Don't kiss turtles, even in Britain
The UK Health Protection Agency reports that cases of Salmonella Arizonae have been on the increase and can be particularly harmful to infants.
The Telegraph reports that Dr Tansy Peters told the HPA's annual conference,
"Although it is comparatively rare in humans, a study of samples submitted to our laboratory for testing from January 1998 to December 2007 shows that there has been a significant increase in both numerical and percentage terms.
"That may be a reflection of the increased popularity of reptiles as pets.
"This is a very worrying trend and infants and young children with their immature immune systems and weaker gastric acids are disproportionately affected. We even find cases in breast and formula-fed infants and it is unlikely that they acquired their infection from a source other than indirectly, via the parents, from the family's pet reptile. Reptiles shed salmonella in their faeces and carry it on their skin and the public health implications of this inside the home should not be underestimated."
And if you have them in the home, don't kiss them.
UK woman keeps 75 hibernating tortoises in her fridges
Mrs Neely who runs the Jersey-based Tortoise Sanctuary, had to set up the fridges because of the particularly mild winter.Her tortoises hibernate for up to three months between December and March, and need steady temperatures between 3c and 8c.
They are in danger of waking early if it heats up - and then do not have enough body weight to keep themselves warm and not enough energy to eat or drink.
But fridges, at a steady 4c to 6c, are the perfect environment.
She opens the doors each day to waft fresh air inside. As tortoises breathe only once a minute during hibernation, this is sufficient to keep them healthy.
Turtles can be salmonella factories.
Turtles might be cute, but they can also be a nasty pet.
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Turtles still make people sick -- 103 since last May
At least 103 cases have been reported since May 2007, and many of those infected were children under the age of 10, the CDC said.In October 2007, the North Carolina Division of Public Health (NCDPH) notified CDC of human infections caused by Salmonella serotype Paratyphi B L (+) tartrate (+) (Salmonella Paratyphi B var. Java) in several states. Salmonella Paratyphi B var. Java is a nontyphoidal strain of Salmonella that causes gastroenteritis.
This report describes the results of the epidemiologic and laboratory investigation conducted by CDC and state and local health departments during October 2007--January 2008. The findings document an ongoing, multistate outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B var. Java infections, with the first reported illness onset occurring on May 4, 2007. Many of these infections have occurred in young children and have been associated with exposure to small turtles. Prohibiting the sale and distribution of small turtles likely remains the most effective public health action to prevent turtle-associated salmonellosis.
You never know what kids will do with turtles.
Stop kissing turtles
Another outbreak of salmonella linked to pet turtles sold by street vendors, this time in Arizona.Dr. Bob England of the Maricopa County Health Department was quoted as saying,
"Little children especially are at risk for this, because they tend to be the ones who get these small turtles as pets and play with them and they are exposed to the bacteria."
England said, so far this year, there's been nearly a dozen reports of kids becoming infected with salmonella, linked to pet turtles.
Salmonella in pet turtles in Korea
The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) reports that salmonella has been found in 13 percent of pet turtles that have been sold at aquariums, retail outlets and Internet shopping malls.The story says that according to statistics from the Korea Customs Service (KCS), nearly 200,000 pet turtles were imported last year. However, there is no regulation on their sales.
Recently the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported on the death of a 3-week-old Florida infant who, along with 21 other small children across the U.S., were sickened by a strain of Salmonella Pomona associated with small pet turtles over an 8-month period from 2006 to 2007.
I've reported on my own experiences with pet turtles.
And in Nov. 2006, Pam Anderson apparently filmed a movie, co-starring Denise Richards, and her pet turtle wouldn't stop farting.
