How to avoid getting salmonella from pet frogs

Q. I recently read about children getting sick with salmonella from pet frogs. We have two frogs. My boys are 7 and 9. Do I need to get rid of the frogs?A. Most cases of salmonella come from contaminated food. But you can also catch salmonella from certain animals, including reptiles (infection from pet turtles is common), amphibians, chicks and young birds.

We don't usually hear about salmonella from frogs. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported an outbreak of salmonellosis caused by African dwarf frogs. The CDC reported that most of the infections were in children. About 50 percent were in children younger than 5 years old and 80 percent were in children younger than 10 years old.

Salmonellosis is the illness caused by salmonella bacteria. People with this illness generally have diarrhea, stomachache and fever. Most people with salmonellosis recover completely within a few days. In rare cases, the bacteria can infect other parts of the body, such as the bloodstream or the bones.

You don't have to get rid of your pet frogs. According to the CDC, a few simple precautions can keep your family salmonella-free:

Make sure that everyone who touches the frogs or any part of the aquarium washes their hands thoroughly with soap and water afterward. The frogs can contaminate water in the aquarium, any decorations and the aquarium itself.

Don't clean the aquarium near where food is prepared.

If you clean the aquarium in the bathtub, wash the tub out well afterward with water and bleach.

Don't keep the aquarium in a child's bedroom, especially if the child is less than 5 years old. Keep it in a common area instead. This will allow you to better supervise your child's contact with it.

Follow the same precautions if you have a turtle or other reptile as a pet, or keep chicks or birds. In general, it's a good idea to teach your child to wash his or her hands really well (or use hand sanitizer) after touching any kind of animal.