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Veterinarska stanica, Vol. 54 No. 5, 2023.

Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.46419/vs.54.5.2

Diversity and prevalence of Salmonella spp. in gulls caught at a landfill, Zagreb, Croatia

Biljana Ječmenica orcid id orcid.org/0000-0003-2882-6528 ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Andrea Humski orcid id orcid.org/0000-0003-3027-1306 ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Louie Thomas Taylor orcid id orcid.org/0000-0003-3835-3744 ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Borka Šimpraga ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Fani Krstulović ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Tajana Amšel Zelenika ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Luka Jurinović orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-6216-3978 ; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb, Hrvatska

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Abstract

Gulls are a group of seabirds distributed worldwide that are an important reservoir of Salmonella spp. Salmonellosis is the second most commonly reported gastrointestinal infection in humans, and understanding the role wild birds have in spreading Salmonella can help to improve the health of humans and domestic animals. The mobility and migration capacity of gulls makes them an interesting group for research given their potential role in spreading pathogens. This paper presents the diversity and prevalence of Salmonella spp. in different gull species caught at a landfill in Zagreb in the winter months over a nine-year period from 2014-2022. In total, 1083 cloacal swabs were sampled from six gull species: Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus), Yellow-legged Gull (L. michahellis), Caspian Gull (L. cachinnans), Common Gull (L. canus), Lesser Black-back Gull (L. fuscus) and Herring Gull (L. argentatus). The prevalence of Salmonella was 5.82%, and 16 Salmonella serotypes were identified; S. Typhimurium had the highest prevalence (47.62%) followed by S. Enteritidis (12.69%) and S. Infantis (9.52%). To date, 82 Salmonella serotypes have been isolated in research on gulls in Europe, with S. Typhimurium as the most common, followed by S. Agona and S. Enteritidis. In this study, we found three serotypes not previously reported in gulls, S. Yalding, S. Reading and one with
the antigenic formula O:17; H:z10; H:e,n,x,z15 (IIIb).

Keywords

gull; Salmonella; wild birds; prevalence; serotype

Hrčak ID:

291184

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/291184

Publication date:

23.3.2023.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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