Fwd: Pets: Considering Health Risks with Reptile Ownership

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Not a science news again, but I think this should be communicated to
the general public to advise them NOT to keep reptiles. It is illegal
to keep anything other than the red ear slider (terrapin) in Singapore
anyway. Furthermore they have been always abandoned after they have
grown too big. So why bother with reptiles? Adopt a cat or dog instead
hahaha

Here is your Pets eTip

Considering Health Risks with Reptile Ownership

All reptiles present potential health risks to humans. One of the most highly publicized zoonoses (diseases that can be passed, directly or indirectly, from animals to humans) in recent years has been salmonella. The reason salmonella is a problem with reptiles is that the strains or types of salmonella that typically infect them are different from those we normally encounter in our food. These strains can cause symptoms ranging from very mild to potentially lethal. Even mild strains can be deadly to humans who have compromised or immature immune systems: infants, toddlers, the elderly, anyone with a suppressed immune system due to illness, organ transplant patients taking anti-rejection drugs, or cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Make informed decision with the information and insight in Iguanas For
Dummies, by Melissa Kaplan.