The CDC says more than three-quarters of 149 people stricken with the salmonella strain since Aug. 3 reported they were exposed to small turtles before they got sick.
View full sizeThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say small turtles are to blame for a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 149 people in 28 states.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are pinning a 28-state salmonella outbreak on small turtles sold illegally.
Fourteen Pennsylvanians and seven New Jersey residents have fallen ill, according to the CDC. No deaths have been reported.
The CDC says an investigation showed more than three-quarters of 149 people stricken with the salmonella strain since Aug. 3 reported they were exposed to small turtles before they got sick. Many of the ill reported buying turtles from street vendors or pet shops.
The CDC is urging people to wash their hands after handling amphibians and reptiles or coming in contact with their habitats.
Turtles with shells of less than 4 inches are a well-known source of human salmonella, as are other reptiles, according to the CDC. The U.S Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of small turtles in 1975.
The Hunterdon County Division of Public Health said in a statement today that some of the New Jersey cases have been linked to transient street vendors selling small turtles in predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.
Spokeswomen for New Jersey and Pennsylvania health departments said none of the cases were in Warren, Hunterdon, Northampton or Lehigh counties.
Salmonella symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, and the illness usually lasts four days to a week, according to the CDC. Most people recover without treatment, but infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk.