Farm-raised 'Salmonella-free' Turtle Hatchlings Do Not Excrete Salmonella in Home Aquariums

摘要

A rise in reptile-associated cases of salmonellosis in children under ten years of age led the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1975 to create regulations that prohibited the inter- and intrastate sale of turtles with a carapace length less than four inches (ca. 10 cm) while educational sales and overseas sales continued unchanged (Cohen et al. 1980). The rationale for this ban was that turtles carry Salmonella as part of their normal assortment of bacteria. Salmonella may be shed intermittently (Kaufmann et al. 1967) and complete eradication of Salmonella in turtles through treatment would be complicated. By prohibiting the sale of small turtles, the legislature limited the possible exposure to Salmonella assuming that larger turtles would make less desirable pets for young children.