One Health Approach: Invasive California Kingsnake (<i>Lampropeltis californiae</i>) as an Important Source of Antimicrobial Drug-Resistant <i>Salmonella</i> Clones on Gran Canaria Island
Kevin M. Santana-Hernández,
Eligia Rodríguez-Ponce,
Inmaculada Rosario Medina,
Begoña Acosta-Hernández,
Simon L. Priestnall,
Santiago Vega,
Clara Marin,
Marta Cerdà-Cuéllar,
Ana Marco-Fuertes,
Teresa Ayats,
Teresa García Beltrán,
Pablo A. Lupiola-Gómez
Affiliations
Kevin M. Santana-Hernández
Departamento de Patología Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
Eligia Rodríguez-Ponce
Departamento de Patología Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
Inmaculada Rosario Medina
Departamento de Patología Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
Begoña Acosta-Hernández
Departamento de Patología Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
Simon L. Priestnall
Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
Santiago Vega
Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, 46115 Alfara del Patriarca, Spain
Clara Marin
Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, 46115 Alfara del Patriarca, Spain
Marta Cerdà-Cuéllar
Unitat Mixta d’Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Ana Marco-Fuertes
Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, 46115 Alfara del Patriarca, Spain
Teresa Ayats
Unitat Mixta d’Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Teresa García Beltrán
Instituto Universitario de Sanidad Animal (IUSA), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
Pablo A. Lupiola-Gómez
Departamento de Ciencias Clínicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
The increase in the reptile population has led to a rise in the number of zoonotic infections due to close contact with reptiles, with reptile-associated salmonellosis being particularly relevant. California kingsnake invasion not only threatens the endemic reptile population of the island of Gran Canaria (Spain) but also poses serious public health problems by spreading zoonotic pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to the environment. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the occurrence, genetic diversity, and AMR among Salmonella spp. strains isolated from California kingsnakes in Gran Canaria Island (Spain). Of 73 invasive individuals captured, 20.5% carried Salmonella spp., belonging to different subspecies and serovars, with subsp. salamae as the most abundant. Pulsed-field electrophoresis showed high genetic diversity among subsp. salamae isolates, and among these, 73.3% showed resistance to at least one of the antimicrobials tested. In conclusion, the present study revealed the importance of wild invasive California kingsnakes as reservoirs of drug-resistant Salmonella spp. that could pose a direct threat to livestock and humans. Identification of drug-resistant Salmonella strains in wildlife provides valuable information on potential routes of transmission that involve risks to public and animal health.
