title: Feral pigeons: A reservoir of zoonotic Salmonella Enteritidis strains?
abstract: Salmonella enterica infections in pigeons are generally associated with pigeon-adapted strains of serovar Typhimurium that are of little public health concern. Here, we isolated Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 4 (PT4), an important human pathogen, from a population of feral pigeons in Brussels, which was further characterized by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis. All pigeon isolates belonged to the same pulsotype, which has been present in Belgian pigeons at least since 2001 and is associated with poultry and disease in humans. A high prevalence of 33% of Salmonella Enteritidis in Brussels combined with dense pigeon populations suggest that feral pigeons may constitute a significant, but unrevealed reservoir for contracting salmonellosis in the urban environment.
authors: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Electronic address: Roel.Haesendonck@Ugent.be.
authors: Roel
authors: R
authors: Haesendonck
authors: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Technology and Food Science Unit, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium.
authors: Geertrui
authors: G
authors: Rasschaert
authors: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors: An
authors: A
authors: Martel
authors: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors: Elin
authors: E
authors: Verbrugghe
authors: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Technology and Food Science Unit, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium.
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Heyndrickx
authors: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors: Freddy
authors: F
authors: Haesebrouck
authors: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Pasmans
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D010856:Columbidae; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000382:microbiology*; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D012477:Salmonella enteritidis / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Feral pigeons; Human salmonellosis; Salmonella Enteritidis; Zoonosis