The Prevalence of <i>Salmonella</i> spp. in Two Arctic Fox (<i>Alopex lagopus</i>) Farms in Poland

• Main Authors: Jan Siemionek, Konrad Przywara, Anna Szczerba-Turek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: <i>Salmonella</i> spp.; epidemiology; one health approach; arctic foxes; Poland
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/9/1688

The objective of the study was to determine the occurrence of <i>Salmonella</i> spp. infections in two Arctic fox (<i>Alopex lagopus</i>) farms in Poland, and to analyse the correlations between animals that tested positive for <i>Salmonella</i> spp and breeding results. Faecal samples were taken from 1094 clinically healthy blue foxes from the basic stock of farms A and B. <i>Salmonella</i> spp. were detected in 18.06% (56/310) of the samples collected in farm A and in 15.94% (125/784) of the samples collected in farm B. All isolated strains belonged to <i>S</i>. <i>enterica</i> subsp. <i>enterica</i> serotypes <i>Salmonella</i> Saintpaul (<i>S.</i> Saintpaul), <i>Salmonella</i> Reading (<i>S.</i> Reading), and <i>Salmonella</i> Heidelberg (<i>S</i>. Heidelberg). All three serotypes are typically isolated from commercial poultry flocks. <i>Salmonella</i> spp. infections significantly increased the risk of female infertility, but further research is needed to confirm the results. This is the first report on the prevalence of <i>S.</i> Heidelberg, <i>S.</i> Saintpaul, and <i>S</i>. Reading in faecal samples collected from Arctic fox (<i>Alopex lagopus</i>) farms in Poland.