Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global health threat and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales are a major contributor. This study aimed to gain a deeper insight into the AMR burden of wild animals. In total, 1595 fecal samples were collected by two systematic searches in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, north-east Germany. Samples were screened for ESBL-carrying Escherichia (E.) coli and isolates found were further analyzed using antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing. We found an estimated prevalence of 1.2% ESBL-producing E. coli in wild boar and 1.1% in wild ruminants. CTX-M-1 was the most abundant CTX-M type. We also examined fecal samples from wild boar and wild ruminants using shotgun metagenomics to gain insight into the resistome in wild animals. The latter revealed significantly lower normalized counts for AMR genes in wildlife samples compared to farm animals. The AMR gene levels were lower in wild ruminants than in wild boar. In conclusion, our study revealed a low prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli and a low overall AMR gene burden in wild boar and wild ruminants, probably due to the secluded location of the search area.
Highlights
The treatment of bacterial infections depends heavily on the availability of effective antimicrobial agents
Despite the increasing attention that extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-carrying E. coli in wild boar have recently received, only a few whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data sets are available on these resistant bacteria
In 2020, a total of 16 putative ESBL-E. coli were isolated from 820 fecal samples
Summary
The treatment of bacterial infections depends heavily on the availability of effective antimicrobial agents. The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered a serious public health threat [1]. Antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon [4]; one of the main factors selecting for the massive emergence of AMR is misuse and overuse of antibiotics [5]. The AMR problem is not limited to humans, since part of the resistance burden in humans is influenced by the use of antimicrobials in livestock [6]. Antimicrobials are used in livestock production to treat individual animals. They are administered for the treatment of whole groups, herds or flock, if clinical disease occurs in a small number of animals (metaphylactic approach) [8,9]
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