The fright of the iguana: pet reptiles pose risk of salmonella infection for their owners

FDA Consumer, Nov-Dec, 1997 by Carol Lewis

Darrell Lee, an FDA computer expert who works with McDonald, saw firsthand that the sale of baby turtles is "a very brisk business" on a recent visit to Oakland's Chinatown. According to Lee, youngsters were peddling turtles and their cages at a rate of five every 15 minutes.

"It was like a street corner sale generating a huge profit," Lee recalled. "Here they were, young children selling them to other kids with no adults around."

But some public officials and responsible members of the scientific profession now believe that educating people rather than regulating reptiles would be more effective in controlling the spread of salmonella infection. According to several state health departments, there has been considerable effort to educate pediatricians, hospitals, clinics, and pet shop owners.

Robert and Lisa Wenner of Brunswick, Md., couldn't agree more about educating the public. The couple, with the help of their two young sons, operate an iguana rescue mission from their home and won't even consider adopting out these animals until they are convinced that prospective pet owners know and understand the risks associated with owning one.

"I recommend people buy a book about iguanas which tells all about the risk from exposure to salmonella," Robert says. And that's after he subjects them to a rigorous question-and-answer session to determine if indeed they do have a thorough understanding of the hazards involved. En the two years since the Wenners have owned their seven iguanas as personal pets, they say they have experienced no disease-related problems, which they attribute to the meticulous hygiene they insist their family members practice.

"We bathe our iguanas every day and disinfect our tub afterward each and every time," Robert says. And a trip to the sink to wash up with an antibacterial soap by all family members after each handling goes without saying. As to the three 4-foot-tall cages that house their pets, Lisa adds, "You have to commit yourself to cleaning them every single day."

But not all experts agree that bathing iguanas everyday is good practice. Victoria Hampshire, V.M.D., a veterinarian in the carnivore and ungulate unit at the National Institutes of Health, cautions against daily, harsh scrubbing of the animals because of the likelihood of dry skin and fungal infections. She believes that washing the iguana everyday should not be necessary if the animal has clean water and an adequate UV light source. A safe compromise, she says, would be to squirt down or mist the iguana daily.

A kennel technician for the Frederick County Animal Control, Lisa Wenner is all too aware of the hazards associated with animals and contracted diseases in general. However, not one case of reptile-associated salmonellosis has been reported since she began working there over six years ago. Wenner believes that the staunch efforts made by local veterinarians and health department officials to inform the public through literature and public forums are key to preventing the spread of the disease.