The heroine of Disney's hit movie, "The Princess and the Frog," kisses a toad and has a wonderful adventure that ends with her finding true love. But for 50 unfortunate little girls around the country, an amphibious lip lock sent them to the hospital.

Various news outlets in more than 25 states have reported outbreaks of salmonella, which causes severe intestinal distress and diarrhea. Inspired by the movie's iconic smooch, young children -- typically girls under 10 -- have kissed or licked live frogs and picked up the disease from bacteria harbored on the frog's skin and guts. It's a serious disease that can be potentially fatal if left untreated.

Reptiles aren't ideal kissing partners, either. Turtles, for instance, are also common carriers of salmonella bacterium. In addition, they can carry tuberculosis and campylobacter, which causes serious gastroenteritis, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and can be transmitted through scratches and bites. Fungal and protozoan organisms and external parasites, such as ticks and mites, are other nasty surprises that can be picked up from reptiles and amphibians. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 7,000 people a year get sick from handling reptiles.

Even sweet little puppies, cute kittens and other traditional pets can make your child sick. If a child touches feces -- or fur that has come in contact with feces -- and touches his or her eyes, mouth or an open wound, he or she may come down with any number of maladies, including diarrhea, vomiting, some fever and muscle aches. Cat scratch fever, transmitted through bites and open cuts, causes symptoms such as swollen lymph glands, high fever and a loss of appetite. And if your cat or dog has red patchy skin that it grooms excessively, beware. It could be a sign of ring worm, a highly infectious fungal infection, to which children are highly susceptible.

Children under five don't have fully developed immune systems, so the best course of action is to avoid direct contact with amphibians and reptiles altogether. And it goes without saying that medical experts recommend parents not allow their children to plant one on a frog -- or any other animal for that matter. The American Academy of Pediatrics also cautions parents to make sure children are religious about washing their hands after touching any pet.

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