[Reptiles, the chief reservoir of Edwardsiella in nature].

The study of reptiles in the zoo has revealed the high level of Edwardsiella contamination in crocodiles (43%), snakes (36.4%), tortoises (23.6%) and, to a lesser extent, lizards (17.6%). All these reptiles are a natural source of Edwardsiella, and paleontological parallels, as well as the character of metabolic processes in Edwardsiella, allow referring them to the most ancient representatives of enterobacteria and date the appearance of these microorganisms from the beginning of the Mesosoic era and possibly from the end of the Paleosoic era.