Poster 11: Reptile Salmonellosis

Question 1

background

Answer 1

• commensal for reptiles
• normally asymptomatic
• clinical severity increases with high stocking density, contaminated diets, deficient hygiene and stress

Question 2

Mechanism of disease

Answer 2

• salmonella induces host cell to engulf using type 3 injector system
• injected proteins trigger epithelial cell membrane to ruffle
• bacterium encased in vacuole made of host membrane
• injects other bacterial proteins into surrounding vacuole. altering vacuole structure and blocking fusion with lysosomes
• bacteria continue to divide while vacuole grows and bacteria thought to escape when proliferation exceeds vacuole capacity

Question 3

Transmission

Answer 3

• majority of salmonellosis comes from cecal-oral transmission
• shed through skin or cloaca
• turtles <4 inches high risk because toddlers more likely to put them in mouth

Question 4

Clinical signs

Answer 4

• gastroenteritis
• colitis
• blood infections
• meningitis

Question 5

treatment

Answer 5

• antibiotics not recommended as reptiles often reinfect themselves
• promotes AMR
• may be detrimental to animals that have it as commensal bacteria