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Although they don’t talk with engaging British accents or try to sell you insurance, multi-colored Crested geckos are nonetheless popular pets in the United States, and are found in many pet stores across the nation. But as we’ve seen with baby chicks (see It Happens Every Spring) and with pet turtles, reptiles can sometime carry and spread Salmonella.
This week the CDC has issued a multistate alert due to an outbreak of Salmonella Muenchens, which appears linked to the handling of pet geckos. At least 20 people have been affected, although that may be an undercount since not everyone is sickened enough to seek medical care.
The CDC’s outbreak investigation offers the following advice.
