Risk for zoonotic Salmonella transmission from pet reptiles: A survey on knowledge, attitudes and practices of reptile-owners related to reptile husbandry

Corrente, Marialaura; Sangiorgio, Giancarlo; Grandolfo, Erika; Bodnar, Lívia; Catella, Cristiana; Trotta, Adriana; Martella, Vito; Buonavoglia, Domenico

doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2017.07.014

Cited by 36 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The overall prevalence of Salmonella in captive Norwegian reptiles (43%, CI 33-53%) is consistent with the spectrum of prevalence's reported globally: Japan (74%) [6], Germany/Austria (54%) [3], Italy (51 and 57%) [4,22], Australia (47%) [10], Denmark (35%) [11], Taiwan (31%) [8], Trinidad (31%) [2], Republic of Korea (30%) [7], Croatia (13%) [37] and New Zealand (11%) [9]. The variation in reported Salmonella prevalence amongst different reptile populations may represent a true different in infection status, for instance Scheelings et al [10] found a higher prevalence of Salmonella in reptiles held in captivity (47%) compared to wild reptiles (14%), although this is yet to be confirmed by other studies.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Salmonella Spp In Captive Norwegian Reptiles supporting

confidence: 85%

“…Additionally, the phenomenon of intermittent shedding probably accounts significantly for the variability in detection rates between authors [12]. In the studies from Croatia, New Zealand and Italy, sampling was performed by the animal's owner, which could have given some more unreliable results and thus lower prevalence [4,9,22,37].…”

Section: Prevalence Of Salmonella Spp In Captive Norwegian Reptiles mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Exotic pet ownership has become increasingly popular worldwide [21,22]. The European Union member states are among the largest importers of reptiles, and in the USA, 4.7 million households own a reptile [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Prevalence of Salmonella serovars isolated from reptiles in Norwegian zoos

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Reptiles are known to be asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella spp. in their gastrointestinal mucosa and a variety of Salmonella serovars including exotic serovars mainly associated with reptiles as well as human pathogenic serovars have been isolated. There are many case reports of reptile-associated Salmonella infections worldwide, including one case in Norway in 2000. In August 2017, there was a legislative change in Norway that allowed more permissive reptile ownership and legalized the keeping of 19 different reptile species by private persons. There has been a concern that this new legislation will lead to an increase in reptile-associated salmonellosis in Norway, however knowledge is lacking on the occurrence of Salmonella spp. in Norwegian reptiles. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in captive reptile species in Norway, identify the serovars and evaluate their zoonotic potential. Thus, cloacal swabs were taken from 53 snakes, 15 lizards and 35 chelonians from three Norwegian zoos, and assessed for the presence of Salmonella spp. by culture, biochemical testing and serotyping. Results: In total, 43% of the reptiles were shedding Salmonella spp., with a prevalence of 62%, 67% and 3% in snakes, lizards and chelonians, respectively. A total of 26 different serovars were found, including Salmonella enterica spp. enterica (40%) and S. enterica spp. arizonae (4%), both of which are considered to have a high zoonotic potential. S. enterica spp. diarizonae, salamae and houtenae were also identified, however these serovars are considered to have a lower zoonotic potential. Conclusions: The current study demonstrates that captive Norwegian reptiles are carriers of potentially zoonotic Salmonella spp. Given the increasing popularity of reptiles as pets and the legislative change, reptile-associated salmonellosis could become an increasingly important public health concern in Norway. Adequate public information about the risk of Salmonella infection as well as preventive measures to avoid Salmonella transmission from reptiles to humans is needed. The risk of Salmonella infection is considered low when recommended precautions are taken and good hygiene exhibited.

show abstract

Section: Prevalence Of Salmonella Spp In Captive Norwegian Reptiles supporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Prevalence Of Salmonella Spp In Captive Norwegian Reptiles mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Prevalence of Salmonella serovars isolated from reptiles in Norwegian zoos

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In captive reptiles, the prevalence of Salmonella spp. is several times higher when drinking water is not replaced regularly [ 57 ]. Water recirculation and oxygenation are reduced in artificial ponds, and this may amplify different possible kinds of contamination [ 52 , 58 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Casalino

Bellati

Pugliese

et al. 2021

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

“…In Europe, direct or indirect contact with reptiles has been linked to Salmonella infection in humans, although the source of infection is unknown in many cases [48]. Since 2010, studies and reports have been conducted in various European countries related to the prevalence of Salmonella in turtles in UK [44], Italy [45], and Spain [8,46] (Table 3) as well as turtle-associated human salmonellosis in Spain [1,17], France [36,37], and Romania [38] (Table 2). In Spain in September 2010 and October 2011, S. enterica serovar Paratyphi B var Java and its possible monophasic variant 4,5,12:b:-dT+ were identified in eight and three human cases, respectively.…”

Section: Europementioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of the Public Health Challenges of Salmonella and Turtles

Sodagari

Habib

Shahabi

et al. 2020

Veterinary Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars are recognized as zoonotic pathogens. Although human salmonellosis is frequently associated with ingestion of contaminated foods of animal origin, contact with animals may also be a significant source of Salmonella infection, especially contact with turtles, which have shown to be an important reservoir of Salmonella, specifically through their intestinal tracts. Turtles are among the most common reptiles kept as house pets that may pose a public health risk associated with Salmonella exposure, especially among infants and young children. This review discusses the literature reporting the link between turtles and Salmonella as well as turtle-associated human salmonellosis in the last ten years. In most outbreaks, a high proportion of patients are children under five years of age, which indicates that children are at the greatest risk of turtle-associated salmonellosis. Therefore, turtles should not be preferred as recommended pets for children under five years of age. Reducing turtle stress to minimise Salmonella shedding as well as providing client education handouts at the points of sale of these animals may reduce the risk of transmitting such significant pathogen to humans. Further studies are required to investigate the role of both direct contact with turtles as well as indirect contact through cross-contamination in the transmission of turtles-associated Salmonella to humans.

show abstract

Risk for zoonotic Salmonella transmission from pet reptiles: A survey on knowledge, attitudes and practices of reptile-owners related to reptile husbandry

Cited by 36 publications

References 28 publications

Prevalence of Salmonella serovars isolated from reptiles in Norwegian zoos

Prevalence of Salmonella serovars isolated from reptiles in Norwegian zoos

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

A Review of the Public Health Challenges of Salmonella and Turtles

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About