According to the report released on September 6, the $2 billion pet reptile industry threatens people, wildlife, and the reptiles themselves. Because all reptiles are natural carriers of salmonella, the increasing trend in the US of keeping reptiles as pets is hazardous, the report concludes.

An estimated 93,000 cases of salmonellosis related to reptiles occurs each year in the US. "They are a serious public health threat," Dr. Teresa Telecky of the Humane Society said. "Over the last 2 years or so there has been a 44 percent increase of household pets that are reptiles," she said.

Almost four million households already keep reptiles as pets. The major health threat notwithstanding, reptiles are collected using methods that decimate populations and their habitats and violate smuggling laws already in place. Once captive, many reptiles face inhumane treatment. More than 90 percent of reptiles die within their first year of captivity.

While turtle species under four inches were banned 30 years ago by the FDA for conservation, there has been no efficient enforcement of that ban, Dr. Telecky said. It is impossible to monitor the more than 600 species of pet reptiles in the United States, Dr. Telecky said.

Although 70 percent of imported reptiles are lizards, most people keep turtles as pets. The salmonella bacteria, shed in the animal's feces, can contaminate its skin and virtually any surface with which the bacteria come in contact. Children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk, the report warned.

"We ask people who own reptiles already to follow the CDC (National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines that they can find on the Web, to make sure that they care for them properly," Telecky said.