Survey on shedding of selected patho-genic, zoonotic or antimicrobial resistant bacteria by South American camelids in Central Germany

South American camelids (SAC) are increasingly popular in Germany. Although frequently in close contact to livestock and humans, data on the prevalence of epizootic and zoonotic bacteria and of bacteria exhibiting antimicrobial resist-ance (AMR) in SAC is sparse. Therefore, 94 composite faecal samples collected in 43 private SAC holdings in the German states Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt were tested for the presence of Clostridium difficile, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), Salmonella spp. and Chlamydia spp. Escherichia coli served as an AMR-indicator and for detecting Shiga toxin (Stx)-producers (STEC). Chlamydial presence was also probed with 136 vaginal swabs and twelve placen-tal tissue samples. Most owners (n = 41/43) replied to a questionnaire providing information on animals and husbandry conditions. The questionnaire covered 974 animals, among them 20 llamas, mostly kept in smallholdings with less than 20 animals (75%). Frequently (n = 30/41), SAC were co-housed with other animal species. Most holdings (76%, n = 31/41) welcomed visitors regularly. Clostridium difficile was detected in 8.5% (n = 8/94) of the faecal samples, Chlamydia spp. in 7.4% (n = 7/94) of the faecal samples, 4.4% (n = 6/136) of the vaginal swabs and 8.3% (n = 1/12) of the placental samples. MAP and Salmonella spp. were not detected. Samples from 28% of the holdings were stx-positive. STEC strains iso-lated belonged to eae-negative, non-O157 serovars. All E. coli isolates were resist-ant to at least five antibiotics with 46% possible ESBL-producers. Even though shedding of bacteria of public health concern by SAC at livestock-livestock and livestock-human interfaces was found to be less common, positive results indi-cate the need for establishing continuous surveillance measures.