J Vet Sci.  2008 Jun;9(2):177-181. 10.4142/jvs.2008.9.2.177.

The rate of Salmonella spp. infection in zoo animals at Seoul Grand Park, Korea

• Jang YH
• Lee SJ
• Lim JG
• Lee HS
• Kim TJ
• Park JH
• Chung BH
• Choe NH

• KMID: 1106233
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2008.9.2.177

Abstract

Salmonellosis is an important zoonotic disease that affects both people and animals. The incidence of reptile-associated salmonellosis has increased in Western countries due to the increasing popularity of reptiles as pets. In Korea, where reptiles are not popular as pets, many zoos offer programs in which people have contact with animals, including reptiles. So, we determined the rate of Salmonella spp. infection in animals by taking anal swabs from 294 animals at Seoul Grand Park. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 14 of 46 reptiles (30.4%), 1 of 15 birds (6.7%) and 2 of 233 mammals (0.9%). These findings indicate that vigilance is required for determining the presence of zoonotic pathogen infections in zoo animals and contamination of animal facilities to prevent human infection with zoonotic diseases from zoo facilities and animal exhibitions. In addition, prevention of human infection requires proper education about personal hygiene.

Keyword

reptile-associated salmonellosis; salmonella; zoo animal; zoonotic disease

MeSH Terms

Animals
Animals, Zoo/*microbiology
Humans
Korea/epidemiology
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Salmonella Infections, Animal/*epidemiology
Serotyping
Zoonoses/*microbiology