Foodborne pathogenic bacteria in wild European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus).
Acta Vet Scand
; 66(1): 32, 2024 Jul 15.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39010071
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) are widely distributed across Europe. They may play an important role by spreading zoonotic bacteria in the environment and to humans and animals. The aim of our work was to study the prevalence and characteristics of the most important foodborne bacterial pathogens in wild hedgehogs.RESULTS:
Faecal samples from 148 hospitalised wild hedgehogs originating from the Helsinki region in southern Finland were studied. Foodborne pathogens were detected in 60% of the hedgehogs by PCR. Listeria (26%) and STEC (26%) were the most common foodborne pathogens. Salmonella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter were detected in 18%, 16%, and 7% of hedgehogs, respectively. Salmonella and Yersinia were highly susceptible to the tested antimicrobials. Salmonella Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes 2a were the most common types found in hedgehogs. All S. Enteritidis belonged to one sequence type (ST11), forming four clusters of closely related isolates. L. monocytogenes was genetically more diverse than Salmonella, belonging to 11 STs. C. jejuni ST45 and ST677, Y. pseudotuberculosis O1 of ST9 and ST42, and Y. enterocolitica O9 of ST139 were also found.CONCLUSIONS:
Our study shows that wild European hedgehogs should be considered an important source of foodborne pathogens, and appropriate hygiene measures after any contact with hedgehogs and strict biosecurity around farms are therefore important.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Hedgehogs
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Acta Vet Scand
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Finland