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Virulence factors of Salmonella spp. isolated from free-living grass snakes Natrix natrix.

ABSTRACT: Salmonellosis associated with reptiles is a well-researched topic, particularly in China and the United States, but it occurs less frequently in Europe. The growth of the human population and changes in the environment could potentially increase the interaction between humans and free-living reptiles, which are an unidentified source of Salmonella species. In this study, we sought to explore this issue by comparing the microbiota of free-living European grass snakes, scientifically known as Natrix natrix, with that of captive banded water snakes, or Nerodia fasciata. We were able to isolate 27 strains of Salmonella species from cloacal swabs of 59 N. natrix and 3 strains from 10 N. fasciata. Our findings revealed that free-living snakes can carry strains of Salmonella species that are resistant to normal human serum (NHS). In contrast, all the Salmonella species strains isolated from N. fasciata were sensitive to the action of the NHS, further supporting our findings. We identified two serovars from N. natrix: Salmonella enterica subspecies diarizonae and S. enterica subspecies houtenae. Additionally, we identified three different virulotypes (VT) with invA, sipB, prgH, orgA, tolC, iroN, sitC, sifA, sopB, spiA, cdtB and msgA genes, and β-galactosidase synthesised by 23 serovars. The identification of Salmonella species in terms of their VT is a relatively unknown aspect of their pathology. This can be specific to the serovar and pathovar and could be a result of adaptation to a new host or environment.

SUBMITTER: Pawlak A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11231047 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Virulence factors of Salmonella spp. isolated from free-living grass snakes Natrix natrix.

Pawlak Aleksandra A Małaszczuk Michał M Dróżdż Mateusz M Bury Stanisław S Kuczkowski Maciej M Morka Katarzyna K Cieniuch Gabriela G Korzeniowska-Kowal Agnieszka A Wzorek Anna A Korzekwa Kamila K Wieliczko Alina A Cichoń Mariusz M Gamian Andrzej A Bugla-Płoskońska Gabriela G

Environmental microbiology reports 20240801 4

Salmonellosis associated with reptiles is a well-researched topic, particularly in China and the United States, but it occurs less frequently in Europe. The growth of the human population and changes in the environment could potentially increase the interaction between humans and free-living reptiles, which are an unidentified source of Salmonella species. In this study, we sought to explore this issue by comparing the microbiota of free-living European grass snakes, scientifically known as Natr ...[more]

PMID: 38978351

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Project description:Reptile-associated human salmonellosis cases have increased recently in the United States. It is not uncommon to find healthy chelonians shedding Salmonella enterica. The rate and frequency of bacterial shedding are not fully understood, and most studies have focused on captive vs. free-living chelonians and often in relation to an outbreak. Their ecology and significance as sentinels are important to understanding Salmonella transmission. In 2012-2013, Salmonella prevalence was determined for free-living aquatic turtles in man-made ponds in Clarke and Oconee Counties, in northern Georgia (USA) and the correlation between species, basking ecology, demographics (age/sex), season, or landcover with prevalence was assessed. The genetic relatedness between turtle and archived, human isolates, as well as, other archived animal and water isolates reported from this study area was examined. Salmonella was isolated from 45 of 194 turtles (23.2%, range 14-100%) across six species. Prevalence was higher in juveniles (36%) than adults (20%), higher in females (33%) than males (18%), and higher in bottom-dwelling species (31%; common and loggerhead musk turtles, common snapping turtles) than basking species (15%; sliders, painted turtles). Salmonella prevalence decreased as forest cover, canopy cover, and distance from roads increased. Prevalence was also higher in low-density, residential areas that have 20-49% impervious surface. A total of 9 different serovars of two subspecies were isolated including 3 S. enterica subsp. arizonae and 44 S. enterica subsp. enterica (two turtles had two serotypes isolated from each). Among the S. enterica serovars, Montevideo (n = 13) and Rubislaw (n = 11) were predominant. Salmonella serovars Muenchen, Newport, Mississippi, Inverness, Brazil, and Paratyphi B. var L(+) tartrate positive (Java) were also isolated. Importantly, 85% of the turtle isolates matched pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of human isolates, including those reported from Georgia. Collectively, these results suggest that turtles accumulate Salmonella present in water bodies, and they may be effective sentinels of environmental contamination. Ultimately, the Salmonella prevalence rates in wild aquatic turtles, especially those strains shared with humans, highlight a significant public health concern.

Dataset Information

Virulence factors of Salmonella spp. isolated from free-living grass snakes Natrix natrix.

Publications

Virulence factors of Salmonella spp. isolated from free-living grass snakes Natrix natrix.

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