Clostridioides difficile and multi-drug-resistant staphylococci in free-living rodents and marsupials in parks of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Abstract

The global emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a serious threat to human and animal health. Recent studies have shown that synanthropic animals can act as reservoirs and disseminators of pathogens and resistant bacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency, distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility of staphylococcal species and Clostridioides difficile isolated from the feces of free-living rodents and marsupials from two urban parks in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. During a 12-month period, fecal samples from 159 free-living animals, including 136 rodents and 23 marsupials, were collected from two urban parks in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Staphylococcus spp. were more likely to be isolated from rodents than marsupials (p = 0.0164). Eight different staphylococcal species were isolated from 36 (26.5%) rodents and one marsupial (4.3%). S. saprophyticus (48.6%) was the most frequently isolated species, and almost a quarter of the isolates (24.3%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, four (10.8%) of which were multi-drug resistant (MDR). Two (5.4%) strains were resistant to cefoxitin and were then classified as methicillin-resistant staphylococci, and one also tested positive for the mecA gene. C. difficile was isolated from two rodents (1.5%), and one strain was toxigenic and classified as ribotype 064. One isolate was resistant to rifampicin, but both strains were susceptible to all other antimicrobials tested, including metronidazole and vancomycin. All C. difficile isolates and all staphylococcal strains resistant to antimicrobials were recovered from the same park. The present study suggests that free-living rodents in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) are mainly colonized by S. saprophyticus and may act as reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus spp. and C. difficile strains. This is the first study to evaluate the presence of staphylococci and C. difficile from free-living opossums and suggest a low fecal shedding of these organisms by these mammals.

Identification and characterization of pathogenic and multidrug-resistant bacteria in feral pigeons surrounding a veterinary hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…xylosus, the most frequent species reported in our study, has been previously isolated from pigeons and other birds, suggesting commensalism (VElA et al, 2012;MAHMMoUD, 2013;zIGo, 2017;MAtIAS et al, 2018). this coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) has also been found in different mammals and reptiles (BECkER et al, 2014;RISSI et al, 2015;MAtIAS et al, 2018;SANtANA et al, 2021;SANtANA et al, 2022), and despite being mostly labeled as non-pathogenic, it has caused several opportunistic infections in animals and humans (WoN et al, 2002;kokSAl et al, 2009;AkHADDAR et al, 2010;RISSI et al, 2015).…”

“…More than one-third of the captured pigeons were positive for staphylococci and eight different species were recovered (table 1). According to other studies, pigeons seem to harbor a high diversity of staphylococcal species, whereas other animals, such as free-living reptiles and rodents, seem to show a more homogeneous colonization pattern (SCHWARz & WERCkENtHIN, 1994;zIGo, 2017;SANtANA et al, 2021;SANtANA et al, 2022). It may be that the close and daily contact of the pigeons with humans and animals, combined with the hospital environment, may have influenced this large number of recovered species (SCHWARz & WERCkENtHIN, 1994;zIGo, 2017;kAMAtHEWAttA et al, 2019).…”

Distribution and Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococci Isolated From Free-Living South American Coati (Nasua Nasua) in an Urban Park in Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…Surprisingly, these rates were lower than those of other studies that evaluated the antimicrobial resistance profile in different wild animals. 10,24 Anyway, it is also important to remember that the sampled coatis were all free-living animals, so it is unlikely that they had direct exposure to antimicrobial agents, an important factor associated with antimicrobial resistance. 3 The present study suggests that coatis are natural hosts of SIG, including S. intermedius and S. delphini.…”

Characterization of the virulence of three novel clade 2 Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile strains and a two-year screening in animals and humans in Brazil

“…Most samples were subjected to differential diagnosis of enteropathogens on the diagnostic routine of the Laboratory of Anaerobic Bacteria from the Veterinary University of Minas Gerais. Other samples were obtained from three parallel studies evaluating zoonotic pathogens in pigeons (data not published), tortoises [51], and rodents and marsupials [52]. Samples from free-living rodents were obtained from two urban parks in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais [52].…”

“…Other samples were obtained from three parallel studies evaluating zoonotic pathogens in pigeons (data not published), tortoises [51], and rodents and marsupials [52]. Samples from free-living rodents were obtained from two urban parks in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais [52]. Samples from pigeons were obtained between January 2019 and February 2020 by non-probabilistic sampling of urban pigeons (Columbia livia f. urbana) at the Veterinary Hospital of Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil.…”