Salmonella isolated from individual reptiles and environmental samples from terraria in private households in Sweden

Background

This study investigates Salmonella spp. isolated from privately kept reptiles and from environmental samples such as bedding materials or water from the floor of the enclosures (terraria). It also compares isolation of Salmonella using Modified Semisolid Rappaport-Vassiliadis (MSRV) medium or selective enrichment in Rappaport-Vassiliadis-Soya (RVS) pepton broth. Cloacal swabs or swabs from the cloacal area were collected from 63 individual reptiles belonging to 14 households. All reptiles were from different terraria and from 62 of these, environmental samples were also collected. Sampling were done by the reptile owners according to written instructions and sent by mail immediately after sampling. All but three samples were analyzed within 24 h after collection. Colonies suspected for Salmonella were tested for agglutination and serotyped using the White-Kauffmann-Le Minor scheme. The relative sensitivity (se) and specificity (sp) for MSRV compared with RVS, and the agreement coefficient kappa (κ) were calculated.

Results

Salmonella was isolated from 50/63 (80%) terraria, either from the reptiles (31/63; 49%) or from bedding material (39/62; 63%). The most common subspecies was Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica followed by S. enterica subspecies diarizonae. In reptiles, the most common S. enterica subspecies enterica serovars were Java (n = 4) and Fluntern (n = 4), compared with the serovars Tennessee (n = 10) and Fluntern (n = 10) in the environmental samples. The exact same set of Salmonella subspecies and serovars were not isolated from the individual reptiles and the environmental samples from any of the households. Isolation using MSRV yielded more Salmonella isolates 61/113 (54%) than enrichment in RVS 57/125 (46%). The se was 97.9% (95% Confidence Interval 93.9-100), the sp 78.5% (95% CI 68.5-88.5) and the κ 0.74, indicating substantial agreement between the tests.

Conclusions

Salmonella can be expected to be present in environments where reptiles are kept. This constitutes public health risks and should be considered during handling of the reptiles and during cleaning and disposal of bedding. A combination of different culturing techniques may be used to increase the isolation rate.     

重庆自然博物馆馆藏爬行动物名录

本研究对重庆自然博物馆馆藏的爬行动物标本进行清点、整理,得到自然博物馆馆藏国内爬行动物标本164种,分属于壁虎科（Gekkonidae）7属,鬣蜥科（Agamidae）6属,巨蜥科（Varanidae）1属,蜥蜴科（Lacertidae）4属,石龙子科（Scincidae）3属,盲蛇科（Typhlopidae）1属,蟒科（Boidae）2属,游蛇科（Megapodiidae）25属,眼镜蛇科（Elapidae）6属,蝰科（Viperidae）7属,鳖科（Trionychidae）2属,海龟科（Cheloniidae）1属,平胸龟科（Platysternidae）1属,乌龟科（Emydidae）2属,陆龟科（Tesrudinidae）2属,鳄科（Crocodylidae）1属,以及3个国外物种粗颈龟（Siebenrockiella crassicollis）、咸水泥彩龟（Callagur borneoensis）和蛇鳄龟（Macroclemystemminckii。）     

Genetic ranking for biological conservation using information from multiple species

Few studies have utilised genetic information from multiple taxonomic groups to compare the conservation values of geographic regions or particular taxa. None has examined how this information should be standardised to accommodate biological differences between taxa such as vagility or the level of genetic variability. Here we examine procedures for summarising genetic information using protein electrophoretic data from seven reptile species in the Great Dividing Range, and Western Tablelands and slopes of Northern New South Wales. The examination suggests the following recommendations for using genetic information in ranking.As many taxonomic groups as possible should be included in investigations. Using the present data, the average pairwise correlations between taxonomic groups were generally low to medium for all genetic metrics (absolute values ranging from 0.01 to 0.45). This indicates that single taxa are not usually good surrogates for the prediction of genetic value in other groups.Representatives of each class of metrics should be calculated as these may reveal distinct aspects of the genetic data. Four classes were identified here by examination of metrics’ pairwise correlations.Comparisons between regions should be based on metrics standardised to accommodate variation in the biology of the studied taxa.Conservation priority should be accorded to populations or regions ranking highly on any individual metric, with highest priority allotted to those ranking highly on uncorrelated metrics.If sample pooling is necessary to accommodate low sample sizes, preliminary inspection of the primary data is necessary to confirm that this will not obscure biologically significant patterns such as fixed allelic differences between local populations.     

Osteitis deformans (Paget's disease) in a Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus)--a case report

Osteitis deformans (Paget's disease of bone) is a chronic focal disorder of bone remodelling characterized by an initial increase in osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, with subsequent compensatory increase in new bone formation, resulting in a disorganized mosaic of woven and lamellar bone. In the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) of this report, multifocal gross swellings involving the proximal third of the vertebral spine were observed and associated with anorexia, a relative inability to move or to fully extend the body, and to strike at prey. Serum biochemistry revealed elevated alkaline-phosphatase activity. Radiographic changes (irregular bone proliferation along the vertebral margins), computed tomography scan results (abnormal mineral density), and histopathological features (generalized thickening of the bony trabeculae at the expense of the intertrabecular spaces and irregular patches of lamellar bone with a characteristic "mosaic" pattern) indicated osteitis deformans.     

Demographic effects of road mortality in black ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta)

Roads negatively affect animal populations by presenting barriers to movement and gene flow and by causing mortality. We investigated the impact of a secondary road on a population of black ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) in Ontario, Canada by radio-tracking 105 individuals over 8 years. The road was not a significant barrier to movement and none of the reproductive classes examined (male, non-reproductive female, reproductive female) avoided crossing the road. However, the road was a significant source of mortality. From a total of 115 road crossings by radio-implanted snakes, 3 individuals were killed by cars, resulting in a mortality rate of 0.026 deaths per crossing. We multiplied this mortality rate by the total number of expected road crossings by all individuals in the population in an active season (340) to estimate the number of road kills (9 individuals) each year. This estimate was higher than the actual number of road kills found, but half the number estimated from road kill models. Population viability analysis revealed that our estimate of road mortality was enough to increase the extinction probability for this population from 7.3% to 99% over 500 years. Road mortality of more than 3 adult females per year increased the extinction probability to >90%. Our results strengthen the view that road mortality can have a pronounced negative effect on populations of long-lived species.