Research Article | 22 Jan 2020

Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonaria) from Grenada, West Indies

Ravindra Nath Sharma1, Vanessa Matthew-Belmar1, Roxane Nicholas-Thomas1, Gitanjali Arya2, Bob Holtslander2, Harry Hariharan1, and Victor A. Amadi1Show more
1. Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.
2. Office International des Epizooties Salmonella Reference Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory at Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Corresponding author: Victor A. Amadi (vamadi@sgu.edu)

Received: 03-07-2019, Accepted: 26-12-2019, Published: 22-01-2020

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ONE HEALTH | pg no. 12-16 | Vol. 6, Issue 1 | DOI: 10.14202/IJOH.2020.12-16
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Abstract

              
Background and Aim: There is currently no published information on the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in pet red-footed tortoises in Grenada. Monitoring is essential to understand the dynamics of the epidemiology of Salmonella. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. from pet red-footed tortoises from Grenada and to test for antimicrobial drug resistance of the isolates.
Materials and Methods: Established bacterial culture, serotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility methods were used. Fecal samples were obtained from 114 tortoises from five parishes of Grenada, and cultured for Salmonella using enrichment and selective culture techniques. The serotyping of isolated Salmonella was performed at the Office International des Epizooties Salmonella Reference Laboratory, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility in the Microbiology Laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada.
Results: Fifteen tortoises (13.2%) out of 114 were positive for Salmonella spp. Five serovars were identified: Salmonella Javiana (6.3%), Salmonella Rubislaw (6.3%), Salmonella Saintpaul (18.75%), Salmonella Glostrup (6.3%), and S. I: Rough.O;e,h:1,2 (62.5%). All isolates were sensitive to the 12 antimicrobial drugs.
Conclusion: Three serovars (S. Javiana, S. Saintpaul, and S. Rubislaw) are known pathogens causing disease in humans. Since tortoises included in the study were pets, the tortoises may be a possible source of transmission of Salmonella to their owners. The tortoise owners should be educated on the importance of hygienic raising of their pets. This is the first report of isolation of Salmonella spp. from pet red-footed tortoises in Grenada. Keywords: antimicrobial susceptibility, Grenada, red-footed tortoises, Salmonella spp.

             
Keywords: antimicrobial susceptibility, Grenada, red-footed tortoises, Salmonella spp.