Do Russians have a lot of salmonella?

[Chinque]

I asked my science teacher and she said that all reptiles in general carry salmonella to get predators in the wild sick. I already know that lizards carry a TON of salmonella, especially leopard geckos. But, I'm not sure about Russian tortoises... Could somebody please help me?

 

[tortallyinsane11]

My understanding is that you can get salmonella from handling anything reptile or remotely close. Keep them clean, keep their enclosure clean, and wash your hands after handling. Also, you probably shouldn't lick the tortoise;-).

 

[mctlong]

Also, you probably shouldn't lick the tortoise;-).

Haha! Yes, this is very good advice.

I did not answer the poll because not all tortoises carry salmonella bacteria. You cannot tell which animals are infected and which are not since the salmonella bacteria doesn't usually make a tortoise sick. When an animal is infected, the bacteria is found in their poop. As long as you're not ingesting their feces you should be fine. The best way to avoid being contaminated is to wash your hands with antibacterial soap after handling tortoises (because they sometimes walk through their poop and get the bacteria on their shells) or cleaning out their enclosures. You also want to avoid washing tortoise dishes alongside your dishes or keeping tortoise equipment near your food preparation areas.

FYI - I was raised around tortoises and have been around tortoises my entire life and have never gotten salmonella poisoning from one.

 

[Tom]

All animals can carry salmonella. Not just reptiles. It is present in the environment. It is very likely on the keyboard or touchscreen you are using right now. The only way to know what quantity and animal is carrying is to obtain samples and test them.

Your teacher is incorrect about salmonella being carried to make predators sick.

 

[Chinque]

Okay, thank you for your help, everybody! Also, I mistyped something; my teacher didn't tell me that the salmonella on the tortoises is there to get animals sick, I think heard it somewhere else (Although I'm not quite sure where...). Anyway, thanks for the advice about not licking the tort...lol!!

 

[N2TORTS]

Tom is correct……..
Salmonella can also be found existing outside of an animal host such as water, soil, or sewage. It only takes 15-20 bacteria cells to infect a human.
The law/ ban on the sale of baby turtles possessing a shell size smaller than four inches was enacted because young children were often found to be infected with salmonellosis by putting these small turtles in their mouths.
Salmonella enteritidis is the most common species of Salmonella that infects humans
Salmonella enteritidis is primarily adapted to animal hosts, at least for the beginning of its life cycle but it can and will effect humans. S. enteritidis are considered facilitative anaerobes, which means that these bacteria can survive with or without oxygen. This broadens the environments in which they can be found……
Most human cases are reported after eating animal products such as dairy, poultry, eggs, and meat.
It is also interesting to note that Salmonella has been discovered to exist as free-living organism that can reproduce under natural conditions. ….In 2009 there was a large bacterial outbreak within the peanut industry. More than 400 peanut products were recalled after 500 people became sick and six people died throughout 43 states.

JD~

 

[Chinque]

That is interesting, because we were just learning about aerobic viruses in science and I didn't know that much about salmonella.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

That is interesting, because we were just learning about aerobic viruses in science and I didn't know that much about salmonella.

I agree with Tom and JD. Salmonella bacteria are very common, and found in probably all vertebrates, including humans. However, different animals may have different species or strains of Salmonella. So, if one animal (such as a human) contracts a type of Salmonella that it does not normally carry from another animal, then that animal (or human) can become sick.

I got salmonellosis once, but it wasn't from a bird or reptile. It was from a hamburger that had been sitting out at room temperature for more than 4 hours. I ate the burger in the afternoon, and in the middle of the night I developed terrible food poisoning. I felt like I was going to die and went to the ER for some help. Salmonella poisoning often causes very bad vomiting and diarrhea, but the infection is usually self-limiting, and as long as you compensate for the loss of water and electrolytes, it's not usually life-threatening (even if it feels like it). Anyway, the reason this bacterium from cattle made me sick, is it was of a different strain than what I naturally have in my own gut.

For more information, please see:
http://www.zoologix.com/primate/Datasheets/Salmonella.htm

BTW - Salmonella is a bacterium, not a virus. Bacteria and archaea are single-celled microbes, and the smallest forms of life. Viruses are even smaller than that, but are not really life forms. They are just particles of nucleic acid and protein that make us sick because they cause our bodies to produce more of them. Bacteria can be either aerobic or anaerobic, meaning they may or may not require oxygen, depending on their metabolism. However, viruses are neither aerobic nor anaerobic, because they have no metabolism of their own at all.

 

[Chinque]

Ok, thanks for the help--we didn't study salmonella specifically, just viruses and bacteria, so I was curious. For example, my lab partner studied necrotizing fasciitis specifically (readers, only look this up if you have an "iron stomach", please). Necrotizing fasciitis is the flesh eating disease, don't worry, though, it's only found in third world countries, but, some cases were found in the US, because so many people were getting huge gashes on their arms and legs from home-made ziplines and the bacteria got in the cut, which caused it. Anyway, I didn't know that salmonella was a bacterium, not a virus, thanks for the help.