Characterization of Salmonella Occurring at High Prevalence in a Population of the Land Iguana Conolophus subcristatus in Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

A high prevalence (98.4%) of Salmonella was found in a population of land iguanas, Conolophus subcristatus, on the Galápagos Islands, with 14 different serovars identified among four subspecies. Predominant serovars included S. Poona, S. Pomona, S. Abaetetuba, and S. Newport, with genetic analysis revealing varying degrees of relatedness. All isolates were pan-susceptible to antimicrobials, suggesting a natural interaction between the pathogen and the host, potentially established before exposure to environmental factors influenced by antimicrobial use. The study utilized cloacal swabs from 63 iguanas on Santa Cruz Island, employing serotyping and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for characterization.

Franco, A., Hendriksen, R. S., Lorenzetti, S., Onorati, R., Gentile, G., Dell’Omo, G., Aarestrup, F. M., & Battisti, A. (2011). Characterization of Salmonella Occurring at High Prevalence in a Population of the Land Iguana Conolophus subcristatus in Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. PLoS ONE, 6(8), e23147. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0023147