Prevalence of Salmonella sp Isolated from Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis in Eastern Tennessee

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis (Eastern North American Hellbender) were collected from the Little River of the Great Smoky National Park (n = 22) and the Hiwassee River of the Cherokee National Forest (n = 30), TN. The cloaca of each animal was swabbed for Salmonella culture and identification. No Salmonella was identified from any of the samples. The prevalence of Salmonella in Hellbenders may be higher than reported here since feces were not collected and animals were only sampled once. Park visitors should still take precautions to protect themselves from water-borne zoonotic pathogens.