Salmonella enterica isolated from wildlife at two Ohio rehabilitation centers.
Between May and September 2004, fecal samples from various wildlife species admitted to two rehabilitation centers in Ohio were cultured for Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Eight of 71 (11%) samples, including specimens from three opossums (Didelphis virginiana), two gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), a woodchuck (Marmota monax), a Harris hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), and a screech owl (Otus asio) tested positive for Salmonella serovars Braenderup, Senftenberg, Oranienburg, and Kentucky. The Salmonella Oranienburg isolates were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Most isolates were susceptible to commonly used antibiotics; however, the Salmonella Kentucky isolate was resistant to multiple beta-lactam antibiotics (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and ampicillin), cefoxitin, and ceftiofur, a third-generation cephalosporin. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was not isolated from any sample. Transmission of Salmonella from wildlife may occur between animals at rehabilitation centers.
Jijón
Steffani
S
Food Animal Health Research Program, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, Ohio 44691, USA.
Wetzel
Amy
A
LeJeune
Jeffrey
J
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D046428:Hawks / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008392:Marmota / Q000382:microbiology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D009820:Ohio; D009893:Opossums / Q000382:microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000382:microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D020305:Strigiformes / Q000382:microbiology