Geckos could pose hazard as salmonella carriers

Question: We have a debate in our house about whether it is safe to have geckos in the house. Some family members like that the geckos eat bugs, so think it is beneficial. Meanwhile, I think that it is not safe because, as recently stated in a Kokua Line article (808ne.ws/2gbicY9), geckos can carry salmonella. So, I catch house geckos and gold dust day geckos and release them outdoors because I don’t like that they climb on my kitchen counters and also leave droppings. Is having geckos in the house a potential health hazard?

Answer: Yes. Salmonella bacteria present in geckos and in their droppings (feces) can contaminate anything with which they come in contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC says to wash your hands thoroughly after handling lizards and emphasizes that you don’t have to touch the reptile to get sick; salmonella can cross-contaminate surfaces wherever geckos roam and leave droppings.

“Children younger than 5, people with weak immune systems, and adults older than 65 should not handle or touch amphibians, reptiles or their environment. These groups have a higher chance of serious illness and hospitalization from salmonella germs,” the agency states in advice aimed primarily at people considering keeping turtles, lizards or frogs as pets.

Molly Hagemann, Bishop Museum’s vertebrate zoology collection manager, pointed Kokua Line to a 1982 research paper from the University of Hawaii at Hilo “that discusses the incidence of salmonella in two species of gecko commonly found indoors in Hawaii.”

“According to this paper, geckos definitely carry the salmonella bacteria, most likely from the cockroaches they eat,” Hagemann said via email. “So, the best advice would be to keep your house clean and free of cockroaches. And if you find geckos, remove them and make sure to wash your hands. (Although if you have lots of tasty insects in your house, the geckos will have plenty of reasons to re-invade your space.)”

The paper, which you can read at 808ne.ws/2eUjNfI, described geckos as presenting a “vast reservoir of salmonella” in Hawaii. Salmonella was found at much higher rates in the geckos themselves than in their feces, but transmission of bacteria to humans would most likely occur through contamination of food and water by gecko feces, the researchers theorized.

As Hagemann noted, the report tagged the geckos’ diet as a likely source of their salmonella contamination. Of 10 geckos captured on the UH-Hilo campus, for example, four had cockroaches in their stomachs when researchers examined the lizards in the lab.

Q: Could you tell me where we can send a letter to Hillary Clinton? I don’t have a computer, so I have to send it via the U.S. Postal Service.

A: Send it to Hillary Clinton, P.O. Box 5256, New York, NY 10185.

Holiday checkpoints

As Thanksgiving nears, followed by Christmas and New Year’s Eve, motorists are reminded not to drink and drive as they celebrate the holidays. The Honolulu Police Department will set up checkpoints at unannounced times and locations on Oahu through the end of the year.

Besides urging motorists to consider the consequences of their actions behind the wheel, the department also noted in a news release that Hawaii’s legal drinking age is 21 and that promoting intoxicating liquor to a person younger than that is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison.

Auwe

Auwe to neighbors who can’t get along. You have a problem with your neighbor, go talk to them about it! We should be able to settle things on our own. — A reader

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.