The environmental watchdogs: Wildlife as sentinels of antimicrobial resistance pollution in the environment in Catalonia

Authors

  • Laila Darwich Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain (UAB).
  • Rafael A. Molina-López Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (WCR) of Torreferrussa (Barcelona, Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.13.23653

Keywords:

antimicrobial resistance, beta-lactamases resistance genes, Catalonia, colistin-resistance genes, wildlife

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in both humans and livestock is attributed largely to the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. The alarming emergence of this resistance in human and veterinary medicine has activated awareness for monitoring the levels of AMR pollution in the environment. In this report, the emergence of genes conferring resistance to human last-resort antibiotics is described in a wide diversity of wild animals. It suggests that wildlife can be good sentinels of AMR environmental pollution, especially in highly populated areas. Moreover, wild animals can also contribute in the dissemination of AMR bacteria and genes in the environment and represent a zoonotic risk for the population who are exposed to them.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Laila Darwich, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain (UAB).

Full Professor in Infectious Diseases at the Veterinary School of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain. Scientific Coordinator of the International Master’s Degree in Zoonoses and One Health (UAB) and local coordinator of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Infectious Diseases and One Health offered by the University of Tours (France), UAB (Spain) and Medical School of Hannover University (Germany).

Rafael A. Molina-López, Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (WCR) of Torreferrussa (Barcelona, Spain).

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (WCR) of Torreferrussa (Barcelona, Spain). Certified Member of the European College of Zoological Medicine–Wildlife Population Health (ECZM). AVEPA Exotic Accreditation (Association of Spanish Veterinarians Specialists in Small Animals).

References

Aguirre, L., Vidal, A., Seminati, C., Tello, M., Redondo, N., Darwich, L., & Martín, M. (2020). Antimicrobial resistance profile and prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), AmpC beta-lactamases and colistin resistance (mcr) genes in Escherichia coli from swine between 1999 and 2018. Porcine Health Management, 6, 4–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-020-00146-2

Darwich, L., Seminati, C., López-Olvera, J. R., Vidal, A., Aguirre, L., Cerdá, M., Garcias, B., Valldeperes. M., Castillo-Contreras, R., Migura-Garcia L., Conejero, C., & Mentaberre, G. (2021). Detection of beta-lactam-resistant Escherichia coli and toxigenic Clostridioides difficile strains in wild boars foraging in an anthropization gradient. Animals, 11, 1585. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061585

Darwich, L., Vidal, A., Seminati, C., Albamonte, A., Casado, A., Lopez, F., Molina-López, R. A., & Migura-Garcia, L. (2019). High prevalence and diversity of extended-spectrum β- lactamase and emergence of OXA-48 producing Enterobacterales in wildlife in Catalonia. PLOS One, 14(8), e0210686. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210686

EMA. (2016). Updated advice on the use of colistin products in animals within the European Union: Development of resistance and possible impact on human and animal health. http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Press_release/2016/07/WC500211081.pdf

Garcias, B., Aguirre, L., Seminati, C., Reyes, N., Allepuz, A., Obón, E., Molina-Lopez, R. A., & Darwich, L. (2021). Extended-spectrum b-lactam resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli in wild European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europeus) living in populated areas. Animals, 11, 2837. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102837

Grundmann, H., Glasner, C., Albiger, B., Aanensen, D. M., Tomlinson, C. T., Andrasević, A. T., Cantón, R., Carmeli, Y., Friedrich, A. W., Giske, C. G., Glupczynski, Y., Gniadkowski, M., Livermore, D. M., Nordmann, P., Poirel, L., Rossolini, G. M., Seifert, H., Vatopoulos, A., Walsh, T., … EuSCAPE working group. (2017). Occurrence of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli in the European survey of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (EuSCAPE): A prospective, multinational study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 17, 153–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30257-2

Han, B., Yang, F., Tian, X., Mu, M., & Zhang, K. (2021). Tracking antibiotic resistance gene transfer at all seasons from swine waste to receiving environments. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 219, 112335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112335

Karkman, A., Do, T. T., Walsh, F., & Virta, M. P. J. (2018). Antibiotic-resistance genes in waste water. Trends in Microbiology, 26(3), 220–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2017.09.005

