New government report reveals boomer the cause of NT salmonella outbreak

A new report has linked a salmonella outbreak that occurred in the NT to a boomer – and also shared what it cost to mop it up. Find out more.

A large male red kangaroo from Central Australia. Picture: File

The cause – and the cost – of a salmonella outbreak which gave seven Red Centre residents diarrhoea has been revealed in a new report, which says the outbreak came from a boomer.

The report by the Australian Centre for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Aged Care examined the outbreak in August 2024.

Three people contracted salmonella Muenchen – a variety of salmonella – with all ending up in Alice Springs hospital for treatment, the report detailed.

Two of the three people who went to hospital had an overnight stay, but recovered, the report states.

Alice Springs Hospital. Picture: Gera Kazakov

The report determined an additional four people were “probable” salmonella cases.

The seven people all consumed the same meal – “a single, locally hunted and butchered kangaroo” – and all seven got diarrhoea, according to the report.

The large red kangaroo – otherwise known as a boomer – was hunted in the bush 35km west of Alice Springs, the report states.

The authors analysed stool samples from those who contracted the salmonella and determined the cause to be the kangaroo.

“Kangaroos are known carriers of Salmonella bacteria. Contamination of hunted kangaroo meat can occur when the same knife is used to clean and eviscerate the animal and then is re-used for butchering,” the report states.

The meat was likely contaminated during the cleaning process, according to the report.

Bushland around Larapinta Dr, west of Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

After killing the kangaroo, it was left on the back of a ute overnight before it was cooked rare in an earth oven, according to the report.

Three people ate the kangaroo at this point, before taking it into town “at ambient temperatures” where four more people ate it, the report states.

The lead author on the report was Anthony Draper, from the NT Centre for Disease Control, with other authors coming from the Menzies School of Health Research, Royal Darwin Hospital, and the Australian National University.

They estimate the cost of the outbreak was just shy of $10,000.

The estimated associated healthcare costs were $4,820, productivity losses were estimated at $3840, and the pain and suffering caused by the outbreak is estimated to have cost $1140.

A red kangaroo the Australian Outback. Picture: File

“A major limitation of the investigation was that there was no leftover kangaroo meat available for sampling. In any case, microbiological testing of food in Central Australia is difficult due to the absence of a local food testing laboratory and the prohibitive cost of sending samples interstate for testing,” the report states.

“To prevent contamination of hunted kangaroo meat, hands and knives should be cleaned with soap and water. Hands and knives should be washed regularly while butchering an animal, to avoid contaminating the carcass.”

The report also recommended meat is stored and transported in a clean environment which has a temperature lower than 5 degrees.

“It is important to investigate outbreaks of Salmonella in order to identify risks, to undertake appropriate public health action and to promote public safety,” the report concludes.

Originally published as New government report reveals boomer the cause of NT salmonella outbreak