Screening of Salmonella spp. and Chlamydophila psittaci in parrots domiciled in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil

Abstract

A large proportion of emerging infectious diseases (60.3%) globally are zoonotic pathogens, and of these, 71.8% originate from wild animals. Salmonellosis and psittacosis, diseases caused by Salmonella spp. and Chlamydophila psittaci, respectively, in wild animals are zoonoses with great risks to public health. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the presence of Salmonella spp. and C. psittaci in parrots domiciled in Rio Branco, Acre. The animals in the study were raised as pets, and selection was performed based on convenience criteria. The birds were manually restrained to collect biological materials. Subsequently, conventional microbiological and biochemical tests were performed to identify Salmonella spp., and polymerase chain reaction analyses were conducted to identify C. psittaci and Salmonella spp. It was not possible to isolate Salmonella spp. and C. psittaci in the sampled birds. However, the presence of these bacteria in parrots cannot be ruled out because intermittent release and diagnostic limitations are widely described in the literature.