TURTLE-ASSOCIATED SALMONELLOSIS HI. THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SALMONELLAE IN COMMERCIAL TURTLE BREEDING PONDS1

Turtle-associated salmonellosis. HI. The effects of environmental sal-monellae in commercial turtle breeding ponds. Ant J Epidemiol 95: 521-528, 1972.—An epidemiologic study of turtle salmonellosis was conducted at a large Louisiana turtle farm. Environmental studies found high levels of salmonella contamination in the water in turtle-breeding ponds as well as in adjacent swamp and bayou water, with similar serotypes being isolated from all locations. Salmonellae were also isolated from turtle nests in the pond bank. Salmonellae were not isolated from the turtle feed. Turtle eggs which were gathered daily were hatched in boxes con-taining sterile sawdust. The salmonella excretion rate for groups of baby turtles hatched from these eggs ranged from 0 to 66.7 % over a 3-year period. Because transovarian transmission of salmonella could not be demonstrated, infection of the baby turtles appeared to result from salmonellae in the pond environment penetrating newly laid eggs. Sal-monella contamination in the water of a test pond was reduced by treat-ment with 2 to 5 ppm of copper sulfate. Baby turtles hatched from eggs gathered at the copper sulfate-treated pond had a higher salmonella excretion rate than similar turtles from untreated control ponds. The lack of efficacy in preventing salmonella infections in baby turtles and potential side effects make copper sulfate unusable as a decontaminant for turtle ponds. disinfectants; epidemiology; salmonella infections, animal; turtles INTRODUCTION lie health problem in the United States. Re