Salmonella infection in healthy pet reptiles: bacteriological isolation and study of some pathogenic characters.

The fecal samples from 213 captive reptiles were examined and 29 (13.61%) Salmonella enterica isolates were detected: 14/62 (22.58%) from chelonians, 14/135 (10.37%) from saurians and 1/16 (6.25%) from ophidians. The isolates were distributed among 14 different serotypes: Miami, Ebrie Hermannsweder, Tiergarten, Tornov, Pomona, Poona, Goteborg, Abaetetube, Nyanza, Kumasi, Typhimurium, 50:b:z6, 9,12:z29:1,5 and a non-motile serotype with antigenic formula 1,4,[5],12:-:-. Salmonella Typhimurium and 50:b:z6 isolates showed the spv plasmid virulence genes, responsible of the capability to induce extra-intestinal infections. In some cases PFGE revealed different profiles for the strains of the same serotypes, showing different origins, whereas a common source of infection was supposed when one pulsotype had been observed for isolates of a serovar. Twenty-seven (93.10%) isolates resulted resistant to one or more antibiotics. Ceftazidime resulted active to all the tested isolates, whereas the highest percentages of strains resulted non susceptible to tigecycline (93.10%), streptomycin (89.66%) and sulfonamide (86.21%).