Zoonotic Agents in Small Ruminants Kept on City Farms in Southern Germany

Sheep and goats are popular examples of livestock kept on city farms. In these settings, close human-animal-contacts frequently occur. Although it is widely accepted that small ruminants can carry numerous zoonotic agents, it is unknown which of these agents actually occur in sheep and goats on city farms in Germany. We sampled feces and nasal liquid of 48 animals (28 goats, 20 sheep) distributed in 7 city farms and on one activity playground in southern Germany. We found that 100% of the sampled sheep and 89.3% of the goats carried STEC. Staphylococcus spp. could be demonstrated in 75% of both sheep and goats. Campylobacter spp. were detected in 25% and 14.3% of the animals, respectively. Neither Salmonella spp. nor Coxiella burnetii were found. Based on these data we propose a reasonable hygiene scheme to prevent transmission of zoonotic agents during city farm visits.