Flea bites, intestinal parasites, cat scratch disease … our pets are sometimes carriers of diseases that can be transmitted to children. Fortunately, the majority of these zoonoses are easily cured.
But what worries the health authorities today is the appearance in homes of new pets (NAC). In 2003, 3% of French households owned a reptile. A figure which has probably increased in ten years, given the enthusiasm for these animals. However, as doctors underline in a study published in the Weekly epidemiological bulletin, reptiles are known reservoirs of Salmonella (a variety of bacteria that can cause fever and toxic infections) and represent a potential source of contamination for humans.
Contamination without direct contact
In order to discover cases of salmonellosis in young children transmitted by reptiles in mainland France, an investigation was carried out in 2013 by the Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) and the National Reference Center for Salmonella at the Institut Pasteur (CNR ). The selection of patients for the study was made from the list of patients for whom a strain of Salmonella had been received at the CNR in 2012: the researchers then refined their selection by keeping the cases of Salmonella in children under 5 years old, having a reptile at home, and having not made a recent trip abroad (in order to exclude cases of imported salmonellosis), i.e. 41 patients in total.
“Of the 41 cases, 38 (93%) presented with febrile gastroenteritis. Two other cases presented with meningitis. These 2 patients had both been exposed to a reptile. “
Aquatic turtles Pogona lizards are the most frequently encountered reptiles. Followed by snakes and iguanas. “The reptiles were never left free in the home and when cleaning the animal’s habitat, the dirt was thrown outside. But only one parent was aware of the risks of transmitting salmonella to young children, ”the researchers insist.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued hygiene recommendations for reptile owners, and sellers should educate their customers about the risks of transmitting salmonella. The acquisition of a reptile in homes with a child under 5 years old is not recommended, and if a reptile is already present at home, its eviction is recommended when an infant arrives at home. But to date, there are no such recommendations for reptile owners in France. “However, you should know that the habitat and clothing of reptile owners can be contaminated, even after the reptiles have been evicted, because salmonella survive for a long time in the environment. And very young children have a high risk of developing salmonellosis ”.
