Scientists now report that a salmonella outbreak in 2007-2008 was the largest such outbreak linked to turtles. 107 people got sick in 34 states, most of them were children.
Despite a 1975 ban on selling small turtles as pets, they continue to be sold illegally.
In fact, the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that the number of pet turtles nationwide doubled from 950,000 in 1996 to almost 2 million in 2006.
Salmonella in turtle feces can end up on their shells and body, and can spread to the people who handle them.
