Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I was hoping someone could help me out a bit with this. I received the below mass email about a child who contracted salmonella from a reptile and since then, all of my co-workers have been printing it out and putting it in my mailbox. Normally I just delete this stuff but I hate when herps get bad press. I know there are urband legend web sites dedicated to disproving all the bogus scams out there but I could not find anything about if this is true or not. Any help would be appreciated in pointing me to a link or emailing me IF it is true/false. Oh, and if you reply to this, Bill Gates himself will send you a check for $10,000.00.lol.

The E-MAIL:
This story was last updated in May of 2005. Since then we have found out that Elijah has Infantile Spasms and are working with Hopkins neurologists to find something that will work to hopefully cure them. Elijah also has been having problems with his shunt. He is still not holding his head up and is still at a less then one month level but through all this he has brought our family and everyone around us endless joy!

I have updated Elijah's story. Please send this to everyone in your mail box and please if possible take it to your gynecologists or your children's pediatrician ... I am sending these to local drs and need everyone's help... I want this information to go as far and wide as possible! I NEVER NEVER want another child to go through what Elijah has gone through at such a young age! Thanks so much for your help!Meredith Johnson

updated May 2005

Elijah's Story

On November 24, 2004 I delivered my son Elijah Rockwell Johnson. He was perfect! My husband and I couldn't be happier! My daughter Desierae was also very excited to be a big sister. We stayed in the hospital where I delivered Elijah for three days, we came home on November 27th.

On November 28th Elijah slept a lot, I thought he had worn himself out staying up every night but my husband had a bad feeling. Elijah stopped nursing that evening around 11:00 pm. We thought that maybe the tylonel that we were giving him for his circumcision was making him drowsy so we stopped giving it and immediately his fever went up. We called the pediatrician around 1:00 a.m. and took him to Upper Chesapeake's emergency room. By the time we arrived Elijah's organs had started failing he had stopped breathing and he was having seizures. We were informed that he would have to be flown to Johns Hopkins and asked to kiss him in case he did not make it.

We later found out that he had a stroke that killed most of the right side of his brain. We soon found out that Elijah had meningitis caused by salmonella which came from our daughter's lizard. We purchased the lizard only one month before Elijah was born.. and ironically it was for my daughter's big sister gift! We were told no child under five should EVER be around reptiles of any kind but this is the first we had ever heard of this! There were no warnings in the pet store and we received no information when we purchased the lizard. We were told that Elijah may not make it through the next 48 hrs. He was put on antibiotics along with 3 blood pressure medicines and a breathing tube. The happiest time of our lives had turned into a living nightmare.

About 5 days later it seemed Elijah was doing better, he had opened his eyes and started crying over the breathing machine. Sadly though, the salmonella had built up in his spine and Elijah now had 187,000 white blood cells in his spinal fluid alone. A normal baby has around 5 white blood cells! Elijah's heart rate dropped to under 30 and they had to give chest compressions. We almost lost him again. An EEG was done and there was no brain activity at all other then seizures, we were told that 80% of Elijah's brain had turned into scar tissue and that it would never be able to be replaced. We had a meeting where my husband and I were asked if we wanted to let him go but the thought never crossed our minds. I prayed and prayed for the strength to make it through for my son, I did not pray for Elijah to live, only for him not to suffer.

Elijah is a strong boy and within three weeks he was off the breathing tube and no longer had to take the blood pressure medicines. He was slowly weened off of the oxygen and was able to open his eyes shortly after. We would soon learn that Elijah was now blind and could not cry or suck. He had developed hydrocephelus and an abscess had formed from the bacteria. He had two brain surgeries the first week in January and developed a staph infection from the catheter that was put into his brain to drain some of the fluid. He would later have two more brain surgeries all performed by Dr Ben Carson. He picked up a respiratory infection called RSV while in the hospital. Elijah now has a permanent shunt in his head and eats from a feeding tube. He also has a seizure disorder which he takes medicine for to keep them under control. We were able to come home on March 14, 2005 after 3 1/2 long months in the hospital.

Elijah's outlook is not very good but we are very hopeful. He has cerebral palsy and does not make any noise . He can not hold his toys and he does not laugh. He will never see again. He still does not cry and Elijah had a feeding tube (called a g-tube) placed into his stomach in early May. Elijah still can not hold his head up and he is now six months old.

Our house looks sort of like a hospital room and I feel like a nurse! Elijah has therapists that come to the house 4 days a week (including a therapist that worked at the MD school for the blind) along with a home nurse who visits twice a week.

People ask how my husband and I do all that we do but I just tell them that we are no stronger then anyone else! We do this all out of the love for our baby boy! Rarely we will see him smile when my husband swings him and that is the one wish that I had when this all started, we will do everything possible to make Elijah's life the highest quality possible! Our faith in God and Elijah's strength is what has kept us going through all of the hard times... It is not only our job to be there for Elijah as loving parents but a privilege that we have him in our lives. He is the best thing that has ever happened to us and has made us appreciate every moment that we have to share with our loved ones.

