Travis,
I printed this stuff out back in Nov. 2001 because I was curious.(www.reptileallsorts.com/salmonella.html)
The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) and the Communicable Disease Surveillance Center (CDSC)
You might be able to Google these two agencies to find out more info.
1)In 1999 over 17,250 cases of human Salmonellosis were reported, and of these only SEVEN were confirmed as being contracted from a reptile source. A similar low number of reptile associated cases were reported the previous year.
2) In 1997 there were far more cases of confirmed zoonotic disease from domestic animals and their food by-products than from reptile sources
Salmonellosis is an intestinal disease that is contracted through the ingestion of fecal (or fecal contaminated) material. It's essential to stress the importance of basis hygiene to avoid disease from ANY animal, however, there doesn't appear to be any inherently greater risks associated with the keeping of reptiles than other pets.
To prevent problems we recommend
A) Simple hand washing using soap and water after handling or cleaning out enclosures
B) Keeping reptiles, their furnishings and associated equipment well away from human food preparation areas. Those persons at particularly high risk such as young children, the elderly and the immunocompromised should consider taking additional precautions and consider carefully the benefits versus the risks of keeping ANY animal.
We consider the benefits of properly keeping reptiles far outweigh the potential risks involved. With the current information it appears that you are 2500 times more likely to contract samonella from food than from reptiles.
Anyways that is some of the info in that report, hope it helps with your decision.
Mike Derks

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