The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that 219 residents of 34 states had become ill with one of 3 outbreak strains of Salmonella in an outbreak traced to tiny turtles. The outbreak strains are Salmonella Sandiego, Salmonella Pomona and Salmonella Poona.
Small turtles are a well-known source of human Salmonella infections, especially among young children. The Food and Drug Administration has banned the sale and distribution of tiny turtles–turtles with a shell length of less than 4 inches–since 1975. According to the CDC, 36 Salmonella case-patients have been hospitalized. Sixty-six percent of Salmonella case-patients are children 10 years of age or younger, and 49% are persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
