[Salmonella infection from turtles].

Small turtles are asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella. Infants are particularly at risk of clinical infection. We describe an eight months old boy who became sick with Salmonella. The family had two turtles. Salmonella Abony was found in faeces from the child and in samples from both turtles. Commercial distribution of reptiles is prohibited in Norway. However, illegal import from other countries where no such ban exist is common. There are an estimated 10,000 pet reptiles in the Oslo region, most of them are turtles. More than 90% of turtles may be carriers of Salmonella. Many owners of turtles are not aware of the risk of salmonellosis from their pets.