Antimicrobial resistance profiles of from common European wild bird species

Sebastian Guenther , Mirjam Grobbel , Antina Lübke-Becker , Andreas Goedecke , Nicole D. Friedrich , Lothar H. Wieler , Christa Ewers

The emergence and spread of multiresistant bacteria in natural environments constitutes a serious impact on animal and human health. To gain more insight into the role of wild birds as carriers and reservoir of multiresistant we tested a broad spectrum of common European bird species for the occurrence of strains and their antimicrobial resistance by minimal inhibitory concentration testing and PCR analysis of several resistance genes. Nine of the 187 isolates (4.8%) exhibited multiresistant phenotypes including resistances against beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines and sulfonamides. By comparing avian resistance frequencies with frequencies known for isolated from livestock and companion animals analogous profiles were identified. Multiresistant strains were isolated from synanthropic avian species as well as from birds of prey, waterfowl and passerines. By that, all these avian hosts are suggested to represent a considerable reservoir of resistant strains. Consequently wild birds might constitute a potential hazard to human and animal health by transmitting multiresistant strains to waterways and other environmental sources via their faecal deposits.

Mots clés: Antimicrobial resistance; MIC; wild birds

Sebastian Guenther, Mirjam Grobbel, Antina Lübke-Becker, Andreas Goedecke, Nicole D. Friedrich, et al.. Antimicrobial resistance profiles of from common European wild bird species. Veterinary Microbiology, 2010, 144 (1-2), pp.219. ⟨10.1016/j.vetmic.2009.12.016⟩. ⟨hal-00597833⟩