Pediatric Salmonella Poona gastroenteritis with bacteremia linked to exposure to a pet turtle: a case report.

OBJECTIVE

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Poona (S. Poona) is a zoonotic pathogen commonly associated with reptiles, particularly turtles. We report a pediatric case of S. Poona bacteremia in which a pet turtle was microbiologically confirmed as the source of infection.

PATIENTS: A 17-month-old Asian girl with fever and transient diarrhea was hospitalized. The patient had direct contact with the family's pet turtle shortly before symptom onset. The turtle's tank was routinely cleaned in the household kitchen sink.

RESULTS

S. Poona was isolated from the patient's blood and stool, as well as from swabs taken from the turtle's limbs, shell, and feces. Macrorestriction analysis revealed that the isolates from the patient and the turtle shared identical genomic fragment patterns, indicating transmission through direct contact or environmental contamination. The patient made a full recovery following a 14-day course of intravenous cefotaxime and ampicillin.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case in Japan of S. Poona infection with microbiological confirmation of the source animal. This case highlights the importance of strict hygiene practices when handling reptiles and cleaning their habitats, particularly in homes with young children or other vulnerable individuals.