TY - JOUR
T1 - Eurasian griffon vultures carry widespread antimicrobial resistant Salmonella and Campylobacter of public health concern
AU - Espunyes Nozieres, Johan
AU - Illera, Lucía
AU - Dias-Alves, Andrea
AU - Lobato Bailon, Lourdes
AU - Puig Ribas, Maria
AU - Manzanares, Alicia
AU - Ayats, Teresa
AU - Marco, Ignasi
AU - Cerdà-Cuéllar, Marta
N1 - Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2022/10/20
Y1 - 2022/10/20
N2 - The global emergence of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) strains of Salmonella and Campylobacter is a serious public health concern. Both bacteria are leading causes of human gastrointestinal foodborne infections and the two most reported zoonoses in the European Union. By feeding on livestock carcasses, especially from intensive farming, as well as on landfill sites, obligate avian scavengers can become infected with zoonotic pathogens and AMR strains, and can be considered large-scale sentinels of the environmental burden. In this study, we assessed the occurrence and AMR of Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. in 218 Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) captured in north-eastern Spain. We isolated Salmonella from 8.1 % of individuals and Campylobacter lari from 4.7 %. Among the 10 different Salmonella serovars found, monophasic S. Typhimurium was the most frequent. Genotyping analysis revealed same strains of monophasic S. Typhimurium shared by gulls, livestock and humans. Isolates from both bacterial species presented AMR to important antimicrobials (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones and β-lactams). In conclusion, this study shows that Eurasian griffon vultures in north-eastern Spain are carriers of widespread AMR zoonotic Salmonella and Campylobacter. More comprehensive analyses are still needed to understand the potential risk of spill-over from those wild birds to humans.
AB - The global emergence of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) strains of Salmonella and Campylobacter is a serious public health concern. Both bacteria are leading causes of human gastrointestinal foodborne infections and the two most reported zoonoses in the European Union. By feeding on livestock carcasses, especially from intensive farming, as well as on landfill sites, obligate avian scavengers can become infected with zoonotic pathogens and AMR strains, and can be considered large-scale sentinels of the environmental burden. In this study, we assessed the occurrence and AMR of Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. in 218 Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) captured in north-eastern Spain. We isolated Salmonella from 8.1 % of individuals and Campylobacter lari from 4.7 %. Among the 10 different Salmonella serovars found, monophasic S. Typhimurium was the most frequent. Genotyping analysis revealed same strains of monophasic S. Typhimurium shared by gulls, livestock and humans. Isolates from both bacterial species presented AMR to important antimicrobials (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones and β-lactams). In conclusion, this study shows that Eurasian griffon vultures in north-eastern Spain are carriers of widespread AMR zoonotic Salmonella and Campylobacter. More comprehensive analyses are still needed to understand the potential risk of spill-over from those wild birds to humans.
KW - AMR
KW - Bacterial drug resistance
KW - Birds
KW - Monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium
KW - Wildlife
KW - Zoonoses
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157189
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133623165&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157189
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157189
M3 - Article
C2 - 35803423
VL - 844
SP - 157189
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
M1 - 157189
ER -