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J Vet Sci. 2008 Jun;9(2):177-181 |
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The rate of Salmonella spp. infection in zoo animals at Seoul Grand
Park, Korea
Y. H. Jang1, S. J. Lee1, J. G. Lim1, H. S. Lee2, T. J. Kim1, J. H. Park1, B. H. Chung1, N. H. Choe1,* |
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1College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Korea
2National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, Anyang 430-856, Korea
* nojamaji@hanmail.net |
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Salmonellosis is an important zoonotic disease that affects
both people and animals. The incidence of reptile-associated
salmonellosis has increased in Western countries
due to the increasing popularity of reptiles as pets. In
Korea, where reptiles are not popular as pets, many zoos
offer programs in which people have contact with animals,
including reptiles. So, we determined the rate of Salmonella
spp. infection in animals by taking anal swabs from 294
animals at Seoul Grand Park. Salmonella spp. were isolated
from 14 of 46 reptiles (30.4%), 1 of 15 birds (6.7%)
and 2 of 233 mammals (0.9%). These findings indicate that
vigilance is required for determining the presence of zoonotic
pathogen infections in zoo animals and contamination
of animal facilities to prevent human infection with
zoonotic diseases from zoo facilities and animal exhibitions.
In addition, prevention of human infection requires
proper education about personal hygiene.
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