Occurrence of Salmonella sp. and Escherichia coli in free-living and captive wild birds from 2010-2013 in Guarapuava, Paran, Brazil

Birds are increasingly close to men, and many times are raised as pets. However, many times, these animals may carry and spread enterobacteria that are deleterious to human health. Salmonella sp. is considered one of the most common zoonoses in the world, causing important losses to public health. Although, Escherichia coli is an important commensal in the gastrointestinal tract of most animals, it may cause disease both in men and animals, depending on the strain and its pathogenicity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the occurrence of Salmonella sp. and Escherichia coli in free-living and captive wild birds in the city of Guarapuava, PR, Brazil. Animals were divided according to the taxonomic order, as follows: Columbiformes (228), Psittaciformes (128), Passeriformes (63), Piciformes (26), Falconiformes (19), Stringiformes (6), and Accipitriformes (01), in a total of 471 birds. Bacterial isolation was carried out by means of cloacal swabs, with 69.38% birds positive for E. coli and 22.32% for Salmonella sp. From the total of birds, 143 showed co-infection with Salmonella sp. and E. coli. Columbiformes showed the greatest occurrence of E. coli (82.33%). Falconiformes showed the greatest number of negative birds (57.9%). These results demonstrate that birds that were analyzed may carry and spread these enterobacteria, and preventive measures for human exposure should be determined, as these microorganisms are public health concerns.