A Review of the Public Health Challenges of and Turtles

Non-typhoidal serovars are recognized as zoonotic pathogens. Although human salmonellosis is frequently associated with ingestion of contaminated foods of animal origin, contact with animals may also be a significant source of infection, especially contact with turtles, which have shown to be an important reservoir of specifically through their intestinal tracts. Turtles are among the most common reptiles kept as house pets that may pose a public health risk associated with exposure, especially among infants and young children. This review discusses the literature reporting the link between turtles and as well as turtle-associated human salmonellosis in the last ten years. In most outbreaks, a high proportion of patients are children under five years of age, which indicates that children are at the greatest risk of turtle-associated salmonellosis. Therefore, turtles should not be preferred as recommended pets for children under five years of age. Reducing turtle stress to minimise shedding as well as providing client education handouts at the points of sale of these animals may reduce the risk of transmitting such significant pathogen to humans. Further studies are required to investigate the role of both direct contact with turtles as well as indirect contact through cross-contamination in the transmission of turtles-associated to humans.