Turtle-associated salmonellosis in Puerto Rico. Hazards of the global turtle trade

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Abstract
After the Puerto Rico Department of Health received a report of salmonellosis in an infant who had contact with a pet turtle, a case-control study was conducted in 2 urban areas in Puerto Rico to measure the extent of pet turtle-associated salmonellosis there. Ten (17%) of 60 infants with salmonellosis but none of their matched controls had a history of exposure to a pet turtle in the 2 wk before onset of illness. Two other case patients were also exposed to a pet turtle, an 8-yr-old child and an adult with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and Salmonella bacteremia. A variety of Salmonella serogroups were represented in the turtle-associated cases. All turtle lots collected from pet shops in Puerto Rico were culture-positive for Salmonella; 89% yielded S. pomona. Contamination of the turtles probably occurred at the farm before distribution, since S. pomona was also isolated from turtles exported from the same farm to Guam and to Yugoslavia. The estimated 3-4 million turtles exported annually from the USA are an important potential route for global dissemination of human salmonellosis.