title: Microbiological survey of birds of prey pellets.
abstract: A microbiological survey of 73 pellets collected from different birds of prey species housed at the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center of Napoli (southern Italy) was performed. Pellets were analyzed by culture and biochemical methods as well as by serotyping and polymerase chain reaction. We isolated a wide range of bacteria some of them also pathogens for humans (i.e. Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium, Campylobacter coli, Escherichia coli O serogroups). This study highlights the potential role of birds of prey as asymptomatic carriers of pathogenic bacteria which could be disseminated in the environment not only through the birds of prey feces but also through their pellets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Università di Napoli Federico II, via F. Delpino 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy. Electronic address: ludovico.dipineto@unina.it.
authors.forename: Ludovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dipineto
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Università di Napoli Federico II, via F. Delpino 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy; Regional Reference Center of Urban Veterinary Hygiene (CRIUV), Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi Maria De Luca
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bossa
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Università di Napoli Federico II, via F. Delpino 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Università di Napoli Federico II, via F. Delpino 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Tamara Pasqualina
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Università di Napoli Federico II, via F. Delpino 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center "CRAS-Frullone", via M. Rocco di Torrepadula, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ciccarelli
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center "CRAS-Frullone", via M. Rocco di Torrepadula, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raia
authors.affiliation: Regional Reference Center of Urban Veterinary Hygiene (CRIUV), Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Università di Napoli Federico II, via F. Delpino 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fioretti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001630:Bezoars / Q000382:microbiology*; D001717:Birds; D017000:Campylobacter coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D020304:Raptors / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012703:Serotyping
keywords: Birds of prey; Campylobacter spp.; Pellets; Salmonella spp.; Zoonotic bacteria