Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Campylobacter spp. in Urban and Rural Black-Headed Gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Piotr Indykiewicz,Małgorzata Andrzejewska,Jarosław Kowalski,Dorota Śpica,Piotr Minias

doi:10.1007/s10393-021-01540-0

Abstract

We investigate the role of black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), an omnivorous species that is among the most likely wild bird candidates for transmission of zoonotic agents, as a potential reservoir of Campylobacter spp. Colonies with different anthropogenic pressures were studied to examine differences in exposure to sources of Campylobacter between rural and urban birds. We recorded Campylobacter spp. in 4.87% of adult black-headed gulls and 2.22% of their chicks after analysing 1036 cloacal swabs collected over two breeding seasons in three colonies in northern Poland. Campylobacter jejuni was found most frequently (85.72%), and Campylobacter lari and Campylobacter coli were much scarcer. Prevalence of Campylobacter did not differ significantly between black-headed gulls breeding in urban (4.27%) and rural (3.80%) habitats. Almost all isolates from chicks and adults were susceptible to azithromycin (97.62%) and erythromycin (95.24%), but fewer to tetracycline (50.00%) and ciprofloxacin (47.62%). Campylobacter prevalence was unrelated to the date of sampling. Our study indicates that black-headed gulls are carriers of resistant to antibiotics Campylobacter and they can contaminate natural waterbodies with their faeces, which poses a threat to human and farm animal health.

Highlights

Campylobacter and Salmonella spp. are leading causes of zoonotic stomach and intestinal infections in humans, both in developing and developed countries, and the frequency of these infections is increasing even in countries withUnion (EU) per year (EFSA 2018), but the real number of annual Campylobacter infections is estimated as ca 9 million a year (EFSA 2011a, Havelaar et al 2009)
Since 2005, the total number of campylobacteriosis cases in the even in countries withUnion (EU) has exceeded the number of reported salmonellosis cases, and it is still rising in some EU countries (EFSA 2011b, 2018)
We found no significant difference in Campylobacter prevalence between the two age categories (W = 0.04, df = 1, P = 0.84)

Summary

Introduction

Campylobacter and Salmonella spp. are leading causes of zoonotic stomach and intestinal infections in humans, both in developing and developed countries, and the frequency of these infections is increasing even in countries withUnion (EU) per year (EFSA 2018), but the real number of annual Campylobacter infections is estimated as ca 9 million a year (EFSA 2011a, Havelaar et al 2009). Campylobacteriosis affects people of all ages, but infections are most frequent in children younger than five (Kaakoush et al 2015) and city dwellers older than 50 (Nichols et al 2012). The EFSA has estimated that Campylobacter infections cause work absences in the EU costing about €2.4 billion a year (EFSA 2011ab) and in the USA about $1.6 billion (Scharff 2011). Taking all this into account, campylobacteriosis is considered one of the most widespread and important infectious diseases that poses an increasing threat to global health (Kaakoush et al 2015)

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