Salmonella Presence—An Indicator of Direct and Indirect Human Impact on Gentoo in Antarctica

Abstract

ABSTRACTAntarctica remains one of the last areas, where direct human impact is limited. Compared to the rest of the world Antarctic environment could be considered as unpolluted. This explains the significant scientific interest to the effects of touristic activities, and especially during the last decade due to the increased number of tourists visiting diverse parts of the continent. The role of human activity for Salmonella presence in penguins remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to contribute to the knowledge to what extend Salmonella presence in penguins interstitial fauna might be used as an indicator of direct or indirect human impact on the Antarctic ecosystem, by investigating three Gentoo colonies, subjected to different levels of human impact. 16 individual fecal samples were taken per each Gentoo colony. The potentially pathogenic Salmonella typhimurium/enteridis occurred in both studied populations at King George Island at the rates 37,5% and 18,8% respectively, or at rates 85,7% and 60,0% of the positive for Salmonella sp. samples respectively. Unlike both populations at Admiralty bay, King George Island, all samples taken from the Caleta Argentina population at Livingston Island were positive neither for both pathogenic species nor for Salmonell sp.