Microbiological and cytological characterization of coelomic fluid from three captive endangered amphibian Gastrotheca species with edema syndrome: Preliminary analysis.

Abstract Objective: Edema syndrome is highly prevalent but under researched in captive frogs around the world. The objective of the present study was to characterize at a basic microbiological and cytological level the edema fluid of 20 individuals of the genus Gastrotheca to determine the presence of possible anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. Results: Fourteen types of bacteria were identified in the edema fluid, twelve of them at the species level ( Pasteurella haemolytica , Hafnia alvei , Enterobacter agglomerans , Aeromonas hydrophila , Pseudomonas fluorescens , Burkholderia pseudomallei , Salmonella arizonae , Enterobacter gergoviae , Enterobacter sakazakii , Yersinia enterocolitica , Klebsiella oxytoca, and Klebsiella ozaenae ) and two at the genus level ( Enterococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp.). The most frequently identified cells were lymphocytes (37.7% in females and 46.4% in males), erythrocytes (23.5% in females and 17.5% in males) and neutrophils (4.2% in females and 2.8% in males). Finally, no relationship was found between the data obtained and the sex of the individuals studied.