Occurrence of ESBL-ProducingEscherichia coliST131, Including theH30-Rx and C1-M27 Subclones, Among Urban Seagulls from the United Kingdom

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is a public health concern. Understanding any role that urban seagulls may have as a reservoir of resistant bacteria could be important for reducing transmission.This study investigated faecal Escherichia coli isolates from seagulls (herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls) to determine the prevalence of extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistant (ESC-R) and fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQ-R) E. coli among gull species from two cities (Taunton and Birmingham) in the United Kingdom. We characterised the genetic background and carriage of plasmid-mediated resistance genes in extended spectrum βlactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli obtained from these birds.Sixty ESC-R E. coli isolates were obtained from 39 seagulls (39/78, 50%), of which 28 (28/60, 46.7%) were positive for plasmid-mediated CTX-M and/or AmpC β-lactamase resistance genes. Among these, blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M-14 and blaCMY-2 predominated. Three isolates belonging to the B2-ST131 clone were detected, of which two harboured blaCTX-M-15 (typed to C2/H30Rx) and one harboured blaCTX-M-27 and was typed to C1/H30-R (recently described as the C1-M27 sublineage). PMQR gene carriage prevalence (11.7%) consisted of aac(6')-Ib-cr and qnrB genes. No carbapenem or colistin resistance genes were detected.Urban seagulls in the UK are colonised and can spread major antimicrobial resistant E. coli isolates harbouring ESBL and PMQR determinants, including clinically important strains such as the pandemic clone B2-ST131 and the C1-M27 subclade. This is the first report of ST131-C1-M27 subclade in wildlife in the UK and in seagulls worldwide.

Comparison of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates From Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) and Contemporary Human-Derived Strains: A One Health Perspective

“…Subclade ST131 C1-M27 is associated with clonal spread in humans, and was also reported from great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) (Tausova et al, 2012), gulls (Zendri et al, 2020), companion animals, freshwater, and wastewater (Bevan et al, 2017). Similarly, it occurred in rooks and was also prevalent in human isolates in our study.…”

“…Resistant bacteria can spread between humans and their households involving their companion animals, and the environment and wildlife. International travel, trade of animal food products, and wildlife migration further contribute to the global dissemination of antibiotic resistance ( Guenther et al, 2011 ; Hussain et al, 2017 , 2019 ; Zendri et al, 2020 ).…”

“…These animals, particularly the highly mobile species, may scatter the resistant bacteria. Wild birds were shown to carry antibiotic resistant bacteria; typical carriers are crows ( Loncaric et al, 2013 ; Jamborova et al, 2015 ) and gulls ( Báez et al, 2015 ; Zendri et al, 2020 ), which often utilize human waste as food source. These birds are frequently urbanized, and their droppings pollute the cities, potentially reintroducing strains into the human environment.…”

Genomic comparisons of Escherichia coli ST131 from Australia

“…ST131 clade C1 is also associated with ESBL production worldwide and most commonly harbours bla CTX-M-14 [17]. However, a subpopulation of C1 isolates carrying bla CTX-M-27 (C1-M27), providing greater ceftazidime resistance [82], was first identified in Japan in 2006 [60] and has since emerged globally and is being reported at increasing frequencies in both humans and animals [80,[83][84][85][86]. In Australia, we found C1 isolates most frequently carried bla CTX-M-27 (52 %), while only 6 % carried bla CTX-M-14.…”

Wide Spread of blaCTX–M–9/mcr-9 IncHI2/ST1 Plasmids and CTX-M-9-Producing Escherichia coli and Enterobacter cloacae in Rescued Wild Animals

“…Numerous studies were also based on fecal dejections collected in various places where birds live or transit, such as landfills, beaches, urban parks, nests, and other habitats, but associating fecal samples to the right bird species may be challenging. In some situations however, these approaches valuably allowed studying AMR in large cohorts of individuals of the same bird species in their natural environment, as for instance illustrated for black kites ( Milvus milvus ), corvids ( Corvus brachyrhynchos , Corvus corax ), gulls ( Larus glaucescens, Larus ridibundus ), pigeons ( Columba livia ) or storks ( Ciconia ciconia ) ( Bonnedahl et al, 2010 , 2014 ; Jamborova et al, 2018 ; Tarabai et al, 2019 ; Zendri et al, 2020 ). Here, we adopted a different strategy by systematically sampling all incoming wild birds at a French rescue center over a 6-month period.…”