Detection of Salmonella spp. in wild and domestic birds in an anthropized ecotone between the Cerrado and the Amazon Forest in Brazil

Emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases represent one of the main threats to people worldwide. To properly understand and prevent zoonoses is fundamental to study their epidemiology and the possibility of spillover events, especially for commercially intensive domestic animals and humans. Here, we studied 210 wild birds from the Ipucas region, which consists of fragments of the Amazon Forest interspersed with fragments of the Cerrado that is subject to seasonal flooding and 75 domestic birds from neighboring poultry farming. Then, we molecularly diagnosed Salmonella and Chlamydia from wild birds and poultry. Among the wild birds, four were diagnosed with Chlamydia psittaci and 23 with Salmonella spp., while we detected 15 poultry infected by Salmonella spp. and no poultry with C. psittaci. We highlighted the common infections of wild and domestic birds in an anthropologically modified environment and potential spillover of Salmonella pathogens among wild and livestock birds. Those infections can harm the health of native and domestic species.

Automated summary

The common infections of wild and domestic birds in anthropologically modified environments highlight the potential spillover of Salmonella pathogens among these birds, which could harm the health of native and domestic species.