Salmonella infection is one of the most important diseases that affect all animal species and is the leading cause of foodborne infections worldwide. One of the challenges in the control and prevention of salmonellosis is the recognition of potential carriers. To assess the potential role of shepherd dogs in the epidemiology of salmonellosis, fecal samples were taken from 38 shepherd dogs in Garmsar Province. Salmonella strains were isolated from 4 dogs (10.5%) related to 3 sheep flocks. All of the strains were confirmed at the genus level using invA virulence gene PCR. Serotyping confirmed all of the strains as Salmonella Reading. To study the clonal relatedness of the isolates, the strains were subjected to RAPD-PCR, and antimicrobial resistance patterns were also determined using 9 antibacterials. The similar RAPD-PCR profiles and resistance patterns strongly suggested that the shepherd dogs in the present study shed a similar clone of S. Reading; therefore, shepherd dogs can be recognized as a common source for this serotype in Garmsar.

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