Pet Turtles Responsible For Spreading Salmonella
Small pet turtles have made over 100 people sick and put some patients in the hospital when it was discovered that they were carrying a strain of salmonella poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that this is the largest outbreak of salmonella that has been recorded.
The strain has been discovered in 33 states – but most have been from California, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Illinois. Parents are being urged to keep a close eye on their children because they seem to be affected the most. There are some patients who have experienced kidney failure and other severe symptoms – but for now know one has dies.
The most common symptoms reported to the CDC included bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever and vomiting. The median age of patients was 7 1/2 . “With over 100 cases reported, that’s fairly substantial,” said Mark Sotir, a CDC epidemiologist in Atlanta. “For every case that’s reported to the CDC, we estimate 30 or 40 sick people that haven’t been reported.”
Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Los Angeles County’s public health director, said he had a simple piece of advice for parents thinking about buying a pet turtle — don’t. “If you have them, make sure you’re washing your hands a lot after you’re touching them,” he said. Salmonella bacteria are most often associated with food poisoning, but about 6% of infections come from contact with turtles. Turtles can carry a variety of salmonella without symptoms and shed them in their feces.
Small turtles have been particularly problematic because they are often bred in crowded conditions and are more likely to be given to children as pets. A 3-week-old girl in Florida died in March from a different strain of salmonella carried by a small turtle. Since 1975, federal law has prohibited the sale of pet turtles with shells shorter than 4 inches. But public health officials say enforcement is spotty.
Of the 103 reported cases, nearly half of the patients remembered being exposed to a turtle; many others were friends or relatives of turtle owners. Many of the patients reported feeding, kissing or playing with a turtle. In one case, a baby was bathed in a sink where turtle waste had been disposed of, the CDC said. The turtles most often came from pet shops, but they were also bought at flea markets or from street vendors. The CDC is investigating whether the outbreak can be traced to a common turtle distributor or farm.