Salmonella enterica isolated from pigeon (Columba livia) in Egypt

Understanding the association between human salmonellosis cases and animal sources is an important epidemiological factor needed to successfully control the spread of the infection within communities. To determine the extent to which pigeons might harbor this pathogen and pose a risk to the human population in Egypt, we screened pigeons in Cairo for the presence of Salmonella relevant to public health and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The isolated serotypes recovered from pigeon fecal samples were the following: Salmonella serotype Typhimurium, Braenderup, and Lomita. All strains were multiresistant. Our success in the isolation of Salmonella ser. Typhimurium, Braenderup, and Lomita has important implications because they are a significant cause of food poisoning and enteric fever in humans.