Antimicrobial Resistance of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Companion Birds

Antimicrobial resistance is a public health concern worldwide and it is largely attributed to the horizontal exchange of transferable genetic elements such as plasmids carrying integrons. Several studies have been conducted on livestock showing a correlation between the systemic use of antibiotics a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antibiotics (Basel) 2020-11, Vol.9 (11), p.780
Main Authors: Varriale, Lorena, Dipineto, Ludovico, Russo, Tamara Pasqualina, Borrelli, Luca, Romano, Violante, D’Orazio, Stefano, Pace, Antonino, Menna, Lucia Francesca, Fioretti, Alessandro, Santaniello, Antonio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents
Antimicrobial resistance
Bacteria
Bacterial infections
Bird migration
Birds
Communication
Disease
Drug resistance
E coli
Escherichia coli
Gram-negative bacteria
Health aspects
Health care
Health risks
Livestock
Microorganisms
Multidrug resistance
Multidrug resistant organisms
Nosocomial infections
Pandemics
Pathogens
Plasmids
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Public health
Reservoirs
Sepsis
Strains (organisms)
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Summary:Antimicrobial resistance is a public health concern worldwide and it is largely attributed to the horizontal exchange of transferable genetic elements such as plasmids carrying integrons. Several studies have been conducted on livestock showing a correlation between the systemic use of antibiotics and the onset of resistant bacterial strains. In contrast, although companion birds are historically considered as an important reservoir for human health threats, little information on the antimicrobial resistance in these species is available in the literature. Therefore, this study was aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from 755 companion birds. Cloacal samples were processed for E. coli and P. aeruginosa isolation and then all isolates were submitted to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. P. aeruginosa was isolated in 59/755 (7.8%) samples, whereas E. coli was isolated in 231/755 (30.7%) samples. Most strains showed multidrug resistance. This study highlights that companion birds may act as substantial reservoirs carrying antimicrobial resistance genes which could transfer directly or indirectly to humans and animals, and from a One Health perspective this risk should not be underestimated.
ISSN:2079-6382
2079-6382
DOI:10.3390/antibiotics9110780