Pet reptiles may cause human blood infection

From Veterinary Practice News........

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Human blood donors should be asked if they have pet reptiles at home and platelets should be routinely checked for contamination.
It also suggests that the Salmonella bacteria carried by reptiles cold contaminate blood from apperently healthy human donors.
The study tracked the case of two women who recieved the same batch of blood, donated by the owner of a boa constrictor.
The first woman, who was suffering stomach and intestinal bleeding before recieving platelets, subsequently died. The second woman recieved platelets as part ofher treatment for leukemia. She immediately fell ill but recovered.
The snake's owner gave blood regularly and felt well when he gave the blood in April. However he had fallen ill with diarrhea, cramps and fever two and a half weeks previously.
Bacteria later taken from the boa constrictor matched bacteria taken from its owner and the two women.
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Has anyone ever heard of this?
I know that you can get Salmonella from reptiles , but didn't know that it could do this after the fact.

TYIA,
Kim