Lizards belonging to the genus Anolis are native to America and have been introduced in many parts of the world. In this work, a gastrointestinal microbiological analysis from Anolis sp. introduced to Tenerife, Canary Island, was carried out. A total of 74 individuals were analyzed by culture and molecular tools. Pseudomonas spp. was the most prevalent bacteria isolated (64.3%), followed by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli with at least one of the investigated virulent genes (stx₁, stx₂, and eae) (44.6%). The stx₂ gene was more prevalent which differs to that reported in other reptiles, probably due to wastewater transmission. Campylobacter spp. was detected in 32.4% of the animals, highlighting the detection of C. jejuni and C. fetus by their relevance to public health. The zoonotic Staphylococcus lugdunensis, found in 14.9% of the animals, was firstly detected in reptiles. Vibrio sp. which is more associated with aquatic environments was found in 10.8% of the lizards in this study, with Vibrio cholerae being found in two of the animals. The prevalence of Salmonella sp. (5.4%) was low, compared with other studies carried out in reptiles. These results indicate that Anolis sp. in Tenerife could be playing a role in the maintenance and spread of the pathogens detected, being a possible risk factor for public health and biodiversity conservation.

The pond slider (Trachemys scripta) is native to the southeastern United States but has been introduced all around the world, including to the Canary Islands (Spain), along with other less-common exotic freshwater turtles such as Graptemys pseudogeographica, Mauremys spp., and Pseudemys peninsularis. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of pathogenic bacteria in these animals and to evaluate the associated health risks for humans and local fauna. For this purpose, cloacal samples from 42 specimens collected on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) were analyzed for potentially zoonotic bacteria using selective culture media and PCR. Non-tuberculous mycobacteria were the most isolated pathogen (57.9%), followed by Yersinia enterocolitica (42.1%) and Escherichia coli carrying stx and/or eae genes (33.3%). Salmonella spp. was detected in 31.0% of the chelonians, identifying Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Typhimurium serotypes. Staphylococcus spp. showed a prevalence of 21%, mainly Staphylococcus aureus along with one antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus hominis isolate. Pseudomonas spp. were found in 10.1% of samples, although only one isolate corresponded to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Campylobacter spp. and Vibrio spp. were detected at low frequencies (<10%), and Listeria monocytogenes was not identified. Overall, the results indicate that aquatic turtle populations in the Canary Islands pose notable health risks, especially for animal handlers and people with compromised immune systems.