Abstract
Simple SummaryMoellerella wisconsensis is a potentially zoonotic pathogen that has sporadically been isolated from animals and humans. In the present study, we describe the occurrence of the organism among 445 wild bird and 2000 human fecal samples, in the context of an investigation regarding antimicrobial resistant bacteria in Greece. According to our results, 0.9% (n = 4) of the examined wild birds were found to be colonized by M. wisconsensis, while no human was a carrier of the bacterium. Out of the total number of four M. wisconsensis strains that we detected, three presented resistance to 3rd generation cephalosporins, were phenotypically confirmed to produce extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs) and harbored blaCTX-M-1. Resistance to tetracyclines, aminoglycosides and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was additionally detected in three, two and one of the ESBL isolates, respectively. This is the first report that presents the dissemination of M. wisconsensis in wild bird from Greece and describes CTX-M-1 production in multidrug resistant wild birds’ isolates of this bacterial species.Moellerella wisconsensis is an Enterobacteriaceae with unclarified dispersion and pathogenicity. During an ongoing investigation about antimicrobial resistance in Greece, the occurrence of M. wisconsensis was evaluated among wild birds and humans. A total of 445 wild bird and 2000 human fecal samples were collected and screened for the presence of the organism. Subsequently, all M. wisconsensis strains were phenotypically and molecularly characterized regarding their antimicrobial resistance characteristics. Four M. wisconsensis were isolated from a common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), two Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) and a great white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons). Among these four strains, the three latter presented resistance to 3rd generation cephalosporins, were phenotypically confirmed to produce ESBLs and were found to harbor blaCTX-M-1. The three ESBL isolates additionally exhibited resistance to tetracyclines, while resistance to aminoglycosides was detected in two of them and to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole in one. No Moellerella wisconsensis strains were retrieved from the human samples tested. This is the first report that provides evidence of M. wisconsensis dissemination among wild birds in Greece, describing CTX-M-1 production in multidrug resistant wild birds’ isolates of this bacterial species.
Highlights
The genus Moellerella includes a monophyletic species, Moellerella wisconsensis (M. wisconsensis), which was named after Wisconsin USA, where the majority of the earliest detected strains originated from [1]
The aim of the present study was to describe the occurrence of M. wisconsensis, a rather rare Enterobacteriaceae, among fecal samples of wild birds and humans in Greece and to present its antimicrobial resistance profile
We detected carriage of M. wisconsensis by 0.9% of the sampled wild birds and by a common pheasant, two magpies and a great white-fronted goose and we describe the presence of three multidrug resistant (MDR) extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL)-producing M. wisconsensis for the first time in Greece
Summary
The genus Moellerella includes a monophyletic species, Moellerella wisconsensis (M. wisconsensis), which was named after Wisconsin USA, where the majority of the earliest detected strains originated from [1]. The bacterium has been isolated from human clinical specimens and has been implicated in cases of gastroenteritis, diarrhea, cholecystitis, bacteremia, peritonitis and urinary tract infections [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. It has been retrieved from both domestic and wild animals, as well as from insects and parasites, and has been identified as the causative agent of animal disease [8,9,10,11,12]. M. wisconsensis can be regarded as a rare, though potentially underestimated, opportunistic, zoonotic pathogen with virulence that remains to be clarified
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