Parents may delight their children by introducing a new pet at Christmas – but if the pet is a snake it may bring risk of serious infection, researchers warned today.
A study in the south west of England found that as many as 25% of cases of salmonella infection among infants were linked to the presence of snakes or other pet reptiles in the home.
Reporting in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, the researchers say they found 250 cases of salmonella infection over a four-year period affecting children of pre-school age.
Some 48 of these involved exposure to reptiles. This was 27% of the 175 children about whom there was information on the circumstances of their illness.
These children also suffered more severe disease than others – and were more than twice as likely to be admitted to hospital.
Researcher Dr Femi Oshin, a consultant in communicable disease control with Public Health England in the region, warns that young children may find themselves sharing floor space with pet reptiles.
He writes: “While crawling and undergoing developmental stages that include oral exploration, the younger child would be particularly at risk of contracting Salmonella shed from a reptile sharing the same space.”
Reptile associated salmonellosis in children aged under 5 years in South West England Archives of Disease in Childhood 23 December 2014; doi 10.1136/archdischild-2014-306134 [abstract]
Leave a Reply