Turtles bought from a particular website in the US have been linked to a salmonella outbreak.
Some 15 people, including children, across 11 states have become infected with the outbreak strain of the bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
So far, five people have been sent to hospital as a result of the outbreak, but no one has died, the CDC said.
The government agency adds the actual number of people who have become ill is likely higher than reported, due to them recovering and not being tested.
After carrying out interviews and analysing lab data, the CDC discovered small turtles were the culprit in most cases, with half of those who had bought a pet reptile doing so from myturtlestore.com.
Sky News has contacted the store for comment.
In the US, federal law bans the sale of small turtles that have shells shorter than...
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