Salmonella sp. en aves silvestres de la provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina

The present work determined the presence of Salmonella sp. in wild birds of the province of Entre Rios, Argentina, and the antibiotic resistance profile of the isolated strains. Sampling was performed from April 2014 to July 2016; 667 samples of cloacal swabs were taken. The sampled counties were Victoria, Gualeguay, Gualeguaychù and Uruguay. Salmonella spp. isolation was carried out through four steps. Isolates were serologically characterized by the White-Kauffman-Le Minor scheme and 19 antibiotics were tested for each strain. Six samples were positive for Salmonella sp. (0.9%), corresponding to the following birds: one Plumbeos Ibis (Theristicus caerulescens), two Brazilian Duck (Amazonetta brasiliensis), one Rosy-billed Pochard (Netta peposaca), one Speckled Teal (Anas flavirostris) and one Great Egret (Ardea alba). The serovars found were: Salmonella Typhimurium (ST), S. Subspecies I, S. Subspecies IIIb and S. Schwarzengrund. More than one serovar were found in two birds. All strains were resistant to erythromycin and an intermediate resistance was observed, in some cases, to streptomycin, neomycin and ciprofloxacin. Although the prevalence of Salmonella sp. was low, it should not be underestimated since most of the isolations are ST, a serovar of great importance in public and birds health. Wild birds can act as vectors, transmitting and contaminating different production facilities with their feces. Erythromicin is not appropriate for the control of Salmonella sp. in such birds.