonella Kisarawe (6 persons) were reported from 36 states since February 21, 2012. The number of ill persons identified in each state was as follows: Alaska (1), Arizona (5), California (27), Colorado (3), Florida (3), Georgia (3), Idaho (3), Illinois (8), Indiana (4), Kansas (6), Kentucky (4), Maryland (7), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (7), Minnesota (3), Missouri (8), Nebraska (1), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (3), Nevada (3), New York (12), North Carolina (4), North Dakota (1), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (1), Oregon (2), Pennsylvania (6), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (5), Texas (7), Utah (3), Virginia (3), Washington (4), West Virginia (1) and Wisconsin (12). “Among 115 persons for whom information was available, dates that illnesses began ranged from February 20, 2012, to June 30, 2014. Ill persons ranged in age from younger than 1 year to 79 years, with a median age of 3 years. Fifty-nine percent of ill persons were children 5 years of age or younger. Fifty-five percent of ill persons were female. Among 118 ill persons with available information, 44 (37%) were hospitalized.” CDC says that many pet owners are not aware of the continuing risk of Salmonella infection from bearded dragons, which, with proper care, have life expectancies ranging from three to 10 years.