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A 2-month-old juvenile central bearded dragon was presented for anorexia and cachexia. Another specimen from the same cage had died suddenly 2 weeks prior. Fecal analysis revealed a high quantity of Isospora amphiboluri and a few pinworm eggs. Other examinations were not performed and the animal died a few days later despite supportive care. A third individual from the same cage presented with anorexia and a distended cœlom and was euthanized. In this third dragon, histological examination revealed intestinal coccidiosis, basophilic intranuclear inclusions compatible with adenovirus infection, acute hepatic necrosis with intrahepatocytic and intraenteritic organisms typical of microsporidia and renal gout. A PCR confirmed the diagnosis of adenovirosis. Sequencing showed that the PCR product was 100% identical to the corresponding portion of the agamid adenovirus 1 genome. A PCR for the detection of Encephalitozoon (E.) cuniculi was positive. Partial sequencing revealed 100% identity to an E. cuniculi-like organism previously found in bearded dragons. In cases where environmental factors such as poor hygiene or stress can be excluded, the presence of opportunistic pathogens in high numbers can be due to a systemic (viral) infection with temporary immunosuppression.

Salmonellosis is an important disease in childhood. Increasing infections caused by meat and raw egg consumption starts in the second year of life. The transmission from reptiles to infants is an alternative route. Reptile-associated salmonellosis is becoming more significant for pediatricians and microbiologists due to the increasing numbers of household exotic pets. Investigations of routes of infections in connection with the local health authorities including microbiological, serological and molecular biological tests is possible in case of atypical salmonellosis. During recent years (2006-2008) an increasing number of salmonellosis cases caused by reptiles. Most of the 26 patients were infants of less than one year of age. Also Salmonella strains of subspecies II, IIIa, IIIb and IV play an important role. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published recommendations which includes washing hands with soap and water after handling reptiles or the cages and keeping reptiles out of food preparation areas. The CDC has also adviced that children less than five years should not have reptiles as pets.

Background: Although salmonellosis is one of the most common childhood illnesses associated with enteric bacteria, breastfed babies do not often get infected with Salmonella. In such cases it is therefore necessary to look carefully for the source of infection., Patient: It is reported an 8-week-old female infant with acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea and fever. With symptomatic therapy and breast-feeding her condition improved without antibiotic therapy. Microbiological diagnosis and subtyping identified infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Pomona. The source of the infection was a bearded dragon ( Pogona SPP.) living in a neighborhood household. Monitoring of the child showed shedding of the bacterium over a nine month period., Conclusion: In all cases of salmonellosis in breastfed babies, the source of infection should be carefully determined. Small numbers of bacteria can cause a symptomatic infection in this age group. Therefore an intensive search of the transmission route is indicated to develop prevention strategies.

Listeria (L.) spp. were isolated from fecal samples of 9 (30.0%) from 30 tortoises, of 4 (12.1%) from 33 lizards, of 3 (60.0%) from 5 amphibia and of 1 (1.3%) of 76 snakes. All animals were kept as pets. 8 isolates were identified as L. monocytogenes, whereas 4 strains were serovar 4ab (3 tortoises and 1 amphibia), 3 strains serovar 4b (2 tortoises and 1 snake) and 1 strain serovar 4e (1 amphibia). Further 4 isolates were identified as L. ivanovii serovar 5 (3 lizards and 1 tortoise), 3 strains as L. innocua serovar 6b (3 tortoises) and 2 strains as L. welshimeri serovar 6a (1 lizard) respectively serovar 6b (1 amphibia).

