Detection of antibiotic resistance in gulls gives cause for concern
Alarming findings from EU-funded research show that almost 50% of Mediterranean gulls carry bacteria that are resistant to certain antibiotics. Since, somewhat surprisingly, these birds share the same antibiotic resistance patterns as humans, the discovery signals a blow in the fight against one of society's most disturbing health threats: bacteria that build up resistance to treatment drugs. These findings from the NEW-FLUBIRD project are published in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) ONE. NEW-FLUBIRD received EUR 1.86 million under the 'Research for policy support' budget line of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). Its key aim was to establish a network of experts who could provide critical early warning and risk assessment systems in real time when a health threat is detected from avian influenza viruses in migratory birds. In this study, a research team at Uppsala University in Sweden examined the presence of antibiotic resistance in two populations of Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis) in southern France. 'Gulls have developed behaviours that entail closer and closer contact with us, and [so] opportunities arise for the exchange of bacteria,' said research leader Mirva Drobni. 'This is why they are extremely interesting to study.' The team's findings revealed a high level of general antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli) samples taken from the gulls. 'Nearly half the isolates (47.1%) carried resistance to one or more antibiotics (in a panel of six antibiotics), and resistance to tetracycline, ampicillin and streptomycin was most widespread.' Almost 10% of the gulls carried bacteria that produce ESBL (Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase) enzymes. These bacteria, such as E. coli and Klebsiella, made their presence known in the 1980s and are now listed as some of the most critical hospital-acquired infections. The dual threat associated with these bacteria is that they are both resistant to powerful antibiotics and able to spread very quickly. Importantly, the Uppsala team was also able to show that the resistance pattern in these gulls was the same for humans, with mutually exchanged bacteria and resistance systems. In other words, the birds and humans share E. coli populations. 'Several ESBL-producing E. coli isolated from birds were identical to or clustered with isolates with human origin,' the scientists write. 'Hence, wild birds pick up E. coli of human origin, and with human resistance traits, and may accordingly also act as an environmental reservoir and melting pot of bacterial resistance with a potential to re-infect human populations.' Dr Drobni added, 'These findings are worrisome as they also indicate a higher degree of resistance in bacteria from gulls than we see in humans in the same region. At present, we don't know whether they constitute merely a reservoir for antibiotics resistance or whether they are, moreover, a source of further dissemination to humans.'
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Sweden