The Herpetological Journal
The Herpetological Journal is the Society's prestigious quarterly scientific journal. Articles are listed in Biological Abstracts, Current Awareness in Biological Sciences,Current Contents, Science Citation Index, and Zoological Record.
ISSN 0268-0130
2021 Impact Factor from Clarivate for the Herpetological Journal is 1.194, an increase of 0.332 from 2020.
pdf 08. Detection of Salmonella enterica in a sand lizard (Lacerta agilis, Linnaeus, 1758) city population
583 downloads
Open Access
pp. 57-60
Authors: Krzysztof Dudek, Ryszard Koczura, Monika Dudek, Zofia Anna Sajkowska & Anna Ekner-Grzyb
Abstract: Salmonellosis is one of the most urgent public health problems across the world. Reptiles are a known reservoir of Salmonella spp. and in some regions they are also associated with human salmonellosis. This concerns especially popular pet reptiles, e.g., turtles or bearded dragons; however, there is also a need for studies regarding wild reptiles as a pathogen source. In this study, sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) were investigated as a potential reservoir of Salmonella spp. in Poznań, Poland, using cloacal swabs and faecal samples. Moreover, clonal analysis of the isolates was conducted using ERIC-PCR fingerprinting. Thirty eight lizards were investigated, nine of which (24%) proved positive for S. enterica subsp. houtenae. The prevalence level was lower than previously observed in exotic species (up to above 40%). Two clones were present in several lizards. Specimens with similar clones were captured at the same location and time, suggesting horizontal transfer of bacterial strains between lizards. Because the isolated subspecies of Salmonella is very rarely reported as a causative agent of human salmonellosis, sand lizards seem to pose little or no threat for public health.
Key words: clonal analysis, environmental microbiology, infectious disease, reptile-associated salmonellosis
Download Access:
The latest 8 issues can be downloaded when logged in with a Herpetological Journal subscription membership.
Individual articles can be purchased for download.
Older issues and occasional Open Access articles are available for public download
Submissions:
For further information and submission guidelines please see our Journal Instructions to Authors
Latest Issue
IMPORTANT NOTE - JUNE 2020
Please note that as from Volume 31 Number 1 (January 2021) on, the Herpetological Journal will be available as an online publication only - the last print edition will be Volume 30 Number 4.
Aligning with this change, it is now no longer possible to purchase a subscription that includes a print copy of the HJ. All members who have existing HJ print subscriptions that remain active as at end June 2020 will receive the full four 2020 print editions. New subscribers or renewals after this time will only have option to subscribe to the online only subscription package. Subscription pricing has been amended to reflect the content changes.