Small pet turtles linked to Pennsylvania salmonella outbreak

Tiny turtles have sparked a salmonella outbreak that killed one person and sickened at least eight others, state health officials said Wednesday.

The outbreak has been linked to small pet turtles purchased from street vendors, said Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam.

She said a majority of the cases have been in Southeastern Pennsylvania, with eight cases between Philadelphia and Delaware counties. Seven cases have been in children ranging from infant to 10 years old.

“This is concerning,” Beam said, “as salmonella can be particularly serious for children.”

She advised anyone who owns a pet turtle and gets ill to reach out to either their local or the state health department.

Four households in which turtles were linked to the illness reported the species of their turtle, and all four said they owned small red-eared sliders. Those four also said they got their turtle from roadside vendors, three of which were in Philadelphia.

Even healthy turtles can carry salmonella, and they sometimes shed the bacteria through their feces, health officials said. Contact with the turtles and their tanks can expose people to the bacteria.

The infection attacks the gastrointestinal tract and, in addition to gastrointestinal distress, can cause fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, the infection case spread and cause blood infections and bone and joint infections.

Health officials said young children, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems should avoid contact with turtles. They advised that people:

• Wash hands after handling turtles or changing tank water
• Don’t keep turtles in the kitchen or anywhere food is prepared or eaten, and don’t put them in sinks or tubs where infants are bathed
• Don’t eat, drink or smoke while handling turtles
• Don’t kiss or snuggle turtles