Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Yeah, and banning food is the best way to prevent food related salmonella too.
Zuzana Kukol
www.rexano.org
==

Still, "prohibiting the sale of small turtles likely remains the most effective public health action to prevent turtle-associated salmonellosis."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070705/hl_nm/turtles_salmonella_dc

Small turtles may carry salmonella: CDC
Thu Jul 5, 1:20 PM ET
In a report released Thursday, investigators from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and elsewhere describe several cases of salmonella infection, including one fatality, linked to exposure to small turtles.
Turtles and other reptiles are well-known reservoirs for Salmonella. Small turtles are particularly risky because they are often given to children as pets and handled like toys. Although the sale or distribution of small turtles measuring less than 4 inches was officially outlawed in the US in 1975, cases of turtle-associated salmonella infection continue to occur.
In the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for July 6, twenty-two cases of turtle-associated infection with Salmonella in young children are described. The cases occurred in 2006 and 2007.
The fatal case involved a 3-week-old infant and testing confirmed that the type of salmonella present was indistinguishable from the one found on the family's small pet turtle.
Hand washing with soap and water after touching reptiles or their cages and keeping them out of food-preparation areas is critical in preventing Salmonella infection, the researchers emphasize.
Still, "prohibiting the sale of small turtles likely remains the most effective public health action to prevent turtle-associated salmonellosis."
SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 6, 2007

So how many cases does the CDC have linked to improperly cooked meat (chicken)?

Nothing like that warm and fuzzy feeling you get from this for your own good rules that only address the smallest side of a problem.

here is teh official report
Zuzana Kukol
www.rexano.org

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5626a1.htm

Weekly

July 6, 2007 / 56(26);649-652

Turtle-Associated Salmonellosis in Humans --- United States, 2006--2007
Turtles and other reptiles are reservoirs of Salmonella and have long been a recognized source of Salmonella infection in humans (1). Small turtles have posed a particular danger to young children because these turtles might not be perceived as health hazards and can be handled like toys. Salmonella infections in children can be severe and can result in hospitalization and occasionally in death (2). The association between Salmonella infection in children and exposure to turtles led to a 1975 law prohibiting the sale or distribution of small turtles (i.e., those with a carapace of

Everything that poops has the potential for Salmonella, the best answer is a clean cage with clean water. Follow that up with washing your hands, I mean for crying out loud the little pump bottles of alchol based antibacterial cleaner will go a very long way.

Lance