Microbiological profile of oral cavity of and occurrence of Salmonella spp. in sugar gliders

TL;DRAbstract

Sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) are popular pockets pets in Japan, Canada and United States and now gaining popularity in Malaysia. The close relationship between humans and pets may lead to possible health hazards if the animals are infected with zoonotic pathogens. To date, not much is known about the potential health hazard of keeping sugar gliders as pet. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the microbiological profile of oral mucosa in sugar gliders, to determine the occurrence of Salmonella spp. in sugar gliders and to determine the antibiotic resistance of the isolates against six types of antibiotics namely enrofloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethazole, tetracycline, ceftiofur, penicillin G and neomycin. Thirty-seven oral swabs and 37 faecal samples were collected from 18 individual owners and a breeder. Nine species of bacteria isolated were Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Pasteurella spp., Staphylococcus spp.

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