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. 1985 May;49(5):1276–1281. doi: 10.1128/aem.49.5.1276-1281.1985

Salmonella infections in a marsupial, the quokka (Setonix brachyurus), in relation to seasonal changes in condition and environmental stress.

R P Hart, S D Bradshaw, J B Iveson
PMCID: PMC238542  PMID: 4004242

Abstract

An unusual abundance of Salmonella infections was studied in an island population of a wild marsupial, the quokka (Setonix brachyurus), which experiences starvation in summer associated with significant mortality. The frequency of infections was found to vary seasonally over most parts of the island, with high infection rates (70 to 100%) in summer and low infection rates (0 to 30%) in winter. In some samples, there was an average of as many as two isolations per animal, and up to five isolations were made from a single animal. By the end of summer, virtually all animals excreted Salmonella spp., with a median rate of excretion of approximately 3,000 Salmonella organisms per g of feces. The seasonal changes occurred over intervals of only weeks. The infections are believed to be associated with disruption of the digestive physiology of the animals caused by the poor quality of feed available in summer. This conclusion was supported by a quantitative study of the infections and by a field manipulation experiment which delayed the initiation of the infections as long as a food supplement was available. The proliferation of Salmonella spp. is discussed in terms of the ecology of the quokka and of the use of Salmonella spp. as indicators of environmental stress acting on the animals.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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