Division of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Islamic University, Kushtia, Bangladesh.
PLoS One. 2024 Feb 15;19(2):e0281006. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281006. eCollection 2024.
Wildlife can carry pathogenic organisms, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi, which can spread to humans and cause mild to serious illnesses and even death. Spreading through animal feces, these pathogens significantly contributes to the global burden of human diseases. Therefore, the present study investigated the prevalence of zoonotic bacterial pathogens, such as Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), in animal feces. Between September 2015 and August 2017, 699 wildlife fecal samples were collected from various agricultural production regions and mountainous areas in South Korea. Fecal samples were collected from wild mammals (85.26%, 596/699) and birds (14.73%, 103/699). Salmonella spp. and E. coli were present in 3% (21/699) and 45.63% (319/699) of the samples, respectively. Moreover, virulence genes stx1 and both stx1 and stx2 were detected in 13.30% (93/699) and 0.72% (5/699) of the samples, respectively. The 21 Salmonella spp. were detected in badgers (n = 5), leopard cats (n = 7), wild boars (n = 2), and magpies (n = 7); STEC was detected in roe deer, water deer, mice, and wild boars. Through phylogenetic and gene-network analyses, the Salmonella spp. isolates (n = 21 laboratory isolates, at least one isolate from each Salmonella-positive animal fecal sample, and n = 6 widely prevalent reference Salmonella serovars) were grouped into two major lineages: S. enterica subsp. enterica and S. enterica subsp. diarizonae. Similarly, 93 E. coli isolates belonged to stx1, including three major lineages (groups 1-3), and stx1 and stx2 detected groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a wild leopard cat serving as a reservoir for Salmonella spp. in South Korea. The research findings can help manage the potential risk of wildlife contamination and improve precautionary measures to protect public health.
野生动物可能携带包括病毒、细菌、寄生虫和真菌在内的病原生物，这些病原生物可以传播给人类，导致从轻微到严重的疾病，甚至死亡。这些病原体通过动物粪便传播，对全球人类疾病负担有重大影响。因此，本研究调查了在动物粪便中携带的人畜共患细菌病原体（如沙门氏菌、大肠杆菌和产志贺毒素大肠杆菌（STEC））的流行情况。在 2015 年 9 月至 2017 年 8 月期间，从韩国各个农业生产地区和山区收集了 699 份野生动物粪便样本。粪便样本采集自野生哺乳动物（85.26%，596/699）和鸟类（14.73%，103/699）。沙门氏菌和大肠杆菌分别存在于 3%（21/699）和 45.63%（319/699）的样本中。此外，stx1 基因和 stx1 和 stx2 基因分别存在于 13.30%（93/699）和 0.72%（5/699）的样本中。21 株沙门氏菌存在于獾（n = 5）、豹猫（n = 7）、野猪（n = 2）和喜鹊（n = 7）中；STEC 存在于獐鹿、水鹿、老鼠和野猪中。通过系统发育和基因网络分析，沙门氏菌分离株（n = 21 株实验室分离株，至少一株分离自每一份沙门氏菌阳性动物粪便样本，n = 6 株广泛流行的参考沙门氏菌血清型）分为两个主要谱系：肠沙门氏菌亚种 enterica 和肠沙门氏菌亚种 diarizonae。同样，93 株大肠杆菌分离株属于 stx1，包括三个主要谱系（群 1-3）和 stx1 和 stx2 检测群。据我们所知，这是首次在韩国发现野生豹猫是沙门氏菌的储存宿主。研究结果有助于管理野生动物污染的潜在风险，并改进保护公众健康的预防措施。
