Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 43 (2015) 22–27 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases jou rn al hom ep age: www.elsevier.com/locate/cimid Epidemiological survey of zoonotic pathogens in feral pigeons (Columba livia var. domestica) and sympatric zoo species in Southern Spain David Cano-Terriza a , Rafael Guerra b , Sylvie Lecollinet c , Marta Cerdà-Cuéllar d , Oscar Cabezón e , Sonia Almería d,f , Ignacio García-Bocanegra a,∗ a Department de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba-Agrifood Excellence International Campus (ceiA3), Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain b Parque Zoológico Municipal de Córdoba (PZMC), Avenida Linneo s/n, 14071 Córdoba, Spain c ANSES, Laboratoire de Santé Animale de Maisons-Alfort, UMR 1161 Virologie, INRA, ANSES, ENVA, Maisons-Alfort F-94703, France d Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA)—Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain e Servei d’Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Department de Medicina i Cirugia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Bellaterra, Spain f Department de Sanitat i d’Anatomia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Bellaterra, Spain a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 22 June 2015 Received in revised form 23 September 2015 Accepted 17 October 2015 Keywords: Avian influenza viruses Captive zoo animals Feral pigeons Flaviviruses Salmonella spp. Toxoplasma gondii a b s t r a c t A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of pathogenic zoonotic agents (fla- viviruses, avian influenza viruses (AIVs), Salmonella spp. and Toxoplasma gondii) in feral pigeons and sympatric zoo animals from Córdoba (Southern Spain) between 2013 and 2014. Antibodies against fla- viviruses were detected in 7.8% out of 142 (CI 95% : 3.7–11.8) pigeons, and 8.2% of 49 (CI 95% : 0.9–15.4) of zoo animals tested. Antibodies with specificity against West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) were confirmed both in pigeons and in zoo birds. Even though seropositivity to AIVs was not detected in any of the analyzed pigeons, 17.9% of 28 (CI 95% : 3.7–32.0) zoo birds tested showed positive results. Salmonella spp. was not isolated in any of 152 fecal samples collected from pigeons, while 6.8% of 44 zoo animals were positive. Antibodies against T. gondii were found in 9.2% of 142 (CI 95% : 4.8–13.6) feral pigeons and 26.9% of 108 (CI 95% : 19.6–34.1) zoo animals. This is the first study on flaviviruses and T. gondii in feral pigeons and captive zoo species in Spain. Antibodies against WNV and USUV detected in non-migratory pigeons and captive zoo animals indicate local circulation of these emerging pathogens in the study area. T. gondii was widespread in species analyzed. This finding could be of importance for Public Health and Conservation of endangered species present in zoo parks. Pigeons and zoo animals may be included as sentinel species for monitoring zoonotic pathogens in urban areas. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Feral pigeon (Columba livia var. domestica; Columbidae family) is one of the bird species most frequently found in urban and peri-urban areas. During the last decades, their populations have increased exponentially in different countries, reaching densities higher than 2000 birds/km 2 in many European cities [1,2]. Favor- able environmental conditions and abundant food, which imply loosing the breeding season, and the absence of predators are the main factors implicated in the high increase of their populations [3]. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 95 721 8725; fax: +34 95 721 8727. E-mail address: nacho.garcia@uco.es (I. García-Bocanegra). Feral pigeon is considered a pest species in many urban areas due to the destruction architectonic and urban heritage, damage to agri- culture and risk of disease transmission to other sympatric species, including humans. In this sense, control measures including surgi- cal or chemical sterilization, removal of eggs, physical repellents, use of birds of prey or capturing and controlled elimination are frequently implemented in urban areas [2,4]. Zoological parks are a very favorable habitat for pigeons, where they are found in higher densities than in urban areas. High populations imply significant economic losses associated to the consumption of food intended for captive zoo animals. Fur- thermore, the risk of disease transmission from pigeons to zoo sympatric species can be of concern for Animal Health and Con- servation. In this sense, the importance of zoos for surveillance http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2015.10.003 0147-9571/© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.