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Pet-turtles: a potential source of human pathogenic bacteria

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Abstract

Human infections caused by the bacterial pathogens transmitted from pet-turtles are becoming very common and getting more importance as the turtles are considered unsafe pet animals, mainly for children and immunocompromised people. Pet-turtles are known as the reservoir of different bacterial species as their intestinal microflora. Extrinsic stressors, such as crowding, unhygienic handling, poor water quality, polluted feeding and inadequate nutrition, can predispose pet-turtles to bacterial infections. The presence of different virulence genes leads to the virulent potential of bacteria. The virulent bacteria can cause infections in turtles and humans, if the turtle owners or shopkeepers don’t practice proper sanitation while handling turtles. The aim of this review paper was to provide an overview of different bacterial species isolated from pet-turtles for awareness-raising about potential health risks related to raise pet-turtles.

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  1. Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungdae-ro 1, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28644, Republic of Korea

    Sabrina Hossain & Gang-Joon Heo

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  1. Sabrina Hossain
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Correspondence to Gang-Joon Heo.

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Hossain, S., Heo, GJ. Pet-turtles: a potential source of human pathogenic bacteria. Arch Microbiol 203, 3785–3792 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-021-02428-x

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