Incidental catch of loggerhead sea turtles (<i>Caretta caretta</i>) along the Sicilian coasts by longline fishery

Caracappà, S.; Persichetti, Maria Flaminia; Piazza, Antonio; Caracappa, Giulia; Gentile, Antonino; Marineo, Sandra; Crucitti, Daniela; Arculeo, Marco

doi:10.7717/peerj.5392

Cited by 30 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Caretta caretta is the most abundant sea turtle species in the Mediterranean Sea and is the subject of numerous studies and research programs aimed at its protection and conservation. Many events, such as incidental catches by fishing [19,20], water pollution [16], presence of fungi in egg nests [21] and global climatic changes, affect the health status and conservation of sea turtles [22]. To the best of our knowledge, few studies [13,17,18,23] evaluated the frequency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria isolated from adult loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Caretta Caretta a Carrier of Antibiotic Resistance in the Mediterranean Sea?

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sea turtles can be considered a sentinel species for monitoring the health of marine ecosystems, acting, at the same time, as a carrier of microorganisms. Indeed, sea turtles can acquire the microbiota from their reproductive sites and feeding, contributing to the diffusion of antibiotic-resistant strains to uncontaminated environments. This study aims to unveil the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in (i) loggerhead sea turtles stranded along the coast of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea), (ii) unhatched and/or hatched eggs, (iii) sand from the turtles’ nest and (iv) seawater. Forty-four bacterial strains were isolated and identified by conventional biochemical tests and 16S rDNA sequencing. The Gram-negative Aeromonas and Vibrio species were mainly found in sea turtles and seawater samples, respectively. Conversely, the Gram-positive Bacillus, Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus strains were mostly isolated from eggs and sand. The antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolates revealed that these strains were resistant to cefazolin (95.5%), streptomycin (43.2%), colistin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (34.1%). Moreover, metagenome analysis unveiled the presence of both antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes, as well as the mobile element class 1 integron at an alarming percentage rate. Our results suggest that Caretta caretta could be considered a carrier of antibiotic-resistant genes.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Caretta Caretta a Carrier of Antibiotic Resistance in the Mediterranean Sea?

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Plastic waste can be accidentally ingested by animals [ 2 , 3 ] and edible marine species, representing a danger for human food security and health [ 4 , 5 ]. Besides, plastics could release chemical additives such as phthalates or bisphenols [ 3 ], and, given their hydrophobic nature, they could absorb and transport various types of pollutants (e.g., hydrocarbons, polychlorobiphenyls, and dioxins, to name a few) across ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Analysis of Aquatic and Polyethylene-Associated Antibiotic-Resistant Microbiota in the Mediterranean Sea

Sucato

Vecchioni

Savoca

et al. 2021

Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, we evaluated the microbiome and the resistome profile of water and fragments of polyethylene (PE) waste collected at the same time from a stream and the seawater in a coastal area of Northwestern Sicily. Although a core microbiome was determined by sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the bacterial 16S rDNA gene, quantitative differences were found among the microbial communities on PE waste and the corresponding water samples. Our findings indicated that PE waste contains a more abundant and increased core microbiome diversity than the corresponding water samples. Moreover, PCR analysis of specific antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) showed that PE waste harbors more ARGs than the water samples. Thus, PE waste could act as a carrier of antibiotic-resistant microbiota, representing an increased danger for the marine environment and living organisms, as well.

show abstract

“…Sea turtles have been proposed as sentinel species in the Western Mediterranean Sea and carriers of ABR strains in marine habitats [10,13], for their migratory lifestyle [14,15] and their tendency to bio-accumulate contaminants, toxins and pathogens [16]. The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is the most common sea turtle species in the Mediterranean Sea, where it can encounter different threats of anthropogenic origin and undergo severe diseases and infections [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. The Aeolian Archipelago, located in Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Sicily, Italy) (Figure 1), is a volcanic area with adjacent extensive neritic and oceanic habitats within short distances [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antibiotic Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacteria from Wild Captured Loggerhead Sea Turtles

Blasi¹,

Migliore

Mattei³

et al. 2020

Antibiotics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sea turtles have been proposed as health indicators of marine habitats and carriers of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, for their longevity and migratory lifestyle. Up to now, a few studies evaluated the antibacterial resistant flora of Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and most of them were carried out on stranded or recovered animals. In this study, the isolation and the antibiotic resistance profile of 90 Gram negative bacteria from cloacal swabs of 33 Mediterranean wild captured loggerhead sea turtles are described. Among sea turtles found in their foraging sites, 23 were in good health and 10 needed recovery for different health problems (hereafter named weak). Isolated cloacal bacteria belonged mainly to Enterobacteriaceae (59%), Shewanellaceae (31%) and Vibrionaceae families (5%). Although slight differences in the bacterial composition, healthy and weak sea turtles shared antibiotic-resistant strains. In total, 74 strains were endowed with one or multi resistance (up to five different drugs) phenotypes, mainly towards ampicillin (~70%) or sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (more than 30%). Hence, our results confirmed the presence of antibiotic-resistant strains also in healthy marine animals and the role of the loggerhead sea turtles in spreading antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

show abstract

Incidental catch of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) along the Sicilian coasts by longline fishery

Cited by 30 publications

References 24 publications

Is Caretta Caretta a Carrier of Antibiotic Resistance in the Mediterranean Sea?

Is Caretta Caretta a Carrier of Antibiotic Resistance in the Mediterranean Sea?

A Comparative Analysis of Aquatic and Polyethylene-Associated Antibiotic-Resistant Microbiota in the Mediterranean Sea

Antibiotic Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacteria from Wild Captured Loggerhead Sea Turtles

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About