effyeahmicrobiology:

onestudentagainsttheworld:

The FDA banned the sale of turtles less than 4 inches long in 1975?

Why?

“There were approximately 280,000 cases of salmonellosis in the U.S. each year directly as a result of those turtles,” says Stephen Sundlof, who heads the FDA’s center for veterinary medicine. 

The symptoms of salmonellosis include gastroenteritis, bacteremia or septicemia, and enteric fevers. Once infected you can become a reservoir for up to one year.

poor poor tiny turtles :(