Evidence for the transmission of Salmonella from reptiles to children in Germany, July 2010 to October 2011.

This study examines the Salmonella status in reptiles kept in households with children suffering from gastroenteritis due to an exotic Salmonella serovar, to obtain information on possible transmission paths. A number of affected households (n=79) were contacted, and almost half (34/79) comprised at least one reptile in the home. Of the households, 19 were further studied, whereby a total of 36 reptiles were investigated. Samples were taken from the reptiles including the oral cavity, the cloaca, the skin and, in the case of lizards, the stomach, and isolation of Salmonella strains was performed using repeated enrichment and typing. Where the Salmonella serovars of the infected child and the reptile were identical, typing was followed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) constituted 19 of 36 examined reptiles. Altogether 319 Salmonella isolates were investigated and 24 different serovars identified in the reptiles. In 15 of 19 households, an identical serovar to the human case was confirmed in at least one reptile (including 16 of all 19 bearded dragons examined). The results demonstrate that reptiles and especially bearded dragons shed various Salmonella serovars including those isolated from infected children in the respective households. Hygiene protocols and parents' education are therefore highly necessary to reduce the risk of transmission. From a terminological point of view, we propose to call such infections 'Reptile-Exotic-Pet-Associated-Salmonellosis' (REPAS).

Detection of pathogens in Boidae and Pythonidae with and without respiratory disease.

Respiratory diseases in boid snakes are common in captivity, but little information is available on their aetiology. This study was carried out to determine the occurrence of lung associated pathogens in boid snakes with and without respiratory signs and/or pneumonia. In total, 80 boid snakes of the families Boidae (n = 30) and Pythonidae (n = 50) from 48 private and zoo collections were included in this survey. Husbandry conditions were evaluated using a detailed questionnaire. All snakes were examined clinically and grouped into snakes with or without respiratory signs. Tracheal wash samples from all snakes were examined bacteriologically as well as virologically. All snakes were euthanased, and a complete pathological examination was performed. Respiratory signs and pneumonia were detected more often in pythons than in boas. An acute catarrhal pneumonia was diagnosed more often in snakes without respiratory signs than in snakes with respiratory signs, which revealed fibrinous and fibrous pneumonia. Poor husbandry conditions are an important trigger for the development of respiratory signs and pneumonia. Different bacterial pathogens were isolated in almost all snakes with pneumonia, with Salmonella species being the most common. Ferlavirus (formerly known as ophidian paramyxovirus)-RNA was detected only in pythons. Inclusion body disease was rarely seen in pythons but often in boas. Adenovirus and Mycoplasma were other pathogens that were diagnosed in single snakes with pneumonia. In living boid snakes with respiratory signs, tracheal wash samples were found to be a useful diagnostic tool for the detection of viral and bacterial pathogens.