ABSTRACT
Wild birds can be reservoirs of pathogenic bacteria and act as carriers of these microorganisms to the environment, domestic animals, and humans. Therefore, this study had as objective to verify the occurrence of Campylobacter spp., Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella enterica in wild birds captured in the surroundings of the aviaries and in the broilers housed in these establishments. The presence of the cdtA, cdtB and cdtC genes in Campylobacter isolates was also investigated and Salmonella serotypes were identified. Stool samples from 189 wild birds captured with mist nets in around 10 aviaries and from 200 broilers were processed for Campylobacter spp., S. enterica and Y. enterocolitica research. Two species of wild birds, Sicalis flaveola (Saffron Finch) and Zonotrichia capensis (Rufous-collared Sparrow) were positive for Salmonella and Campylobacter, respectively. Campylobacter spp., S. enterica and Y. enterocolitica were isolated from broilers. The cdt genes were found in all Campylobacter isolates. In two aviaries, Campylobacter was isolated from both broilers and wild birds, however the mutual contamination among these birds has not been shown. This was the first report of Campylobacter isolation from Z. capensis and of Derby Salmonella serotype isolation from S. flaveola.
Keywords:
Campylobacter; Salmonella; Zonotrichia capensis; Sicalis flaveola