Cent Eur J Public Health 1995, 3(1):21-24

Salmonellae in gulls and other free-living birds in the Czech Republic

Hubálek Z., Sixl W., Mikuláskova M., Sixl-Voigt B., Thiel W., Halouzka J., Juricová Z., Rosický B., Mátlová L., Honza M.

Institute of Landscape Ecology, Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic

Cloacal swabs, collected from 756 wild synanthropic and exoanthropic birds of 57 species in the Czech Republic, yielded 32 strains of Salmonella typhimurium [phage types (PT) 141, 104 and 41], six isolates of S. enteritidis (PT 8, 4 and 6e), and one each of S. panama and S. anatum. Except for one S. enteritidis isolate from a grey-lag goose (Anser anser) and one S. typhimurium isolate from a coot (Fulica atra), all of the other strains were derived from black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus), of which 24.7% were found to be infected. The black-headed gull might play a role in the dispersal of pathogenic salmonellae.

Published: February 1, 1995  Show citation