Implications of Foraging and Interspecies Interactions of Birds for Carriage of Escherichia coli Strains Resistant to Critically Important Antimicrobials

• DOI: 10.1128/aem.01610-20
• Publication Date: 2020-08-14T12:38:29Z
• Authors: Shewli Mukerji; Samantha Gunasekera; James Nicholas Du...; Marc Stegger; David Jordan; Tanya Laird; Rebecca Jane Abraham; Mary Barton; Mark O’Dea; Sam Abraham
• Keywords: Carriage

It has been shown that 20% of Australian silver gulls carry drug-resistant Escherichia coli strains anthropogenic origin associated with severe diseases, such as sepsis and urinary tract infections, in humans. To further characterize the dynamics E. wildlife populations, we investigated carriage critically important antimicrobial (CIA) four bird species a common environment. Our results indicated gulls, pigeons, penguins carried strains, analysis mobile genetic elements resistance genes interspecies transfer. Terns, representing forages on natural food sources at sea distant from humans, did not test positive for . This study demonstrates CIA-resistant bacteria multiple living areas commonly inhabited by humans provides evidence leapfrog effect wildlife, facilitated feeding habits.