Ellijah was on WBAL channel 11 news in Baltimore in May of 2005. This is the link and if you click on the picture of the reptile his story should play. http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/4506427/detail.html#

The channel did an undercover investigation of MD pet stores and found that there were many stores who violated the law which stated that there should be signs posted within 3 feet of each reptile cage and that the purchaser should receive information warning of the dangers of reptiles and salmonella. No pregnant women, small children, elderly, or people with low immune systems should be around reptiles at all! 50% of all reptiles carry salmonella. The salmonella bacteria can live on surfaces such as light switches, carpets, clothes etc for up to 60 days.

We are so blessed to have the support of friends and family and we thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for thoughts and prayers. I will happily include anyone in Elijah updates as he gets older and send pictures if you send me an e-mail to (I left out the person's email in case it is a false story).

Any help...is it fake? real? ? ? Oh..and there were a lot of pictures in the email of a child in a hospital. I didn't include them here for obvious reasons.
Thanks, Jason

Its true as in the boy had medical problems. The likelyhood of an infant getting salmonella within hours of coming home is unlikely. Unless the parents were rubbing the bottle nipples on the uro's excrement. My guess is the mother gave the child the bacteria through breastmilk or not washing hands (eating raw eggs in icecream etc) and passing it on that way.

Regardless its typical of everyone ignorant to immediately pass the blame off on an animal rather then the PEOPLE involved trying to find the true culprit.

I have 4 kids of my own. ranging from 26 days shy of 6 to 6 months of age. None have ever had an issue, never will. I practice common sense.

Sorry if I sound harsh regarding a story with an ill child. Just irritates me regardless of the situation for blame to be cast so quickly.
-----
Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com.

It's cool Randy. I don't think you're harsh. In fact, I usually suspect that most emails like this are hoaxes. It's far too easy for people to use children to gain sympathy for some other cause and it is therefore hard to tell the real stories from the fakes. I have a 6 month old and I never take her near my herps even though I'm obsessive-compulsive about cleaning....but that's just me and my paranoid personality.lol. I heard there was a case of a child that got sick in Maryland which led to a law requiring distribution of salmonella disclaimers prior to handling or selling herps...I wonder if this is the same case?
~Jason

On the link they mention the salmonella warning paperwork and even mention doing an undercover "sting" going into Petco's which did not comply with the newly passed laws. Its an unfortunate story for everyone. The family is suffering, along with the potential backlash this could stir for more anti reptile legislation.
-----
Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com.

Hey, Randy,
I agree with you completely and don't think that you were too harsh at all.

Every show I have attended in MD have to have these page long warnings about it posted on the door and flyers to hand out on EVERY table. This is a MD law and if I am correct, a VA law also. I attend a lot of shows in MD and VA and every breeder knows they have to have these. Its not a bad thing to have but I agree with Randy. I raised 4 children from birth around my reptiles and never once had a problem. This child obviously had major complications from birth.

I am not sure whether the story is true or not, but salmonella infection from reptiles and amphibians is a very real danger. Unfortunately, stories like this led to the US ban of selling turtles and tortoises under 4 inches and make good fodder for people who do not like reptiles to further regulate and restrict ownership of them. It is too bad no one ever writes about all the many diseases that dogs, cats and birds can transmit to people!

In over three and a half decades of handling reptiles and amphibians, I have never contracted salmonella, to my knowledge. After reading the below information, I guess that I was just lucky.

The following is a client handout for dissemination by the ARAV (Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians):

ARAV Special Publications

Salmonella Bacteria and Reptiles:

CLIENT EDUCATIONAL HANDOUT

Most, if not all, reptiles carry Salmonella bacteria in their intestinal tract and intermittently or continuously shed these bacteria in their feces. Salmonella bacteria usually do not cause any illness in reptiles, but can cause serious illness in people.

Salmonella bacteria are easily spread from reptiles to humans. Humans may become infected when they place their hands on objects, including food items, that have been in contact with the stool of reptiles, in their mouths. For example, infants have become infected after drinking from bottles of infant formula that became contaminated during preparation. Individuals ho prepared the formula had not washed their hands after touching a reptile or because reptiles were allowed to walk on kitchen counters. For Salmonella bacteria to spread from reptiles to humans, the bacteria must be ingested. Therefore, simply touching or holding a reptiles will not result in spread of bacteria unless something contaminated with reptiles feces or the reptile itself is placed in the mouth.

