From Our 2012 Archives Pet Turtles Carry Salmonella Dangers, CDC
Warns Latest Infectious Disease News THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay
News) -- The sale of pet turtles was banned three decades ago in
the United States, but the small reptiles are still available
and continue to infect young children with salmonella, a new
report warns. Because of the health danger, pet turtles are
inappropriate pets in homes with young children or other high-
risk people, such as pregnant women, seniors and those with weak
immune systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. The report, published by the CDC in the
Feb. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,
describes an outbreak of 132 human salmonella infections in 18
states between August 2010 and September 2011. Many of the
infections were traced to exposure to small turtles (those with
shell lengths of less than 4 inches). Two-thirds of the
infections occurred in children younger than 10. Salmonella
infections in children can be severe