Bacterial flora of wild black (Ctenosaura similis Gray, 1831) and green (Iguana iguana Linnaeus, 1758) iguanas from a Mexican Caribbean atoll

Abstract

Black (Ctenosaura similis) and green iguanas (Iguana iguana) occur in a great variety of habitats and could bea source of zoonotic diseases. Herein, we characterized the bacterial flora in oral and cloacal cavities of these species from Banco Chinchorro atoll, Mexico, where they are in close contact with humans. We obtained samples from 19 green and 10black iguanas. We performed bacterial cultures on different growth media and identified bacteria by gross examination and biochemical tests. We isolated 25 bacteria species (15 genera from six families) from all samples. Twelve bacteria (48%) were common to both iguana species and 12 (48%) and one (4%) were only detected in green and black iguanas, respectively. Iguana iguana shows a greater richness of bacteria in cloaca (n = 15 vs n = 7) and oral cavity (n = 16 vs n = 11) than C. similis, likely due to different feeding habits. 72% of the detected bacteria have been associated with infections in humans. This informationon oral and cloacal bacteria of wild green and black iguanas could help to provide adequate clinical assistance to sick animalsand ideal antimicrobial therapy in cases of bites or infections.