{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T13:45:54Z","timestamp":1772718354330,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772668800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UID\/276\/2025"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UID\/276\/2025"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["LA\/P\/0059\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["LA\/P\/0059\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microbiology Research"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Semi-aquatic turtles are popular companion animals and represent an important One Health interface in Portugal due to their potential to harbour zoonotic pathogens. This study aimed to characterize the virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of Aeromonas spp. isolated from captive semi-aquatic turtles in Portugal. Cloacal swabs (n = 31) were collected from turtles under human care, and Aeromonas spp. were isolated using selective media and identified by multiplex PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed by disk diffusion using eleven antibiotics, while the phenotypic virulence profile was evaluated by determining isolates\u2019 ability to express five hydrolytic enzymes and to form biofilm. A total of 86 Aeromonas isolates were recovered, with A. hydrophila being the most prevalent (77.9%). Most isolates displayed high pathogenic potential: over 87% produced DNase, haemolysin, and lecithinase, while nearly all produced protease and gelatinase. Also, 44.2% of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 12 (14.0%) were multidrug resistant. Higher Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) indices were significantly associated with turtles housed in indoor aquariums (p &lt; 0.05). These findings indicate that captive semi-aquatic turtles may act as reservoirs of virulent and antimicrobial-resistant Aeromonas spp., highlighting potential zoonotic risks and supporting the need for a One Health approach in their management.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microbiolres17030056","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T11:52:11Z","timestamp":1772711531000},"page":"56","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Semi-Aquatic Turtles as Potential Reservoirs for Resistant and Virulent Aeromonas spp."],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Gon\u00e7alo","family":"Melo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8063-174X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raquel","family":"Abreu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Gon\u00e7alo","family":"Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5641-4400","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eva","family":"Cunha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"given":"L\u00e9lia","family":"Chambel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BioISI\u2014Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1741-016 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Lu\u00eds","family":"Tavares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3910-1525","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manuela","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIISA\u2014Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"cE3c\u2014Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, CHANGE\u2014Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"771","DOI":"10.1093\/biosci\/biy095","article-title":"Where Have All the Turtles Gone, and Why Does It Matter?","volume":"68","author":"Lovich","year":"2018","journal-title":"Bioscience"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biocon.2015.03.001","article-title":"Juvenile Invasive Red-Eared Slider Turtles Negatively Impact the Growth of Native Turtles: Implications for Global Freshwater Turtle Populations","volume":"186","author":"Pearson","year":"2015","journal-title":"Biol. 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