How can the owner of a reptile not get sick himself?

Keeping pets not only adds to the worries of the owner, but also poses a danger to his health. This article is about keeping reptiles, but these rules apply to most other exotic animals, including rodents and birds.

Almost all reptiles are carriers of salmonellosis. Bacteria live in the intestinal tract and are constantly or periodically excreted in the faeces. Salmonella does not usually cause disease in reptiles, but it can be dangerous to humans. Bacteria are transmitted from animal to human.

A person can become infected orally through dirty hands and food, if personal hygiene rules are not observed after contact with objects contaminated with animal feces. Sometimes animals have free access to the kitchen, walk on the table, next to dishes and food.

That is, simple contact with a reptile does not lead to disease, the transfer is carried out precisely by the fecal-oral route, bacteria from contaminated objects and objects, as well as from the animals themselves, enter the human body through the mouth.

Usually the disease is mild and manifests itself in the form of diarrhea, intestinal colic, fever (fever). However, salmonella can penetrate into the blood, tissue of the nervous system, bone marrow, causing a severe course of the disease, sometimes ending in death. This severe course occurs in people with weakened immune systems (eg, people with bone marrow disease, diabetes, patients undergoing chemotherapy, people with human immunodeficiency virus).

Unfortunately, these carrier animals cannot be cured. The use of antibiotics is not effective and only causes the development of resistance to them in Salmonella. Identification of reptiles that are not carriers has not been successful either.

You can prevent infection by following some simple rules:

• Always wash your hands with warm soapy water after any contact with animals, equipment and terrarium material.
• Do not allow the animal to be in the kitchen and in places where food is prepared, as well as in the bathroom, swimming pool. It is better to limit the place where the pet can move freely in a terrarium or aviary.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke while interacting with your pet or while cleaning the terrarium. You should also not (as much as you would not want to) kiss and share food with him. 🙂
• Do not use dishes from the kitchen for reptiles, select separate brushes and rags for cleaning, which will be used only for the terrarium.
• It is not recommended to have reptiles in a family where there is a child under the age of 1 year. Children under 5 years old should not come into contact with reptiles. It is necessary to ensure that children observe the rules of personal hygiene. Therefore, these animals should not be started in kindergartens and other centers of preschool education.
• It is also better for people with a weakened immune system to avoid contact with these animals.
• It is worth monitoring the conditions of keeping and health of animals. Healthy reptiles are less likely to shed bacteria.

Healthy people rarely contract salmonellosis from their pets. Scientific studies are still underway to determine whether reptile Salmonella strains are really dangerous to humans. Some scientists conclude that the strains in reptiles and the strains that cause disease in humans are different. But still not worth the risk. You need to know and remember simple measures that will help you and your loved ones to maintain their health!