Key points
Public health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to contact with pet turtles. All of the sick people are children younger than 10 years old. Although any turtle can carry Salmonella germs that can spread to you and make you sick, turtles with shells less than 4 inches long are a known source of illness. Always take steps to stay healthy around pet turtles.
Latest update
August 5, 2026
CDC and public health officials in several states are collecting different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Paratyphi B Variant L (+) Tartrate + infections. All of the sick people are children younger than 10 years old.
Epidemiologic data show that contact with pet turtles is making people sick.
Epidemiologic Data
Cases
Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 6, 2026, to July 4, 2026. The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Demographics
Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the animals they came into contact with in the week before they got sick. This information provides clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.
The table below has information about sick children in these outbreaks ("n" is the number of people with information available for each demographic).
Age
(n=8)
Range from <1 to 7 years
Median age of 4 years
50% under 5 years
25% ≤1 year
Sex
(n=8)
88% female
12% male
Race
(n=8)
25% White
50% African American/Black
25% Native American or Alaska Native
Ethnicity
(n=8)
25% non-Hispanic
75% Hispanic
State and local public health officials are interviewing parents about the animals the children came into contact with the week before they got sick. Parents of 6 children reported that 5 (83%) had contact with pet turtles before getting sick. Of the 4 people who reported the size of the pet turtle, 3 (75%) reported contact with pet turtles with shells less than 4 inches long.
Laboratory and traceback data
Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of these outbreaks. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause gastrointestinal illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).
WGS showed that bacteria from sick people's samples are closely related genetically. This means that people in these outbreaks likely got sick from the same type of animal.
Based on WGS analysis, bacteria from 8 people's samples did not predict resistance to any antibiotics. More information is available at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) site.
Parents of 3 sick children in this outbreak reported that turtles were purchased from a pet store, with one receiving the turtle as a gift.
A common turtle supplier to these locations has not been identified.
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