Salmonella and Yersinia enterocolitica in soil and dog faeces.

Dog faeces and soil samples, collected for one year from public gardens in densely inhabited areas of Palermo (Italy), were investigated for the presence of Salmonella spp. and Ye.enterocolitica, to verify the hypothesis that mechanism of spread of Ye.enterocolitica may be comparable to that of Salmonella spp. Five Salmonella and one Ye.enterocolitica were isolated from 212 dog faeces; one Salmonella and four Ye.enterocolitica from 240 soil samples. O-serotypes of Ye.enterocolitica were not belonging to human pathogenic groups. The same Salmonella spp. were present both in humans and in the environment.