Illegal Turtle Pets Infected 107 People

In 1975, the United States banned selling turtles less than 4 inches across. That’s because turtles carry salmonella bacteria that can infect humans. But today Americans keep more than 2 million small turtles as pets. Most people don’t know about the ban, say researchers who studied a salmonella outbreak linked to pet turtles. They published their findings October 19 in the journal Pediatrics. The outbreak occurred in 2007 and 2008. At least 107 people in 34 states got sick. One-third of them had to be put in a hospital. People had bought their pet turtles in pet shots, flea markets, on the street and online. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating these vendors, the article said. Other researchers have tried to breed turtles that don’t carry salmonella, the Associated Press reported. But they have not succeeded so far.