title: Salmonella infection in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), a marine mammal sentinel species: pathogenicity and molecular typing of Salmonella strains compared with human and livestock isolates.
abstract: Microbial pollution of the marine environment through land-sea transfer of human and livestock pathogens is of concern. Salmonella was isolated from rectal swabs of free-ranging and stranded grey seal pups (21.1%; 37/175) and compared with strains from the same serovars isolated from human clinical cases, livestock, wild mammals and birds in Scotland, UK to characterize possible transmission routes using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multi-locus variable number of tandem repeat analyses. A higher prevalence of Salmonella was found in pups exposed to seawater, suggesting that this may represent a source of this pathogen. Salmonella Bovismorbificans was the most common isolate (18.3% pups; 32/175) and was indistinguishable from isolates found in Scottish cattle. Salmonella Typhimurium was infrequent (2.3% pups; 4/175), mostly similar to isolates found in garden birds and, in one case, identical to a highly multidrug resistant strain isolated from a human child. Salmonella Haifa was rare (1.1% pups; 2/175), but isolates were indistinguishable from that of a human clinical isolate. These results suggest that S. Bovismorbificans may circulate between grey seal and cattle populations and that both S. Typhimurium and S. Haifa isolates are shared with humans, raising concerns of microbial marine pollution.
authors.affiliation: Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK.|Sea Mammal Research Unit, Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St. Andrews, Fife, St. Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK.
authors.forename: Johanna L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Baily
authors.affiliation: Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, SAC Consulting Veterinary Services, Drummondhill, Inverness, Scotland, IV2 4JZ, UK.
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Scottish Salmonella, Shigella and Clostridium difficile Reference Laboratory, New Lister Building, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, 10-16 Alexandra Parade, Glasgow, Scotland, G31 2ER, UK.
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, SAC Consulting Veterinary Services, Drummondhill, Inverness, Scotland, IV2 4JZ, UK.
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Davison
authors.affiliation: Scottish Salmonella, Shigella and Clostridium difficile Reference Laboratory, New Lister Building, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, 10-16 Alexandra Parade, Glasgow, Scotland, G31 2ER, UK.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Coia
authors.affiliation: Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK.
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pizzi
authors.affiliation: Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Willoughby
authors.affiliation: Sea Mammal Research Unit, Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St. Andrews, Fife, St. Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK.
authors.forename: Ailsa J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH26 0PZ, UK.
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dagleish
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000382:microbiology*; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D006801:Humans; D058751:Livestock / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D058889:Molecular Typing; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence; D014871:Water Microbiology