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Salmonella enterica Infection of Synanthropic Non-native Geckos in Southern Florida

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Abstract

Wild geckos are a significant source of human salmonellosis. We swabbed the cloacas of 37 non-native synanthropic geckos (Gekko gecko, n = 16; Phelsuma grandis, n = 21) from southern Florida, USA, and assayed swab DNA extracts using quantitative polymerase chain reaction of the invA gene. Salmonella enterica was detected in both species with a pooled prevalence of 13.5% (5/37; 95% CI 5.3–27.1%), indicating the potential for zoonotic transmission. Implications for human health in the region are discussed.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Shahrzad Forouzanfar, Paul Sharp, Coleman M Sheehy III, Enrico Vezzani, Konrad Kürbis, and the public who generously assisted in various ways with the collection of specimens for this study. All work was performed under Florida International University IACUC protocol # IACUC-17-019. This research was funded by an FIU Tropics Student Grant, awarded to Thomas William Fieldsend by FIU Tropics and the Susan S. Levine Trust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Thomas W. Fieldsend, Alessandro Catenazzi & Timothy M. Collins

  2. School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King’s College London, New Hunt’s House, Newcomen St, London, SE1 1UL, UK

    Thomas W. Fieldsend

  3. Division of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Kenneth L. Krysko

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

    Alexander Shepack

Authors
  1. Thomas W. Fieldsend
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  2. Alessandro Catenazzi
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  3. Kenneth L. Krysko
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  4. Alexander Shepack
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  5. Timothy M. Collins
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Correspondence to Thomas W. Fieldsend.

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Fieldsend, T.W., Catenazzi, A., Krysko, K.L. et al. Salmonella enterica Infection of Synanthropic Non-native Geckos in Southern Florida. EcoHealth 20, 227–230 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-023-01666-3

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