Salmonella in sub-Antarctica: low heterogeneity in salmonella serotypes in South Georgian seals and birds

• Published in: Epidemiology and Infection
• Main Authors: PALMGREN, H., McCAFFERTY, D., ASPÁN, A., BROMAN, T., SELLIN, M., WOLLIN, R., BERGSTRÖM, S., OLSEN, B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2000
• Subjects: Antarctic; Austral; Bird Island; Antarc*; Antarctic Fur Seals; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268899004586; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0950268899004586

The number of human visitors to Antarctica is increasing rapidly, and with it a risk of introducing infectious organisms to native animals. To study the occurrence of salmonella serotypes in sub-Antarctic wildlife, faecal samples were collected from gentoo penguins, macaroni penguins, gray-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses and Antarctic fur seals on Bird Island in the South Georgian archipelago during the austral summer of 1996 and 1998. In 1996, S. havana , S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis were isolated from 7% of gentoo penguins and 4% of fur seals. In 1998, however, 22% of fur seals were found to be infected with S. havana , S. enteritidis and S. newport . All isolates, except one, showed identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-patterns within each serotype, irrespective of sampling year and animal reservoir. No significant antibiotic resistance was found. The very low heterogeneity in the salmonella isolates found could either indicate a high genetic adaptation of the bacteria to the environment or a recent introduction of salmonella into the area.