Pet Frogs Blamed for Spreading Salmonella

They’re green, slimy, and for reasons I don’t really understand, some people like to keep them as pets. Now, African dwarf frogs given away as prizes at county fairs or bought in pet stores or other locations are being blamed for spreading potentially fatal salmonella bacteria across 31 states in the past eight months.

The outbreak that spanned coast to coast – from California to Massachusetts – resulted in 85 cases of salmonella poisoning, mostly in children. Of the 85 sickened, 16 were hospitalized, but no deaths were reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The African dwarf frogs are less than two inches long and live in water. They are commonly sold as aquarium pets, the CDC said.

Most of those infected likely contracted salmonella by reaching into the aquarium water to retrieve their little pets or from eating food prepared kitchens where dirty aquarium water was dumped out, the CDC said. Salmonella more commonly causes food poisoning in people who eat contaminated food or drink tainted water.

Turtles Blamed for Earlier Outbreak

While officials said this is the first known outbreak of salmonella tied to frogs, this is not the first time unconventional pets have passed nasty bacteria onto people.

In October 2009, health officials confirmed pet turtles carrying salmonella had sickened 107 people in 34 states, with about one-third of those affected requiring hospitalization for the illness. Ironically, most of those infected in the latest outbreak did not know the frogs could carry dangerous salmonella and many parents had bought their children frogs to avoid buying turtles, which are more commonly associated with bacteria, officials said.

All the frogs involved in the current salmonella outbreak were produced by a single California breeder, according to the CDC. Some were given away as carnival prizes in Utah and Colorado while others were sold in pet stores in New Mexico or in a department store in Ohio, according to a WebMD article.

To prevent infections, the CDC advises pet owners to wash their hands thoroughly after touching animals or cleaning aquariums. Or, you could just get a dog.

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