The Checkup
Copyright 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008 10:40 AM

When we hear about salmonella these days, we're more likely to think raw eggs than reptiles. But this article in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reminds us that your family's pet turtles (and other reptiles) can make people just as sick as an undercooked omelet can. Salmonella infection generally causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, starting 12 to 72 hours after exposure. It makes you feel sick as a dog, and the illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people get better without requiring treatment, but some have to head to the hospital, and, in rare cases, some die. Following up on scattered reports of salmonella-related illness in several states, researchers took a closer look at 70 people -- kids and adults -- who'd recently been sickened by salmonella. Sixty-three percent -- 44 people -- reported they'd been exposed to a turtle shortly