Most Salmonella infections in humans result in a mild, self-limiting illness characterized by diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. However, the infection can spread to the bloodstream, bone marrow or nervous system, leading to severe, and sometimes fatal, illness. Such severe infections are more likely to occurs in infants and in individuals whose immune system is compromised (for instance, bone marrow transplant recipients, persons with diabetes mellitus, persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, and chemotherapy patients).

Unfortunately, Salmonella bacteria cannot be eliminated from the intestinal tract of reptiles. Administration of antibiotics to eliminate these bacteria has been unsuccessful and may result in emergence of Salmonella bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Attempt to raise or identify reptiles that do not carry Salmonella bacteria have also been unsuccessful; therefore, bacterial culture of stool samples in an attempt to identify reptiles that are not carrying Salmonella bacteria is not recommended.

Fortunately the spread of Salmonella bacteria from reptiles to humans can be easily prevented by using the following routine precautions:

Always wash your hands with hot, soapy water after handling reptiles, reptile cages and equipment, and the stool of reptiles.
Do not allow reptiles to have access to the kitchen, dining room, or any other area in which food is prepared. Also, do not allow reptiles to have access to bathroom sinks and tubs or to any area where infants are bathed. Consider keeping your reptiles caged or limiting the parts of the house where reptiles are allowed to roam free. Always wash your hands after coming into contact with any area where reptiles are allowed to roam free.

Do not eat, drink, or smoke while handling reptiles, reptiles cages, or reptile equipment. Do not kiss reptiles or share food or drink with them.

Do not use the kitchen sink, kitchen counters, bathroom sinks or bathtubs to bathe reptiles or to wash reptile cages, dishes or aquariums. Reptile owners may wish to purchase a plastic basin or tub in which to bathe or swim their reptiles. Waste water and fecal material should be disposed of in the toilet instead of the bathtub or household sink.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children less than five years of age avoid contact with reptiles and that households with children less than one year of age not own reptiles. The Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians encourages reptile owners with young children to discuss steps to minimize risks associated with owning reptiles with their reptiles' veterinarian and their physician. Children should be supervised when they are handling reptiles to ensure that they do not place their hands or objects that a reptile has contacted in their mouths. Reptiles should not be kept in child care centers.

Immunocompromised persons should avoid contact with reptiles.

Follow instructions from your reptile's veterinarian concerning proper diet and environment for your reptile. Healthy reptiles living in proper environments are less likely to shed Salmonella bacteria.
Information in this handout is not meant to discourage reptile ownership. With a few exceptions (for example, infants or immunocompromised individuals), most people have a low risk of acquiring salmonellosis from reptiles, but this risk can be reduced even further by following simple precautions. Reptiles can be safely kept as pets, but reptile owners should be aware of the methods for reducing their risk of acquiring Salmonella bacteria from their reptiles.

This handout was developed by the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is intended for informational purposes only; please seek advice from your physician and your reptile's veterinarian if questions or problems occur.

Guidelines for Veterinarians are also available.

.
-----
Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

I have not shared this with alot of people but its not a topic that comes up much, so I thought i would share my experince and scare with salmonella and my daughter.

In the summer of 97 I was really into reptiles and already owned many different species of reptiles including Iguanas, savanah monitors, pythons, boas, kingsnakes, rodents to feed these, and at the time my favorite thing was bearded dragons. I knew a local breeder that produced some beardeds and I got to pick out several nice ones.
As my life progressed and my love for reptiles progressed, I found myself 4 years later in 2001 to have a baby girl and at the same time several adult bearded dragons. I loved my dragons and had a huge cage in our living room for them. They were often picked up and let roam around in the room for short periods and ofter kept in close proximity to our young child and her play area. I had no idea what i was doing was possibly harmful to my daughter in anyway. I love my children more than words can express and I will never forget what happened and will never make these mistakes again.
Mid summer that year my daughter became sick and being small and her first real sickness set in and of course being my first child, I was worried sick. Things only got worse over the next 24 hours and the next day she had a loose stool that made us decide to call the doctor. Her stool had blood in it. We immediately took her in to have tested to find out what was wrong. After some rehydration and some blood work and cultures done of her stool, the doctors called us and told us our daughter had Salmonella. Tests were then done on my animals feces to dtermine if the strains of salmonella were the same,and they ended up to be. It did not make the news, but there were students from teh local University that came and did a paper for his final on my animals and the way it transfered the salmonella to my daughter.

Since then, I have been very carefull to always use good sanitation practices as well as lots of hand sanitizing gel. Its a very rare thing for animals to give humans salmonella but it IS POSSIBLE and is very scary and can be very bad if not caught in time.

Mark

I, myself, when I was about 5 years old, contracted salmonella from a reptile that my babysitter kept. I was in the hospital for over a week. My fever, at its worst was 105*F. I was all but dead. They packed my naked little body in ice cubes to try to keep me alive. I'm sure technology has improved a lot in the 30 years since, but it is something I will never forget.
-----

Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...