Spiders and other Arthropods of Chernivtsi Poultry Farm (Ukraine) and The Preliminary Data About Bacteria Inhabiting Their External Surfaces

Abstract

We inventoried the fauna of synanthropic spiders and their prey occurring in different premises of Chernivtsi poultry farm in 2015 and compared with the data obtained in 2011. Steatoda castanea (Clerck, 1757), Ph. phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775), Ph. ponticus Thorell, 1875, and Tegenaria domestica (Clerck, 1757) formed the dominant nuclei of studied spider assemblages in both years. Spider assemblages of production premises are shown to be more vulnerable in comparison with those in administrative offices, storage rooms, etc. The premises of the last type can be considered as buffer zones to ensure the survival of different spider species and maintenance of normal structure of synanthropic spider assemblages. Spiders on the premises of Chernivtsi poultry farm prey on a wide range of arthropods dominated by Diptera. Nine bacterial species were detected on the external surfaces of studied arthropods, namely Staphylococcus saprophyticus, S. aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Frequency isolation varied from 10 % (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) to 80 % (Escherichia coli). The number of bacteria varied from 3.18 log CFU/ml (for Escherichia coli isolated from the surface of Lithobius sp.) to 5.65 log CFU/ml (for Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the surface of Fannia sp.). Among the detected bacterial species S. saprophyticus S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumoniae are known to be of high medical importance. Our study reveals limited role of spiders in the dissemination of bacteria. It is caused by the dominance of web-builders which avoid frequent moves in the spider assemblages inhabiting the buildings of the studied poultry farm. Moreover, spiders eliminate from the buildings such important mechanical vectors of potentially virulent bacteria as Diptera, Myriapoda, Coleoptera being predators themselves.