Helminth communities of the exotic introduced turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans in southwestern Spain: Transmission from native turtles.

We report the prevalence and diversity of helminth parasites found in native turtles Mauremys leprosa and Emys orbicularis from three localities in southwestern Spain and we describe the helminth communities of exotic turtles Trachemys scripta elegans coexisting in the wild with both native turtle species. Five nematodes species were identified, of which Serpinema microcephalus was the only species common between two localities, although infection parameters were different between them. This is the first report of cross transmission of S. microcephalus and Falcaustra donanaensis from native to exotic turtles and the first report of genus Physaloptera in turtles of the Palearctic Region. Continuous releasing of exotic pet turtles in wildlife ecosystems increases the risk of parasite introductions and, consequently, potential transmission to native species, and highlights the impending need for regulation of pet turtle trade in Europe.

Salmonella in free-living exotic and native turtles and in pet exotic turtles from SW Spain.

We screened 78 native and 94 exotic turtles from natural ponds and 39 exotic pet turtles for presence of Salmonella, resulting with infection rates of 6.61%, 6.4%, and 5.1%, respectively. Concurrent shedding of multiple serotypes of the bacteria was only detected in one pet turtle. Eleven isolates were obtained in free-living turtles, including serotypes commonly found in reptiles and also the serotype Typhimurium, which is commonly related to human infections. In pet turtles, the five serotypes isolated were different to those isolated in free-living turtles and had been reported to cause reptile-associated salmonellosis in humans. These results confirm the risk of transmission of Salmonella from free-living and pet turtles to humans, demanding the necessity of regulation of pet turtle trade in Europe.

Salmonella in free living terrestrial and aquatic turtles.

Detection of Salmonella in pet turtles has been the focus of extensive research, but its incidence in free living turtles is not well known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of Salmonella in terrestrial and aquatic species of chelonians inhabiting a National Park in southwestern Spain. Individuals of the terrestrial tortoise Testudo graeca (n = 16) and the aquatic turtles Emys orbicularis (n = 26) and Mauremys leprosa (n = 50) were investigated. Maximum incidence of Salmonella was recorded in the terrestrial species (100%). In contrast, the incidence of infected animals was low in the aquatic species, 12% in M. leprosa and 15.4% in E. orbicularis. Five serotypes of Salmonella belonging to subspecies enterica (I) and salamae (II) were identified. All serotypes were found in the terrestrial species, and three in the aquatic ones, suggesting that wild terrestrial chelonians are important reservoirs of Salmonella in our study area. Cloacal transmission during mating is the most probable mode of transmission among individuals.