A national outbreak of salmonella has been linked to pet turtles, including some in Philadelphia

Ten Pennsylvanians are among 59 people nationwide who have contracted the bacteria Salmonella in the last year after coming into contact with small pet turtles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week.

The outbreak was first detected in October 2022 and has escalated in recent months. Since late August, a total of 33 people have been sickened. The 10 cases identified in Pennsylvania include some in Philadelphia, where the local health department said it was investigating “a very small number of cases” but declined to say how many.

This is not the first time the Philadelphia region has dealt with salmonella cases linked to pet turtles. In 2021, eight people — four in Philadelphia, and four in Delaware County — were sickened and one died in a Salmonella outbreak. Some of those cases were linked to turtles sold by roadside vendors who sell the pets at intersections around the city.

For most people, Salmonella causes a four- to seven-day bout with diarrhea. But young children and elderly people can experience more serious illnesses, requiring hospitalization.

In rare cases, patients are at risk of dying. The CDC did not indicate that anyone sickened in the current outbreak had died.

Salmonella is most often spread through contaminated food, but can also spread through animals, including pets. While turtles of any size can spread the bacteria, turtles with shells less than four inches long are particularly dangerous because small children can handle them more easily. Federal law bans the sale of turtles with shells less than four inches, about the length of a playing card.

Still, small turtles are often sold illegally, the CDC says. In the current outbreak, 46 of the 59 people sickened talked to public health officials about animals they’d recently handled. Nearly three-quarters said they had had contact with a pet turtle. Twenty-six people were able to provide information about the size of the turtle they’d handled: All had shells less than four inches long.

Philadelphia health department spokesperson Jim Kyle said that people who have held a turtle and are now feeling sick should call a doctor.

To prevent the further spread of cases, people considering buying pet turtles should avoid turtles smaller than four inches, Kyle said. Those who have pet turtles should wash their hands after handling them and keep them out of areas where food is prepared or where an infant might be present.

People should not “kiss or snuggle” a turtle and shouldn’t eat, drink, or smoke while holding one, he said. Turtle owners shouldn’t release their pets into the wild; instead, those who want to get rid of a pet turtle should call the city’s Animal Care and Control Team at 267-385-3800.