LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Most students jump at the chance to take home a class pet. But one father said his kids brought home two pets from science class -- and the lizards gave them salmonella poisoning, reported WLKY-TV in Louisville.

Health officials said 95 percent of all salmonella cases have food as their source. But a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a few years ago found that about 74,000 Americans annually contract salmonella from reptiles, especially turtles and lizards.

Green anoles, a type of small, green lizard, are science class favorites. So when Jerry Curtsinger's kids asked him if they could take them home, he granted their wish.

"We thought we were doing a good thing, and unfortunately, we endangered our family by bringing them into our house," Curtsinger said.

Curtsinger said the problems began two weeks after the two lizards joined his household.

"Caden, our youngest, he got sick, and he had a fever of between 101 and 102," Curtsinger said.

In the weeks that followed, Curtsinger and his two other children also became violently ill. And he said the doctor's diagnosis was salmonella.

"It was a surprise. It didn't make sense to me. I didn't understand why, and then they said it was from the lizards," Curtsinger said.

Curtsinger learned about three out of four lizards carry salmonella. So he brought his concerns to the Jefferson County Public School District.

Lee Ann Nickerson, a science specialist with JCPS, said the district has a standard letter that is sent to all parents when their children want to adopt any kind of class pet, which outline the guidelines of each adoption and give some caretaking tips. After the Curtsinger family's salmonella episode, a new warning was inserted into that letter in bold italics.

"Absolutely it concerned me -- that's why we've added the additional warning," Nickerson said. "We've added a reminder to parents that good hygiene is imperative when dealing with any kind of living organism as a pet, so they need to make sure their kids wash their hands well after handling them or cleaning them out."

School officials said teachers are well-trained on the proper way to prevent students from getting salmonella. Curtsinger admits his kids probably weren't.

"When the kids were playing with them, no, we didn't always wash our hands afterward," Curtsinger said.

But he said the school district needs to do more to get that message to parents and students.

"Something needs to be done with this. I don't want to see another family go through what we went through," Curtsinger said.

The Curtsingers have all recovered from their illnesses.

As for the school district, Nickerson said JCPS has been using lizards to demonstrate habitats in science class for several years, and this is the first time anyone has contracted salmonella from them.

She also noted that other common pets, such as dogs, can also carry salmonella. Like lizards, they're perfectly safe as long as you practice proper handwashing when you handle them.