| Summary: | The study focused on the hunting practices and potentially pathogenic bacterial species among European fallow deer (<i>Dama dama)</i>. Within a five-year period, three hunting grounds from Western Romania were examined. During this period, a total of 1881 deer were hunted, and 240 samples were collected by rectal and nasal swabbing from 120 carcasses. Bacterial strains were identified utilizing bacteriological assays and the Vitek<sup>®</sup> 2 Compact system. Notably, the Socodor hunting ground exhibited a significant difference in harvesting quotas between the bucks (Group M) and does/yearlings (Group F), favoring the latter. In the Chișineu Criș–Sălișteanca hunting ground, a likely correlation in harvesting quotas between the two groups was observed. The identified potentially pathogenic bacteria were <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Salmonella</i> spp., <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> and <i>Enterococcus faecium</i>. These results highlight the importance of effectively managing the deer population and recognize the potential for <i>Dama dama</i> to spread zoonotic pathogens, emphasizing the necessity of adopting a One Health approach and maintaining ongoing surveillance of this game species’ population dynamics.
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