When we think salmonella, we usually think food: that counter that didn’t get cleaned well enough after housing raw chicken or salad kit recalls for contaminated lettuce. While recent outbreaks have been linked to the usual suspects like raw beef and raw cookie dough, the Centers for Disease Control has revealed an unusual culprit for a current 11-state outbreak: pet turtles.
The CDC announced an active investigation into a multi-state outbreak that has sickened at least 26 and hospitalized 9 – cases which investigators linked to contact with small turtles.
Defined by the organization as turtles with shells measuring smaller than 4 inches long, the sale of small turtles is banned by federal law thanks to a high likelihood of carrying and spreading illness. Despite these laws, the turtles are still sold illegally in some pet and online stores, flea markets, reptile shows and roadside stands, said the CDC.
Ground beef outbreak:Salmonella outbreak linked to ground beef hospitalizes 6 people across 4 states
Current salmonella outbreak
The CDC is currently aware of 26 cases of salmonella disease linked to small turtles, nine of which required hospitalization.
Like with most outbreaks, the actual number of cases is likely higher than those recorded by health officials, as many people recover at home without testing and it generally takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
In this outbreak, 31% of known cases are attributed to kids under the age of 5, as they are more susceptible to contracting illnesses from turtles and similar pets. Those who have gotten sick reported onset dates between Oct. 27, 2022, and July 16, 2023
Of the impacted people, 80% reported contact with pet turtles and 92% of those said their turtles were small or had a shell less than 4 inches in length. 64% of those people said they purchased their pets online, while 38% got them from a pet store.
Related cases were reported in 11 states, including:
- California
- Georgia
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