Abstract
ESBL-producing bacteria are present in wildlife and the environment might serve as a resistance reservoir. Wild gulls have been described as frequent carriers of ESBL-producing E. coli strains with genotypic characteristics similar to strains found in humans. Therefore, potential dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria between the human population and wildlife need to be further investigated. Occurrence and characterization of ESBL-producing E. coli in Swedish wild gulls were assessed and compared to isolates from humans, livestock and surface water collected in the same country and similar time-period. Occurrence of ESBL-producing E. coli in Swedish gulls is about three times higher in gulls compared to Swedish community carriers (17% versus 5%) and the genetic characteristics of the ESBL-producing E. coli population in Swedish wild gulls and Swedish human are similar. ESBL-plasmids IncF- and IncI1-type carrying ESBL-genes blaCTX-M-15 or blaCTX-M-14 were most common in isolates from both gulls and humans, but there was limited evidence of clonal transmission. Isolates from Swedish surface water harbored similar genetic characteristics, which highlights surface waters as potential dissemination routes between wildlife and the human population. Even in a low-prevalence country such as Sweden, the occurrence of ESBL producing E. coli in wild gulls and the human population appears to be connected and the occurrence of ESBL-producing E. coli in Swedish gulls is likely a case of environmental pollution.
Highlights
Escherichia coli producing extended-spectrum betalactamases (ESBL) and/or carbapenemases are of great concern globally in patients and a threat to all modern healthcare
ESBL-producing E. coli were detected in 13 out of 96 sample collected from Malmoand 16 out of 74 samples collected from Gothenburg, yielding occurrence frequencies of 14% and 22% respectively and 17% combined
ESBL-producing E. coli-isolates belonged to 13 different multilocus sequence typing (MLST)-types: ST10 (n = 7), ST58 (n = 3), ST155 (n = 3), ST38 (n = 2), ST540 (n = 2), ST131 (n = 1), ST681 (n = 1), ST3268 (n = 1), ST93 (n = 1), ST681 (n = 1), ST617 (n = 1), ST676 (n = 1), ST636 (n = 1) and non-typable (n = 4)
Summary
The main objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of, and to characterize, ESBL-producing E. coli in wild gulls inhabiting urban environments in Sweden
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