SALMONELLA SER. TYPHIMURIUM ISOLATED FROM RABBIT FARMS: CHARACTERIZATION AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Salmonella enterica infections are not common in rabbits, but, whenever they occur, they induce high morbidity and mortality and they also raise concern in terms of public health impact. Moreover, the worldwide spread of multidrug resistant strains complicates the treatment of infection in both rabbits and humans. Despite those premises, knowledge about salmonelloses in rabbits is still poor. In this study four S. Typhimurium strains were isolated from as many rabbit farms, and they were characterized for antimicrobial susceptibility, resistance genes, class 1 integrons and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). The results showed that a group of strains were circulating in Basilicata, and that it was indistinguishable from human isolates for PFGE profile, multidrug resistance pattern and genetic features, as they harbored the Salmonella Genomic Island 1 (SGI1) which characterized the S. Typhimurium strains which are widespread among humans all over the world. Our data suggest that molecular characterization is a useful tool to promptly recognize Salmonella strains which are potentially harmful to rabbits or humans