Prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae in Tupinambis merianae (Squamata: Teiidae) from a captive facility in Central Brazil, with a profile of antimicrobial drug resistance in Salmonella enterica

Abstract

The present study reports the presence of Enterobacteriaceae in tegu lizards (Tupinambis merianae) from a captive facility in Central Brazil. From a total of 30 animals, 10 juveniles and 20 adults (10 females, 10 males), 60 samples were collected, in two periods separated by 15 days. The samples were cultivated in Xylose-lysinedeoxycholate agar (XLT4) and MacConkey agar. The Salmonella enterica isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. A total of 78 bacteria was isolated, of which 27 were from juveniles of T. merianae, 30 from adult males, and 21 from adult females. Salmonella enterica was the most frequent bacteria, followed by Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter sakasakii, Kluivera sp., Citrobacter amalonaticus, Serratia marcescens, Citrobacter diversus, Yersinia frederiksenii, Serratia odorifera, and Serratia liquefaciens. Salmonella enterica subsp. diarizonae and houtenae showed resistance to cotrimoxazole, and serum Salmonella enterica Worthington showed resistance to tetracycline and gentamicin. Salmonella enterica Panama and S. enterica subsp. diarizonae showed intermediate sensitivity to cotrimoxazole. In addition to Enterobacteriaceae in the tegu lizard, pathogenic serotypes of S. enterica also occur, and their antimicrobial resistance was confirmed.