Abstract
Simple SummaryThe emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become an important consideration in animal health, including marine mammals, and several potential zoonotic AMR bacterial strains have been isolated from wild cetacean species. Although the emergence of AMR bacteria can be assumed to be much more plausible in captive than in free-ranging cetaceans owing to their frequent contact with humans and antibiotic treatments, the spread and its impacts of AMR bacteria in captive animals have not been adequately investigated yet. Here in this study, we present evidence on the presence of multidrug-resistant potential zoonotic bacteria which caused fatal infection in a captive dolphin bred at a dolphinarium in South Korea.The emergence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) strains of Morganella morganii is increasingly being recognized. Recently, we reported a fatal M. morganii infection in a captive bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) bred at a dolphinarium in South Korea. According to our subsequent investigations, the isolated M. morganii strain KC-Tt-01 exhibited extensive resistance to third-generation cephalosporins which have not been reported in animals. Therefore, in the present study, the genome of strain KC-Tt-01 was sequenced, and putative virulence and AMR genes were investigated. The strain had virulence and AMR genes similar to those of other M. morganii strains, including a strain that causes human sepsis. An amino-acid substitution detected at the 86th residue (Arg to Cys) of the protein encoded by ampR might explain the extended resistance to third-generation cephalosporins. These results indicate that the AMR M. morganii strain isolated from the captive dolphin has the potential to cause fatal zoonotic infections with antibiotic treatment failure due to extended drug resistance, and therefore, the management of antibiotic use and monitoring of the emergence of AMR bacteria are urgently needed in captive cetaceans for their health and conservation.
Highlights
The spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and their acquisition in potential zoonotic bacterial pathogens have been recognized as serious threats to human and animal health [1]
There is an urgent need to investigate the genomic characteristics of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria isolated from captive cetaceans to evaluate the current status of AMR in dolphinariums and to clarify the potential health risks for marine mammals and the humans they encounter
In subsequent investigations of the isolated M. morganii strain KC-Tt-01, we found that it exhibited intrinsic resistance against several antibiotics and was extensively resistant to third-generation cephalosporins
Summary
The spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and their acquisition in potential zoonotic bacterial pathogens have been recognized as serious threats to human and animal health [1]. AMR bacteria, including those causing fatal infections, have been reported in captive dolphins bred in a dolphinarium [5,6,7,8]. There is an urgent need to investigate the genomic characteristics of AMR bacteria isolated from captive cetaceans to evaluate the current status of AMR in dolphinariums and to clarify the potential health risks for marine mammals and the humans they encounter. The rates of drug resistance and AMR genes in this bacterium have recently increased [9]. KC-Tt-01 and its relation to the phenotypic AMR profile
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