Public health risks of house mice in the urban environment - Salmonella spp. and ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria

Abstract

Little data is known about the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria in house mice, therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria in house mice which were caught in the city of Utrecht. With the results, an attempt was made to give an indication of the public health risks related to the presence of Salmonella spp. and ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria in house mice. Between September and December of 2015, house mice were acquired in co-operation with households and the university pest control contractor (Rentokil). Faecal samples were investigated for the presence of Salmonella spp. and ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was used to determine ESBL/AmpC-phenotype. Faecal samples of 26 house mice were included in this study. None (0%) of the tested faecal samples were positive for the presence of Salmonella spp. and one (3.8 %) of the samples tested positive for the presence of ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria (Enterobacter suspected). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that it concerned an AmpC-phenotype, but this has to be confirmed by means of PCR at a later time.