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Melissa Kaplan
by Melissa Kaplan
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Captive Care
of the Green Iguana video, interviews with Melissa
Kaplan, and more!
Advance
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Neuroimmune Diseases
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Coinfections
Blogs:
Lizards-in-Scarves
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Zoonotic diseases are
those that can be passed from animal to animal--thus from your pets to
you. Salmonella, toxoplasmosis, Lyme disease, rabies, and bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE, better known as "mad cow disease") are
some of the most publicized zoonoses.
Knowing that there is
the possibility of becoming infected with a zoonoses is half the battle.
Being smart about the steps you take to reduce the risk to you, your families,
students and others you--and your pets--come into contact with is the
other half. The articles here will help you find out what you need to
know to best take care of, and make the best decisions, for your pets--and
humans.
Please note that I am
using the term pets rather than reptiles or herps
for a reason: all animals, including dogs, cats, parrots, rabbits, etc.,
may carry one or more zoonotic organism. While the following articles
were written and selected with herp keepers in mind, the precautions and
concerns extend to all animals kept as pets or encountered when interacting
with animals of all types in all situations.
Pet owners and all parents,
regardless of the types of pets they keep or their children come into
contact with, must educate themselves. Physicians are not adequately
trained to recognize, let alone treat, the hundreds of most common zoonotic
diseases.
Salmonella
"Today, there are more than 100 cases of reptile-associated
salmonellosis reported annually in Los Angeles County. Human salmonellosis
associated with lizards was not seen ten years ago. This increase in salmonellosis
is due to the massive influx of green iguanas being imported from Central
America. Iguana farms and wholesalers often use antibiotics to prevent
disease in the lizards, thus increasing antibiotic resistant strains of
salmonella. Iguanas are flown to the southern United States and distributed
to wholesalers. To prevent human outbreaks and associated health care
costs, regulations regarding these reptiles may be warranted, similar
to the current regulation of pet turtles. (Title 17, Section 2612.1)."
County of Los Angeles (California) Department of Public Health, Veterinary
Public Health's Overview
of Zoonoses.
"The population
attributable fraction for reptile or amphibian contact was 6% for all
sporadic Salmonella infections and 11% among persons <21 years old.
These data suggest that reptile and amphibian exposure is associated with
approximately 74,000 Salmonella infections annually in the United States."
Reptiles,
amphibians, and human Salmonella infection: a population-based, case-control
study. Clin Infect Dis. 2004 Apr 15;38 Suppl 3:S253-61
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More
on Reptile-Related Salmonella
Recent
additions:
Pet Snakes May be Source
of Salmonella
Aerobic
bacterial oral flora of garter snakes
Reptile-Associated
Salmonellosis - Selected States 1998-2002
Prevalence
and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella spp.
in pet mammals, reptiles, fish aquarium water, and birds
in Trinidad
Isolation
of Salmonella strains from reptile faeces and comparison
of different culture media
Outbreak
of salmonellosis in a zoologic collection of lorikeets
and lories
Salmonella:
Then and Now
Kids, Reptiles & Salmonella
Reptile-Related Salmonellosis
If
you touch a turtle, wash your hands!
Interview with the CDC: Dr. Jonathan
Mirmen
Public Health Implications of Fecal
Shedding of Salmonella in Iguanas
Reptile
Associated Salmonellosis - Selected States 1996-1998
Salmonella and Other
Zoonoses: The Basics
Salmonella
and Reptiles: Veterinary Recommendations
Salmonella
Citations in the Veterinary and Medical Literature
Salmonella's Main Drug Hits Resistant
Strain In U.S.
States Hatch Warning Labels for
Reptiles
Pros and cons of long-term
probiotics use in green iguanas
The Fright of the Iguana: Pet Reptiles
Pose Risk of Salmonella Infection for Their Owners
Other
Sources of Salmonella
Alfalfa Sprouts: Health Food or
Health Risk?
Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella
in milk
Humans May Contract Salmonella From
Pet Treats
Household
Contamination with Salmonella enterica
Produce Handling and Processing
Practices
Sprout Safety: FDA Warns High-Risk
Groups: Don't Eat Alfalfa Sprouts
Salmonella and Vegetables
Pet Treats a Source of Salmonella
Other
Zoonoses
Animal-borne
Epidemics Out of Control: Threatening the Nation's Health
Anthroponoses,
Zoonoses, and Sapronoses
Cryptosporidum
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
& Other Autoimmune Disease in Animals
Dinner,
Pets and Plagues: Wildlife Trade Leading to Ecodisaster
Exotic
Animals Give Exotic Diseases to People and Domestic Animals
Infectious
threats from exotic pets: dermatological implications
Potential Zoonoses in Exotic Pets
Produce Handling and Processing
Practices
Zoonoses in house pets other than
dogs, cats and birds.
