ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in Swedish gulls-A case of environmental pollution from humans?

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 an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2017-12, Vol.12 (12), p.e0190380
Main Authors: Atterby, Clara, Börjesson, Stefan, Ny, Sofia, Järhult, Josef D, Byfors, Sara, Bonnedahl, Jonas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents
Bacteria
Biochemistry
Biology and Life Sciences
Bird migration
Campylobacter
Carbapenems
Carriers
Drug resistance
E coli
Earth Sciences
Environmental pollution
Escherichia coli
Genes
Human populations
Infectious diseases
Laridae
Livestock
Medicine and Health Sciences
Microbiology
Mikrobiologi
People and places
Plasmids
Pollution
Public health
Research and Analysis Methods
Risk factors
Strains (organisms)
Studies
Surface water
Water pollution
Wildlife
Zoonoses
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0190380