<i>Notes from the Field:</i> An Outbreak of <i>Salmonella</i> Agbeni Infections Linked to Turtle Exposure — United States, 2017

Koski, Lia; Stevenson, Lauren; Huffman, Jasmine; Robbins, Amy; Latash, Julia; Omoregie, Enoma; Kline, Kelly E; Nichols, Megin

doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6748a5

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Reducing turtles’ stress to minimise Salmonella shedding [ 54 ], as well as adopting correct animal husbandry procedures and hygiene techniques, may be useful to minimise the risk of transmission of Salmonella to humans [ 86 ]. In particular, the adoption of gloves to manage turtles is a preventive measure of relevance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salmonella Infection in Turtles: A Risk for Staff Involved in Wildlife Management?

Casalino

Bellati

Pugliese

et al. 2021

Animals

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Monitoring of infections that may be transmitted to humans by animals in wildlife rescue centres is very important in order to protect the staff engaged in rehabilitation practices. Salmonella may be a natural inhabitant of the intestinal tract of turtles, rarely causing disease. This may represent a potential risk for humans, increasing the sanitary risk for operators in wildlife rescue centres. In this paper, the occurrence of non-typhoidal Salmonella among terrestrial turtles housed in a wildlife rescue centre in Southern Italy was investigated, in order to assess the serovars more frequently carried by turtles and identify those that may represent a risk for operators involved in wildlife management. Sixty-nine adult turtles (Testudo hermanni hermanni, T. h. boettgeri, T. graeca, and T. marginata) were tested. Detection and serotyping of Salmonella strains were performed according to ISO 6579-1 and ISO/TR 6579-3:2013, respectively. The distribution of Salmonella spp. was significantly higher in T. hermanni hermanni than in other species, independent of the age and gender of the animals. Two different Salmonella species, S. enterica and S. bongori, three S. enterica subspecies (enterica, diarizonae, salamae), and five different serovars (Hermannswerder, Abony, Ferruch, Richmond, Vancouver) within the group S. enterica subspecies enterica were identified. Different combinations of Salmonella types were simultaneously found in specimens of T. h. hermanni. Most of detected Salmonella types may represent a potential risk for public health. Adopting correct animal husbandry procedures and informing on potential sanitary risks may be useful for minimising the risk of transmission of Salmonella to workers involved in wildlife management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salmonella Infection in Turtles: A Risk for Staff Involved in Wildlife Management?

Casalino

Bellati

Pugliese

et al. 2021

Animals

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“…Guinea pigs and turtles kept as pets are asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella spp. and have been implicated in multistate outbreaks of Salmonella infections in humans in the United States (Gambino-Shirley et al, 2018;Koski et al, 2018;Robertson et al, 2018). Pests, including rodents, can also be infected by Salmonella and Campylobacter spp.…”

Section: Sources Of Infections Related To Interactions Between Humamentioning

confidence: 99%

Infection, colonization and shedding of Campylobacter and Salmonella in animals and their contribution to human disease: A review

Rukambile

Sintchenko

Muscatello

et al. 2019

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Livestock meat and offal contribute significantly to human nutrition as sources of high‐quality protein and micronutrients. Livestock products are increasingly in demand, particularly in low‐ and middle‐income settings where economies are growing and meat is increasingly seen as an affordable and desirable food item. Demand is also driving intensification of livestock keeping and processing. An unintended consequence of intensification is increased exposure to zoonotic agents, and a contemporary emerging problem is infection with Campylobacter and Salmonella spp. from livestock (avian and mammalian), which can lead to disease, malabsorption and undernutrition through acute and chronic diarrhoea. This can occur at the farm, in households or through the food chain. Direct infection occurs when handling livestock and through bacteria shed into the environment, on food preparation surfaces or around the house and surroundings. This manuscript critically reviews Campylobacter and Salmonella infections in animals, examines the factors affecting colonization and faecal shedding of bacteria of these two genera as well as risk factors for human acquisition of the infection from infected animals or environment and analyses priority areas for preventive actions with a focus on resource‐poor settings.

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“…Whether the turtles are the source of human cases or just a sentinel of environmental contamination is currently unknown. Reptileassociated salmonellosis remains a public health concern (4,7,8,28,35,93,94). The current investigation by the CDC of an ongoing outbreak of salmonellosis linking human infections with contact with infected wild birds or contaminated feeders should serve as a reminder of the significance of understanding salmonellae dynamics in wildlife (95).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several serotypes have been reported from turtles including the S. enterica serovars Muenchen, Typhimurium, Newport, Pomona, Litchfield and Paratyphi B. var L(+) tartrate positive (formerly Java) (8,(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30). However, unique serovars are still being reported, e.g., Salmonella Agbeni (35), and there are many epidemiological gaps in understanding Salmonella carriage in turtles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free-Living Aquatic Turtles as Sentinels of Salmonella spp. for Water Bodies

et al. 2021

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Reptile-associated human salmonellosis cases have increased recently in the United States. It is not uncommon to find healthy chelonians shedding Salmonella enterica. The rate and frequency of bacterial shedding are not fully understood, and most studies have focused on captive vs. free-living chelonians and often in relation to an outbreak. Their ecology and significance as sentinels are important to understanding Salmonella transmission. In 2012–2013, Salmonella prevalence was determined for free-living aquatic turtles in man-made ponds in Clarke and Oconee Counties, in northern Georgia (USA) and the correlation between species, basking ecology, demographics (age/sex), season, or landcover with prevalence was assessed. The genetic relatedness between turtle and archived, human isolates, as well as, other archived animal and water isolates reported from this study area was examined. Salmonella was isolated from 45 of 194 turtles (23.2%, range 14–100%) across six species. Prevalence was higher in juveniles (36%) than adults (20%), higher in females (33%) than males (18%), and higher in bottom-dwelling species (31%; common and loggerhead musk turtles, common snapping turtles) than basking species (15%; sliders, painted turtles). Salmonella prevalence decreased as forest cover, canopy cover, and distance from roads increased. Prevalence was also higher in low-density, residential areas that have 20–49% impervious surface. A total of 9 different serovars of two subspecies were isolated including 3 S. enterica subsp. arizonae and 44 S. enterica subsp. enterica (two turtles had two serotypes isolated from each). Among the S. enterica serovars, Montevideo (n = 13) and Rubislaw (n = 11) were predominant. Salmonella serovars Muenchen, Newport, Mississippi, Inverness, Brazil, and Paratyphi B. var L(+) tartrate positive (Java) were also isolated. Importantly, 85% of the turtle isolates matched pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of human isolates, including those reported from Georgia. Collectively, these results suggest that turtles accumulate Salmonella present in water bodies, and they may be effective sentinels of environmental contamination. Ultimately, the Salmonella prevalence rates in wild aquatic turtles, especially those strains shared with humans, highlight a significant public health concern.

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Notes from the Field: An Outbreak of Salmonella Agbeni Infections Linked to Turtle Exposure — United States, 2017

Cited by 8 publications

References 2 publications

Salmonella Infection in Turtles: A Risk for Staff Involved in Wildlife Management?

Salmonella Infection in Turtles: A Risk for Staff Involved in Wildlife Management?

Infection, colonization and shedding of Campylobacter and Salmonella in animals and their contribution to human disease: A review

Free-Living Aquatic Turtles as Sentinels of Salmonella spp. for Water Bodies

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