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Lack of Evidence of Spill‐Over of Salmonella enterica Between Cattle and Sympatric I berian ibex ( Capra pyrenaica ) from a Protected Area in C atalonia, NE S pain
Author(s) -
NavarroGonzalez N.,
Velarde R.,
Porrero M. C.,
Mentaberre G.,
Serrano E.,
Mateos A.,
Domínguez L.,
Lavín S.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
transboundary and emerging diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.392
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1865-1682
pISSN - 1865-1674
DOI - 10.1111/tbed.12037
Subject(s) - salmonella enterica , salmonella , serotype , capra , veterinary medicine , biology , feces , livestock , geography , zoology , ecology , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , genetics , bacteria
Summary Salmonella enterica is a zoonotic agent of worldwide importance found in a wide range of wild hosts. However, its prevalence in many popular game species has never been assessed. Iberian ibex ( Capra pyrenaica ) is the main game caprinae of the Iberian Peninsula and around two thousand individuals are hunted every year for trophy or for home consumption. In this work, 313 Iberian ibexes from the P orts de T ortosa i B eseit N ational G ame R eserve ( NE Spain) were tested for Salmonella enterica in faeces, and anti microbial susceptibility was determined. The exact location of shooting or capture was recorded with a GPS device to study the links of Salmonella infection with cattle presence and human proximity. Additionally, samples were taken from cattle grazing inside this reserve ( n = 73). Only three Iberian ibexes (0.96%, 95% CI 0.2–2.8) were positive to Salmonella (serotype E nteritidis, B ardo and 35:r:z35), while prevalence was moderate in cattle: 21.92% (95% CI 13.10–33.14, serotype M eleagridis, A natum, K edougou and O thmarschen). All isolates were susceptible to the anti microbial agents tested. Moreover, a case of fatal septicaemic salmonellosis in an 11‐year‐old male I berian ibex is described where Salmonella enterica serotype E nteritidis was isolated from the lung, liver and spleen samples. The low prevalence of Salmonella in I berian ibex and the lack of shared serotypes suggest no association to cattle. Despite this, game meat aimed for human consumption should be examined, and it is strongly recommended that hunters and game keepers manipulate animals and carcasses under maximal hygienic conditions to avoid environmental contamination and human contagion.