Austria
In autumn 2019, increased brown hare mortality was observed in north-eastern Austria. A research team has now identified a bacterial infection as the cause. And it warns that there is a risk of transmission of the bacterium to humans.
The pathogen Cronobacter turicensis is a pathogen known from humans. Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, have now been able to prove that the death of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) due to colon inflammation was caused by genetically different Cronobacter turicensis strains. Your work has now been im Fachblatt „Letters in Applied Microbiology“ released.
It is the world’s first evidence of a clinical infection in wild animals with this pathogen. So far, infections have only been documented in humans. Among these, the pathogen C. turicensis is mainly known to cause disease in immunocompromised humans and newborns.
risk of serious illness
“Due to the potential of this bacterium to cause serious human disease, the risk of human transmission should be considered. This applies in particular to people who are in direct contact with rabbits, such as hunters, farmers or veterinarians,” says the author of the study Annika Posautz from the Research Institute for Wildlife Ecology at the Vetmeduni.
The researcher therefore recommends a more detailed examination of wild animal populations: “The potential danger emanating from the bacterium Cronobacter turicensis underlines how important it is to examine more closely the general role of wild animals as a reservoir for potentially pathogenic C. turicensis strains”.
The Cronobacter genus of bacteria includes seven species that are known to be ubiquitous pathogens that can contaminate various foods. Of particular concern are two species, C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus, which are implicated in most clinical Cronobacter infections in humans and can cause severe symptoms such as blood poisoning, intestinal inflammation and meningitis.