title: Positive effects of diet change on shedding of Salmonella spp. in the feces of captive felids.
abstract: A high prevalence of fecal Salmonella shedding in a collection of healthy exotic felids precipitated a change to two new commercially available feline diets. One year after initiation of the new diets, 18 fecal samples from individual felines, their exhibits, and representative samples of the diets were cultured for Salmonella spp. Only one culture grew a Salmonella sp. Salmonella uganda was cultured from the feces of one snow leopard (Felis uncia). Feeding a diet with minimal to no Salmonella contamination lowered Salmonella shedding rates in this collection of captive exotic felids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901-1071, USA.
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bemis
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ramsay
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo / Q000382:microbiology*; D002335:Carnivora / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005516:Food Microbiology; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*