TABLE 1.
Salmonella enterica and Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 fecal isolation rates from a census of animals in human-animal contact areas at 36 AZA-accredited zoos in the United States in 2003 and 2004
| Animal group and type | No. of samples collected | No. (%) of samples positive for:
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmonella | STEC O157 | ||
| Domestic livestock | |||
| Goats (mostly pygmy breeds) | 526 | 3 (0.6) | 0 |
| Sheep (many breeds) | 192 | 0 | 0 |
| Cattle (dairy and beef cattle and yaks) | 49 | 1 (2.0) | 1 (2.0) |
| Equids (horses, ponies, and donkeys) | 59 | 1 (1.7) | 0 |
| Pigs | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| Subtotal | 871 | 5 (0.6) | 1 (0.1) |
| Exotic and wild hooved animals | |||
| Vicunas and llamas | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Cervids (deer and reindeer) | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| Camels | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Giraffe and okapi | 7 | 1 (14.3) | 0 |
| Antelopes | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Subtotal | 75 | 1 (1.3) | 0 |
| Small animals | |||
| Rabbits | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Rodentsa | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Pigeons | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Parrots | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tortoises | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Poultry | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Subtotal | 48 | 0 | 0 |
| Carnivores | |||
| Skunks | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Servals | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ferrets | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Subtotal | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| All animals | 997 | 6 (0.6) | 1 (0.1) |
a
Rats, porcupines, chinchillas, and guinea pigs.