Abstract
Salmonella spp. are gram-negative bacteria that belong to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Members of this genus may pose health risks to both aquatic and terrestrial animals including humans.1,5 Critically endangered leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) use the island of St. Kitts, West Indies as a nesting ground.2-4 During the nesting season of 2011, March through July, physical exams, which included morphometric measurements, venipuncture, and cloacal swabs, were performed on nesting female leatherbacks that came to shore to lay their eggs (n = 21). Molecular and conventional diagnostic methods were utilized to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in the cloacal swabs obtained from these nesting turtles. Isolates obtained from selective agar media (Salmonella Shigella Agar and MacConkey Agar) were screened (Gram stain and cytochrome oxidase test) and colonies suspected of being Salmonella spp. were confirmed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) PCR. The prevalence of Salmonella enterica on the analyzed nesting turtles during this period was 14.2%. Antimicrobial susceptibility was then performed in all recovered isolates utilizing the broth microdilution method. Antimicrobial susceptibility was variable amongst the Salmonella enterica isolates recovered in the study. However, all isolates were susceptible to the lowest concentration of kanamycin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, enrofloxacin, and nalidixic acid tested. This study demonstrates the importance of adherence to sanitation protocols when handling these animals during management and health assessment procedures because of the zoonotic potential of Salmonella spp. Further research should be pursued to understand the interaction of this bacterial pathogen with the environment, host, and other microbial communities.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the St. Kitts Department of Marine Resources for their permission to work on sea turtle nesting beaches and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, and the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network for their assistance in sample acquisition, financial support, and technical support.
References
1. Aguirre AA, Gardner SC, Marsh JC, Delgado SG, Limpus CJ, Nichols WJ. Hazards associated with the consumption of sea turtle meat and eggs: a review for health care workers and the general public. EcoHealth. 2006;3(3):141–153. (DOI: 10.1007/s10393-006-0032-x)
2. Butler JA. Nesting biology of the sea turtles of St. Kitts, West Indies. Chelonian Conserv Biol. 2001;4:191–196.
3. Eckert KL. 2001. Status and distribution of the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, in the wider Caribbean region. Proceedings of the Regional Meeting: "Marine Turtle Conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region: A Dialogue for Effective Regional Management," Santo Domingo, 16–18 November 1999. WIDECAST, IUCN-MTSG, WWF, and UNEP-CEP. xx + 154 pp.
4. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. www.iucnredlist.org.
5. Santoro M, Hernandéz G, Caballero M, García F. 2007. Potential bacterial pathogens carried by nesting leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in Costa Rica. Chelonian Conserv Biol. 2007;7(1):104–108.