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

• Main Authors: Gaia Casalino, Adriana Bellati, Nicola Pugliese, Antonio Camarda, Simona Faleo, Roberto Lombardi, Gilda Occhiochiuso, Francesco D’Onghia, Elena Circella
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: <i>Salmonella</i>; turtles; wildlife; zoonosis; wildlife rescue centres
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1529

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. <i>Salmonella</i> 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 <i>Salmonella</i> 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 (<i>Testudo hermanni hermanni</i>, <i>T. h. boettgeri</i>, <i>T. graeca</i>, and <i>T. marginata</i>) were tested. Detection and serotyping of <i>Salmonella</i> strains were performed according to ISO 6579-1 and ISO/TR 6579-3:2013, respectively. The distribution of <i>Salmonella</i> spp. was significantly higher in <i>T. hermanni hermanni</i> than in other species, independent of the age and gender of the animals. Two different <i>Salmonella</i> species, <i>S. enterica</i> and <i>S. bongori</i>, three <i>S. enterica</i> subspecies (<i>enterica</i>, <i>diarizonae</i>, <i>salamae</i>), and five different serovars (Hermannswerder, Abony, Ferruch, Richmond, Vancouver) within the group <i>S. enterica</i> subspecies <i>enterica</i> were identified. Different combinations of <i>Salmonella</i> types were simultaneously found in specimens of <i>T. h. hermanni</i>. Most of detected <i>Salmonella</i> 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 <i>Salmonella</i> to workers involved in wildlife management.