Zoonotic Diseases:
Animals In The Classroom (PDF)
Zoonotic
Diseases - Are Reptiles the Real Threat to Human Health?
Zoonoses
From Reptiles and Their Parasites
General
Zoonoses Information
Confronting Zoonoses, Linking Human and Veterinary Medicine
Health Pets,
Healthy People (CDC)
Parasitic
Pathways: Animal Diseases (CDC)
Pets Pose Health Hazards, Experts
Warn
Pets
and Pet Health - MedlinePlus Collection
Veterinarians
Safeguard Children's Health
Wildlife,
Exotic Pets, and Emerging Zoonoses
Zoonoses:
Animals Can Make You Sick
Human
Health Concerns/Microbial Resistance
Animal-Borne
Diseases
Dead
Bugs Don’t Mutate
Excessive/Inappropriate
Use of Antimicrobial Products
Human Health Concerns
Hygiene
Hypothesis Shields Kids From Heart Disease Later On
Miracle
Drugs vs. Superbugs
Salmonella's Molecular Mimics
May Spark Arthritis
The Problem with Gram-Negative
Bacteria
Parent
and Pediatrician Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding
Pet-Associated Hazards
Veterinarians
Safeguard Children's Health
Reptile Salmonella Transmitted
Through Platelet Donations From Apparently Healthy Owner
of Asymptomatic Boa
Preventing
Infection
Cutting
Through the Cutting Board Brouhaha
Dirt on Soap
Food
for Thought: Lessons from a case of toxic ice cream
Hand-Transmitted Infection
How
to Disinfect your Salad, Sponges and Sinks and Rags, Oh
My!
Wash Your Hands!
Precautions You Can Take To Prevent
Contamination
Researcher urges less use of
anti-bacteria products
Tracking
and Tackling Foodborne Germs
Useful Tips for Maintaining A
Healthy Home
Vinegar
and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants
Wash-Resistant
Bacteria Taint Foods
West Nile Virus and Mosquito Control
Preventing
Zoonotic Diseases in Immunocompromised Persons: The Role
of Physicians and Veterinarians
Putting
it all into some perspective...
Doctor's Group Questions Antibacterial
Soaps
Researcher urges less use of
anti-bacteria products
Too Clean Is No Good
Triclosan: Antimicrobial May
Not Kill All Germs
Who Speaks for the Microbes?
Hand
Sanitizer Alert
- That alcohol-based hand sanitizer you're using may not
be strong enough to kill surface organisms
Recommended
Reading
Parasite
Rex. Carl Zimmer, 2000.
Repulsive
they may be to us, but Mother Nature cares not a whit
for our feelings about parasites. She's concerned only
with how successful those deadly freeloaders are in the
evolutionary struggle, and, by any measure, parasites
are thriving winners. This is a ghastly state of affairs
for sufferers of river blindness, sleeping sickness, malaria,
and more; fortunately, in the outlands of biology, a specialty
called parasitology labors to understand and combat the
organisms causing such afflictions. This is the field
Zimmer unblinkingly explores, replete with scenes of dissections
that expose the worms, flukes, and single-celled organisms
that invade a host. Gross! But as Zimmer estimably explains
how tough life is from the parasite's perspective, such
as the relentless battle with the host's immune system,
the reader begins to concede parasites their niche in
the ecological system. Further, Zimmer usefully discusses
parasites' behaviors, especially their defenses against
antibodies, as evolutionary adaptations reaching back
to the primeval epochs of life's history. A well-organized
and well-presented survey of parasites' life cycles and
the debilitations they cause. (ALA Booklist, August 2000,
v96 i22, p2090)
Salmonella uses molecular staples
to change structure of infected cells
Further
information on Salmonella and other zoonoses from
reptiles and other pets, as well as in food and food processing,
can be found in the (U.S.) Centers
for Disease Control (CDC)'s National
Antibiotic Monitoring System and FoodNet
websites. Additional medical and related information can
be found through PubMed
and Scirus.
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