Which pet animal is linked with salmonella outbreak?”
About 107 people have fallen sick in the largest salmonella outbreak caused by turtles nationwide and include two girls who swam with two pet turtles in a backyard pool. The 2007-08 outbreaks also affected children the most in 34 states and about one-third of the patients had been hospitalized. Most of the parents were not aware that turtles can carry salmonella. A ban was imposed on selling turtles as pets in 1975 but they still continue to be sold illegally. The number of pet turtles has doubled in ten years from 950,000 in 1996 to 2 million in 2006 as estimated by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Julie Harris, a scientist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the report’s lead author said, “It’s very easy to think of turtles as being a very gentle and nice pet,” but many carry salmonella, without showing any signs. The salmonella present in their feces can reach their shells and body and then spread to people who handle them. During shipping the s
