Transovarian passage, visceral distribution, and pathogenicity of salmonella in snakes.

Transovarian passage of salmonella was evaluated in snakes by cesarean delivery and subsequent bacteriological examination of fetuses. In all cases, the same Salmonella serotype was isolated from the feces of gravid females and their fetuses. The visceral distribution of salmonella in normal snakes was found to involve almost all visceral organs. Of nonenteric organs examined, salmonella was recovered most often from the livers and ureters. Experimental infections with Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella arizonae were established by oral, intracardial, and intracoelomic routes. Animals infected orally shed the organism in feces, but did not develop humoral antibodies or any detectable adverse effect. Animals injected by the intracardiac and intracoelomic routes developed antibody titers of 1:256 to the respective salmonella serotypes, but remained normal throughout the experiment. On the basis of results, salmonella was regarded as an opportunistic organism in reptiles.