By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles.A five-month-old Britich baby was hospitalized with salmonellosis that was presumably acquired from a family pet. The baby developed severe diarrhea and was rushed to hospital. Fortunately, the child has recovered, something that’s far from assured in such cases, since salmonellosis can be life-threatening in infants. As expected, an investigation followed the diagnosis of salmonellosis.… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesThe CDC has announced an investigation of three multistate outbreaks of salmonellosis linked to pet turtles. At last report, 66 affected people had been identified, and since most outbreaks like this only identify a minority of cases, it’s safe to assume there are many others. Three different types of Salmonella have been implicated; S. Sandiego, S.… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesYet another outbreak of salmonellosis traced back to pet turtles has been investigated by CDC and Pennsylvania’s State Health Department. Pet turtles are notorious Salmonella vectors, for several reasons, including the fact that small aquatic turtles very commonly carry the bacterium, they are marketed towards young kids (who are increased risk of infection), and people… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesNo, not gravy made from bearded dragons (a type of reptile), but foodborne Salmonella with a link to the reptile. Reptiles are an important source of Salmonella, which is why standard guidelines recommend that high-risk people (e.g. children less than 5 years of age, elderly individuals, people with compromised immune systems, pregnant women) not have… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesI avoided the "snakes on a plane" title, as ever since the (bad) Samuel L. Jackson movie came out, every reptile smuggling headline seems to use use it. Regardless, would you like to be on a long trans-Atlantic flight with 247 smuggled animals, including a collection of venomous vipers? Probably not. Fortunately for passengers on… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesMaybe the Occupy movement should take some tips from an Indian man who expressed his frustration with government corruption by releasing venomous snakes into a government office. Upset by the slow pace of the bureaucracy and demands for bribes, the man (the local snake charmer) dumped 40 snakes, including 4 cobras, onto the floor of… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesI guess I’m lucky I’m married since I’m obviously out of touch with the best ways to attract women. Unlike Dewayne Yarborough of Ford Heights, Illinois, I didn’t know that a 4-foot-long alligator is a "chick magnet." His reason for keeping the reptile was that he claimed it attracted women (I kid you not). While… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesA UK hairdresser is recovering from necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) that was linked to his pet turtle. The problem started when he cut his finger while cleaning out the turtle’s tank. An infection developed, which isn’t too surprising since a turtle terrarium is full of a variety of bacteria. However, instead of a mild, local infection,… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesThe Bronx Zoo has closed it’s reptile house following the disappearance of an Egyptian cobra. Officials noticed the 20-inch-long snake was missing on Saturday, and they are presumably carrying out a diligent and very careful search. There’s probably no risk to the public (as long as the snake wasn’t stolen). It’s likely curled up hiding… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesWhen a particular animal species or breed gets a lot of attention, such as through a popular movie or TV show, there’s sometimes a major increase in people wanting one as a pet. The proliferation of Dalmatians after 101 Dalmatians, and people buying Jack Russell terriers in response to Eddie from Frasier are only two… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesI’ve been slow getting around to this topic, which has been covered elsewhere (on Barfblog), but it’s an interesting report and one that’s still worth discussing. The report from Ireland involves diagnosis of botulism in a baby that was associated with a pet turtle and/or the turtle’s feed. Botulism is a very serious disease caused… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesTegus are large South American lizards that are sometimes kept as pets. As with other reptiles, Salmonella is a concern, as highlighted by a recent study in the journal Zoonoses and Public Health (Maciel et al. 2010). In that study, the authors tested feces of 30 captive-born tegus. From the first round of samples, they… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesHere’s a comment from a well-meaning but ultimately misinformed reader. I’m commenting on it because these misconceptions are not uncommon. "This blog post appears to be based on inadequate knowledge of iguanas. I am an iguana keeper and have been for several years. Unlike many reptiles, iguanas do not carry salmonella on their skin and… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesThe Texas Department of State Health Services has proposed a series of changes to warnings that are already required of retailers that sell reptiles. The warnings are focused on prevention of salmonellosis, and retailers must post signs and provide written warnings to anyone buying a reptile about the risk of salmonellosis from reptiles. Signs must… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesThe UK’s Health Protection Agency is warning families who own reptiles about the risks of Salmonella, following the diagnosis of salmonellosis in 9 Merseyside children in the past 6 months. All the affected kids had direct or indirect contact with reptiles. Three of them (all less than three years of age) were hospitalized. One of… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesThe Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has issued a public advisory regarding salmonellosis linked to frozen rodents used as pet (reptile) food. The rather vaguely-worded advisory states that there have been seven reported cases of Salmonella caused by a specific strain that has been linked to frozen rodents. No details about the cases or… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesAn Ocean City, Maryland man was told that he couldn’t take his pet iguana on the Boardwalk because of a town ordinance banning "undomesticated" pets in public places. Instead of accepting the ruling, he "registered" his pet iguana as a "service animal". Protection of true service animals is critical but the very broad nature of… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesMiceDirect, a company that sells frozen mice, rats and chicks as reptile feed, has issued a recall because of Salmonella contamination of their product. Contaminated critters have been sold across the US (except Hawaii) through mail order and pet stores, and recalled product codes can be found in the FDA recall notice. Contamination isn’t a… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesIt’s not likely going to spark a Hollywood movie, but a turtle on a plane triggered a lot of angst and controversy in the US recently. A 10-year-old girl was traveling with her pet turtle, Neytiri, on an AirTran flight from Atlanta to Milwaukee. The airline has a no-reptiles policy (actually, a no-pets-at-all-in-the-cabin policy) and… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesAmong the various things I’ve been called in response to blog posts is "anti-reptile." Actually, I like reptiles. I’ve owned and treated them, and think many of them are quite fascinating species. They can be reasonable pets in certain situations. The main problem is that they have high rates of Salmonella carriage and are the… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesA recent report in the Journal of Pediatrics (Tabarani et al 2010) describes a case of infection around the brain, at the site of a previous subdural hematoma, in a five-month-old child. Four reptiles (all bearded dragons) were present in the child’s foster household, but the foster parent reported that the baby did not have… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesGurnee’s Serpent Safari is being sued by the family of a two-year-old boy who allege the child contracted salmonellosis from a snake at the zoo. The child became ill and was hospitalized three days after visiting the zoo and petting a snake. The boy’s mother got sick shortly thereafter. It’s unclear if the same Salmonella… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in Reptiles,SalmonellaMy oldest daughter’s latest favourite TV show is Cake Boss, a TLC show about life in a bakery (don’t ask why… I guess it’s better than John and Kate Plus 8). On a recent episode, they were making a cake for a circus sideshow and one of the performers appeared in the bakery’s kitchen with a… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in ReptilesMichael Plank, a California resident, was caught at the Los Angeles airport smuggling 15 lizards from Australia. Two geckos, two monitors and 11 skinks were found worth over $8500 and confiscated. The reptiles were strapped to his body inside money belts. It’s not explained how the smuggling was identified, but I imagine wriggling clothes might… Continue Reading
