Presence of zoonotic pathogens (Yersinia spp., Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp., and Leptospira spp.) simultaneously in dogs and cats.

The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of zoonotic pathogens simultaneously in animals. The isolation of human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica (Ye), Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (Yp), Campylobacter jejuni (Cj), Salmonella spp. (Sal) and Leptospira spp. (Lep) in 318 cats and 252 dogs were performed in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. A total of 13 isolates of Yp (4 strains) and Sal (9 strains) were recovered from intestine and/or mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of 13 cats (4.1%) but not Ye, and Cj was not examined. A total of 88 isolates of Ye (15 dogs, 15 strains), Yp (16 dogs, 16 strains), Cj (10 dogs, 13 strains) and Sal (39 dogs, 44 strains) were recovered from intestine and/or MLN of 76 dogs (30.2%). Two species of Ye O3, Cj and Sal were recovered from either intestine or MLN of 4 dogs but not from cats. Lep was not detected in dogs and cats kidney. The 101 isolates from dogs and cats belonged to Ye 3B/O3/II (biotype/serotype/phage type) (2 strains), 4/O3/VIII (10 strains) and 2/O5,27 (3 strains), Yp serotypes 1b, 2b (each 3 strains), 2c (2 strains), 4a (2 strains), 4b (4 strains), 5a (5 strains) and 7 (1 strain), Cj serotypes TCK 9, 13, 26 (each 1 strain), 21 (2 strains) and untypable (8 strains) and 24 serotypes of Sal. Ye O3 and Yp were detected frequently in cold months. There was no definite seasonal variation of Ye O5,27 Cj and Sal in internal origin of dogs and cats. Ye O3, Yp and Cj were counted at 10(2) to 10(7) cells per g of the jejunal-to-rectal contents, but Sal at less than 10(2) cells per g of the intestinal contents. Ye O3, Yp and Sal were recovered from mesenteric lymph nodes, but not Ye O5,27 and Cj.