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The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Abstract

Considering the impact of Salmonella in turtles and the role of turtles as a source of Salmonella outbreaks in humans, knowledge of Salmonella status in turtles is important. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence, risk factors and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella infections in turtles. Cloacal swabs were collected from 378 turtles in Turtle Villages located in Khon Kaen province of northeastern Thailand between January 2018 and April 2019. All samples were examined for Salmonella spp. isolation and identification by ISO 6597:2002. The overall prevalence of Salmonella in the turtles was 37.57% (142/378). Habitat, season and sex were significantly associated with Salmonella positivity (P<0.05) in univariate analysis but only season was significantly associated with Salmonella positivity in multivariate analysis. Among Salmonella isolates, resistance to ampicillin, tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim was frequently observed. None of the isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin. These results show that turtles are commonly infected with Salmonella and present a risk of possible transmission to people who come in close contact with them.

DOI

10.56808/2985-1130.3110

First Page

201

Last Page

206

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