Frequency of Salmonella Spp in asymptomatic rural dogs from ۲۰۲۰ to ۲۰۲۱

Background and Aim : Different serotypes of Salmonella bacteria with a high host prevalence are the cause of one of the common diseases of humans and animals. Dogs may carry various Salmonella serotypes for a long time without any symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the contamination of fecal samples of rural dogs with Salmonella in Khouzestan provinces.Methods : Rectal swabs obtained from ۱۵۰ seemingly healthy rural dogs referred to the Veterinary Hospital of Ahvaz University were cultured from ۲۰۲۰ to ۲۰۲۱ and were identified at the genus level by molecular PCR. The division was based on age, sex, breed, region and season.Results : The studied dogs were divided into ۳ groups based on age (less than ۶ months, ۶ months to ۳ years and over ۳ years) and based on the region into ۵ areas (north, east, west, south and centre). The results were analyzed using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and Z test. ۳۲ of the ۱۵۰ serum samples (۲۱.۳۳%) had antibodies against Salmonella. The prevalence of infection in over ۳-year dogs (۴۱.۳%) and at the age of ۶ months to ۳ years (۲۹.۴%) was significantly higher compared to dogs under ۶ months (۴.۳%). The prevalence of infection in male dogs (۲۹.۷%) was higher than females (۲۷.۶%) in winter (۲۶.۲%) and the northern region (۳۱.۵%), but the difference between the prevalence of infection in terms of sex, season and region were not significant.Conclusion : Our study showed that the serum prevalence of infection in the serum of rural dogs in Khuzestan province is relatively high.

کلیدواژه ها:

Salmonella ، dog ، Khouzestan ، zoonosis