Description of eight new Arizona serotypes isolated from snakes and lizards (exception: Arizona 7a, 7c:23-21) in various countries and submitted to the National Salmonella Centre Hamburg for identification. No. 4-36/70 Arizona 10a, 10b:29-25 = S. arizonae 40(1), 40(2):k:z53 No. 159-36/70 Arizona 7a, c..:26-21 (with a new O-antigen) = S. arizonae 1, 6, 14, 25:z53:z35 No. 160-36/70 Arizona 30:32-31 = S. arizonae 65:c:z No. 162-36/70 Arizona 10a, 10b, (10c):23-31 (with a new O-antigen) = S. arizonae 40(1), 40(2):1, v:z No. 167-36/70 Arizona 25:23-31-41 = S. arizonae 16:1, v:z:z61 No. 2-36/71 Arizona 20:33-21 = S. arizonae 35:i:z35 No. 227-36/72 Arizona 26a, 26b:26-21 = S. arizonae 61(1), 61(2):z52:z35 No. 305-36/72 Arizona 7a, 7c:23-21 = S. arizonae (6), 14:1, v:z35 The two new Arizona O-antiges traced in strains nos. 159-36/70 and 162-36/70 testify the close relationship between Arizona and Salmonella justifying the inclusion of all Arizona serotypes with their corresponding Salmonella-formulae in the Kauffmann-White-Schema. The O-antigen of strain no. 159-36/70 was verified only by using Salmonella O-antisera, the O-antigen of no. 162-36/70 by serological comparative tests with a certain Salmonella-species = S. bukavu. Strain no. 167-36/70: it is pointed out that phase 3 could probably be a so-called R-phase.

A new Salmonella serotype (3,10:z:z6) was isolated from a fecal specimen of a lizard (Lacerta viridis) imported from Northern Italy. The strain was accepted as a new Salmonella, Subgenus I, on January 11, 1980, by Prof. Le Minor, International Salmonella Centre Paris. The organism was introduced into the Kauffmann-White-Scheme, Supplement XXIII as S. landwasser in referring to the first isolation in a Veterinary Research Institut in Landwasser, a suburb of Freiburg (FRG).

The aerobic gram-negative faecal flora of 78 reptiles consisting of 46 species (39 lizards of 23 species, 15 tortoises of 9 species, 24 snakes of 14 species) was studied. Salmonella was found to be present in 50% of lizards, in 16% of tortoises and in 16% of snakes. There were all together 15 different serotypes. Edwardsiella tarda was isolated in 20% of tortoises, in 12% of snakes but only in 3% of lizards. Tortoises represent therefore the possible normal habitat of Edwardsiella tarda. We isolated Arizona specially from snakes as was described by many authors. A new serotype (Arizona 26a, 26b:27 - 21 = S. arizonae 61:Z10:Z35) was found in a rattlesnake. There were found also much amounts of Citrobacter (52%), E. coli (50%), Proteus mirabilis (49%), Proteus morganii (18%), Proteus rettgeri (26%), Proteus vulgaris (32%). Klebsiella and Enterobacter seem to prefere the lizards. The overwhelming majority of the studied bacteria were lactose-negative, corresponding to the inability of reptiles producing lactose. The normal habitat of Salmonellae in reptiles and the high phylogenetic age of reptiles allows the hypothesis that salmonellae could have a similar old age as their host animals, because the ecological niche, i.e. the bowel of reptiles, has no changed for some hundred million years.

Description of a new serotype of Salmonella: S.egusi, var. diphasic=41:d:[1,5], belonging to Subgenus I, from the lizard Lacerta sicula sicula, Raf., captured in Messina, Sicily, Italy.

Agamae are regularly found in great numbers in the neighbourhood of water supply plants and excrements of these animals can be traced to the plants proper. In order to ascertain the cause of drinking water infections, 37 Agamae were cought, immediately killed and the bowel contents examined. It was found that the Agamae have no uniform microbial population and that none of the aerobically cultivated bacterial species is present in all animals (Tablet 1 indicates the species for each animal). With regard to the hygienic inspection of drinking water it is important to know that only some of the Agamae discharge E. coli or coliform bacteria with the excrements and that 7 out of 12 animals which excrete large quantities of salmonellae were not found to harbour E. coli or coliform bacteria in their bowels. Under these circumstances the prerequisite to be met by the indicator function for E. coli and coliform bacteria no longer exists for water infections brought about by reptile excrements. The detection of salmonellae in water must be given priority over the detection of E. coli and coliform bacteria if - as happens in West Africa - the spread of salmonellae by reptiles or other animals, which do not excrete E. coli or coliform bacteria regularly, must be considered.