Pathology and Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria: A Study of 398 Pet Reptiles

Abstract

Reptiles are potential reservoirs of bacteria that could be transmitted, thus becoming a zoonotic hazard. (1) Background: This three-year investigation surveyed the pathological status of 398 pet reptiles: chelonians, snakes (venomous/non-venomous), and lizards. The main pathological entities found were related to the skin, the sensory organs, the digestive system, the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, the urinary system, the genitalia, the osteo–muscular tract, surgical issues, tumors, and intoxications. (2) Methods: In 25 individuals treated with antibiotics, no clinical healing was recorded, for this reason, an antimicrobial resistance profile analysis of the 43 samples gathered was processed. An antibiogram was performed using the VITEK®2 ID-GP (bio-Mérieux, Marcy l’Etoile, France) automated platform, with 22 bacterial strains being isolated. (3) Results: The statistics (ANOVA) revealed that the most common disease category was diseases of the digestive system, followed by diseases of the skin, respiratory system, nervous system, and reproductive system. A significant correlation (p < 0.01) between disease incidence and reptile species was reported, with correlations found between all species and diseases diagnosed. The most common bacteria isolated were Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomas (Xanthomonas) maltophilia, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Salmonella spp., but Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Citrobacter spp., and Proteus spp. were also identified. (4) Conclusions: These microorganisms revealed degrees of resistance against penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides, lincosamides, aminoglycosides, and tetracyclines. The animals can be categorized according to their sensitivity to diseases in the following order (most sensitive to least sensitive): chelonians, venomous snakes, non-venomous snakes, and lizards.

Surveys on Pet-Reptile-Associated Multi-Drug-Resistant Salmonella spp. in the Timișoara Metropolitan Region—Western Romania

“…Six percent of human Salmonellosis cases are acquired after interactions with reptiles, and the intimate contact between reptiles and their owners creates favorable conditions for the transfer of zoonotic pathogen infections [1][2][3]. In addition, Salmonella strains discovered from pet reptiles have been linked to antibiotic resistance, one of the most serious health issues of the twenty-first century that may have therapeutic repercussions for reptile owners and breeders [1,[4][5][6].…”

The role of bee venom on immunological and hematological parameters in albino rats

“…The diminution of neutrophils does not infirm the phagocytes activity by BV because these can be a qualitative state, that is an increase of phagocytic capacity not on the rise of cell number, but on basis of the biochemical functional enhancement of those cells' availability or may be indirect through the activation of particles opsonization or of other internal medium physical-chemical conditions. 42 A significant increase was observed in RBCs count, WBCs count, platelets count, Hb concentration, and PCV value on regular treatment with BV when compared with the control animals. 43 In addition, regarding the effect of BV on the platelet count, the data obtained in this study showed a non-significant decrease.…”

Virulence determinants and antibiotic resistance in staphylococci isolated from the skin of captive bred reptiles

“…Weitzman et al ( 2018 ) analysed cutaneous microbiota on lizards and found Pseudomonadales, Actinomycetales, Burkholderiales, Sphingomonadales, Rhizobiales and Enterobacteriales to be the most abundant orders. The study of Cristina et al ( 2022 ) determined E. faecalis as the most frequently isolated species; however, their study included 25 sick reptiles with no response to treatment. The identification of the Salmonella genus in Elaphe schrenckii confirms the fact that reptiles are well-known reservoir of Salmonella , species as previous studies also demonstrated (Zajac et al 2021 ; Dégi et al 2023 ).…”

“…It is also necessary to mention the fact that the given dosages of antimicrobials are either extrapolated from human medicine or empirically assumed according to the reptile species, which could lead to a lack of a proper anti-infective agents for the particular pathology of reptiles. Based on the fact that antimicrobial resistance is a gradually increasing phenomenon in reptiles (Cristina et al 2022 ), the completion of an antibiogram is a current and reliable method to combat resistance.…”