Mateu, E. M., Martin, M., Darwich, L., Mejia, W., Frias, N., & Garcia Peña, F. J. (2002). Antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella strains isolated from swine in Catalonia, Spain. The Veterinary Record, 150, 147–150. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.150.5.147

Mejía, W., Casal, J., Zapata, D., Sánchez, G. J., Martín, M., & Mateu, E. (2006). Epidemiology of Salmonella infections in pig units and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the strains of Salmonella species isolated. The Veterinary Record, 159, 271–276. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.159.9.271

Mengistu, T. S., Garcias, B., Castellanos, G., Seminati, C., Molina-Lopez, R. A., & Darwich, L. (2022). Occurrence of multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria and resistance genes in semi-aquatic wildlife–Trachemys scripta, Neovison vison and Lutra lutra–as sentinels of environmental health. Science of the Total Environment, 830, 154814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154814

Molina-López, R. A., Valverdú, N., Martin, M., Mateu, E., Obon, E., Cerdà-Cuéllar, M., & Darwich, L. (2011). Wild raptors as carriers of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella and Campylobacter strains. The Veterinary Record, 168(21), 565. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.c7123

Molina-López, R. A., Vidal, A., Obón, E., Martín, M., & Darwich, L. (2015). Multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium monophasic variant 4,12:i:- isolated from asymptomatic wildlife in a Catalonian wildlife rehabilitation center, Spain. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 51(3), 759–763. https://doi.org/10.7589/2015-01-019

Pitout, J. D., & Laupland, K. B. (2008). Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: An emerging public-health concern. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 8(3), 159–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(08)70041-0

Skov, R. L., & Monnet, D. L. (2016). Plasmid-mediated colistin resistance (mcr-1 gene): Three months later, the story unfolds. Eurosurveillance, 21, 30155. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.9.30155

Sun, J., Zeng, X., Li, X., Liao, X., Liu, Y., & Lin, J. (2018). Plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in animals: Current status and future directions. Animal Health Research Reviews, 18, 136–152. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1466252317000111

Tsiodras, S., Kelesidis, T., Kelesidis, I., Bauchinger, U., & Falagas, M. E. (2008). Human infections associated with wild birds. The Journal of Infection, 56, 83–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2007.11.001

Tzouvelekis, L. S., Markogiannakis, A., Psichogiou, M., Tassios, P. T., & Daikos, G. L. (2012). Carbapenemases in Klebsiella pneumoniae and other Enterobacteriaceae: An evolving crisis of global dimensions. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 25, 682–707. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.05035-11

Vidal, A., Aguirre, L., Seminati, C., Tello, M., Redondo, N., Martín, M., & Darwich, L. (2020). Antimicrobial resistance profiles and characterization of Escherichia coli strains from cases of neonatal diarrhea in Spanish pig farms. Veterinary Sciences, 7(2), 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7020048

Wee, B. A., Muloi, D. M., & van Bunnik, B. (2020). Quantifying the transmission of antimicrobial resistance at the human and livestock interface with genomics. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 26(12), 1612–1616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2020.09.019

Zhou, S., Zhu, D., Giles, M., Daniell, T., Neilson, R., & Yang, X. R. (2020). Does reduced usage of antibiotics in livestock production mitigate the spread of antibiotic resistance in soil, earthworm guts, and the phyllosphere? Environment International, 136, 105359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105359

Downloads

Published

2023-02-23

How to Cite

Darwich, L., & Molina-López, R. A. (2023). The environmental watchdogs: Wildlife as sentinels of antimicrobial resistance pollution in the environment in Catalonia. Metode Science Studies Journal, (13), 125–131. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.13.23653
Metrics
Views/Downloads
  • Abstract
    1119
  • PDF
    587

Issue

Science. The genesis of ideas (vol. 13, 2023)

Section

One health, one world

License

All the documents in the OJS platform are open access and property of their respective authors.

Authors publishing in the journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors keep the rights and guarantee Metode Science Studies Journal the right to be the first publication of the document, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of authorship and publication in the journal.
  2. Authors are allowed and encouraged to spread their work through electronic means using personal or institutional websites (institutional open archives, personal websites or professional and academic networks profiles) once the text has been published.

Metrics

Similar Articles

<< < 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.