Zoonoses of Ferrets, Hedgehogs, and Sugar Gliders

Pignon, Charly; Mayer, Jörg

doi:10.1016/j.cvex.2011.05.004

Cited by 21 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The most common zoonoses with dermatological manifestation in exotic companion mammals include parasitic ( Cheyletiella parasitovorax, Leporacarus gibbus, Trixacarus caviae, Sarcoptes scabiei, Notoedres cati and Otodectes cynotis ) and fungal infections ( Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum spp .). While not as common, bacterial ( Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Corynebacterium kutscheri and Francisella tularensis ) (Beck and Pfister, ; Hill and Brown, ; Pignon and Mayer, ; Rosen, ; Mitchell and Tully, ) and viral infections (monkeypox virus and cowpox virus) have also been reported (Souza, ; Mitchell and Tully, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of Zoonotic Dermatoses in Client‐Owned Exotic Pet Mammals in Southern Italy

d’Ovidio¹,

Santoro

2014

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Several 'exotic' mammalian species (e.g. rabbits, rodents, ferrets and hedgehogs) live in close proximity to humans as companion pets. Skin diseases (SD) are frequent causes of morbidity in exotic pet mammals, and most of those SDs have a zoonotic potential. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequencies and types of zoonotic dermatosis (ZD) in client-owned, exotic pet mammals in Southern Italy. Six-hundred and fifty-five medical records of exotic pet mammals examined between 2011 and 2012, across twenty private practice veterinary clinics around the Naples area (Italy), were retrospectively evaluated and screened for animals diagnosed with SDs (rabbits n = 455, guinea pigs n = 93, ferrets n = 64, hedgehogs n = 19, chinchillas n = 13 and rats n = 11). The records of animals diagnosed with SD, whose causative agents had a zoonotic potential, were selected for analysis. The Mann-Whitney independent test was used for statistical analysis. A P value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Eighty-two records (12.5%) of animals with ZD were identified. Of those, 56.1% (46/82) were affected by fungal infections and 42.7% (35/82) by parasitic infections. No zoonotic bacterial or viral infections were diagnosed. Dermatophytosis was significantly diagnosed more frequently in younger animals. The results of this survey indicate that exotic pet mammals may serve as active carriers for many highly contagious pathogens with zoonotic potential. Awareness and vigilance by the veterinary practitioner is crucial in the prevention of occurrences of ZDs. Children frequently come in close contact with exotic pets. To prevent the unplanned transmission of pathogen from pet to human, an active routine screening examination and preventative treatments are strongly recommended for every newly purchased pet mammal.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of Zoonotic Dermatoses in Client‐Owned Exotic Pet Mammals in Southern Italy

d’Ovidio¹,

Santoro

2014

Zoonoses and Public Health

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“…Such bacterial traits might be circumstantially detected in hedgehogs after the consumption of contaminated food or may represent the in vivo selection of resistant clones because of antimicrobial-based therapies used in these animals. Although our exclusion criteria for sampling was the absence of treatments of this type during the last two weeks prior to sampling, persistent infections with drugresistant bacteria might also be occurring (Pignon and Mayer 2011). Whatever the source of pathogens in pets, a zoonotic transmission to people, especially young children, the elderly and immunocompromised patients (Lawson et al 2018), may have severe clinical outcomes (Anderson et al 2017), especially in extra-intestinal infections which require an antibiotic-based therapy (Ichimi et al 2018).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella enterica strains in samples of ground hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris) reared as pets in the urban area of Santiago, Chile

Pérez

Barreto

Retamal

2021

Austral j. vet. sci.

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The breeding of exotic pets has become a popular practice in Chile and, within this group of animals, small mammals such as guinea pigs and hedgehogs have gained importance due to their docile behaviour. The most common exotic hedgehog species in Chile is the African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris). It has been reported that these pets are reservoirs of some zoonotic pathogens, among which Salmonella enterica constitutes an important threat for the owners. This study aimed to detect the presence of Salmonella strains in faeces from hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris) admitted to a veterinary clinic in Santiago, Chile, and to characterise the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated strains. From 200 animals sampled, S. enterica was detected in 5 hedgehogs, corresponding to serotypes Muenchen (2), Infantis (2) and IV43:z4,z23:-(1). Furthermore, phenotypic antimicrobial resistance was determined in all subsp. enterica isolates. These results suggest that in Chile these exotic pets constitute a potential hazard for public health, therefore, supporting educational campaigns about basic biosecurity measures is necessary, mostly aimed at pet owners and risk groups.

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“…7,9,10 Salmonellosis, a notable zoonosis, can present with conjunctivitis, lethargy, vomiting, anorexia, diarrhea, and pale mucous membranes. 11,12 Diagnosis is made by positive fecal culture. 12 Mycobacterium infection can result in prominent conjunctival lesions in the disseminated form.…”

Section: Conjunctivitismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…11,12 Diagnosis is made by positive fecal culture. 12 Mycobacterium infection can result in prominent conjunctival lesions in the disseminated form. 13 A retrospective study of mycobacterial infection in ferrets showed 3 characteristics: eyelid lesions, upper or lower respiratory and gastrointestinal signs, and digestive symptoms.…”

Section: Conjunctivitismentioning

confidence: 99%