Antimicrobial Resistance in Wildlife in Guadeloupe (French West Indies): Distribution of a Single blaCTX–M–1/IncI1/ST3 Plasmid Among Humans and Wild Animals

Abstract

Limited data are available on the contribution of wildlife to the spread of antibacterial resistance. We determined the prevalence of resistance to antibiotics in Escherichia coli isolates collected from wild animals in 2013 and 2014 and the genetic basis for resistance to third-generation cephalosporin in Guadeloupe. We recovered 52 antibioticresistant (AR) E. coli strains from 48 of the 884 (5.4%) wild animals tested (46 iguanas, 181 birds, 289 anoles, and 368 rodents at 163 sampling sites). Rodents had higher rates of carriage (n = 38, 10.3%) than reptiles and birds (2.4% and 1.1%, respectively, p < 0.001). A significant association (p < 0.001) was found between the degree of anthropization and the frequency of AR E. coli carriage for all species. The carriage rate of ciprofloxacin-and cefotaxime-resistant isolates was 0.7% (6/884) and 1.5% (13/884), respectively. Most (65.4%) AR E. coli were multi-drug resistant, and the prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli was low (n = 7, 0.8%) in all species. Eight ESBL-producing E. coli were recovered, two genetically unrelated isolates being found in one bird. These isolates and 20 human invasive ESBL E. coli isolates collected in Guadeloupe during the same period were investigated by whole genome sequencing. bla CTX−M−1 was the only ESBL gene shared by three animal classes (humans, n = 2; birds, n = 2; rodents, n = 2). The bla CTX−M−1 gene and most of the antimicrobial resistance genes were present in a large conjugative IncI1 plasmid that was highly similar (>99% nucleotide identity) to ESBL-carrying plasmids found in several countries in Europe and in Australia. Although the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli

Dissemination of Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacter cloacae Complex from a Hospital to the Nearby Environment in Guadeloupe (French West Indies): ST114 Lineage Coding for a Successful IncHI2/ST1 Plasmid

“…Previous work on ESBL-producing strains in wildlife in Guadeloupe was less worrisome. Results were focused on E. coli carriage and showed that only 7/884 animals (0.79%) were positive, comprising 5 rats ( Rattus norvegicus ), 1 Carib grackle ( Quiscalus lugubris ), and 1 iguana ( Iguana iguana ) ( 22 ). The difference from our results may be due to lower exposure to anthropogenic pollution in the previous work.…”

“…This finding is of great concern because of the many ST114 clones isolated in clinical samples and because of the capacity of ST114 to spread. No carbapenemase producer has yet been isolated from a nonhuman sample in Guadeloupe ( 21 – 23 ), but this should be monitored in the future.…”

“…In Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory in the Caribbean with extensive resources ( 22 ), few recent data are available on resistance to antibiotics. In 2018, Enterobacteriaceae were the leading cause of hospital-acquired infection at the University Hospital of Guadeloupe (UHG), with Escherichia coli (15.9% of all infections) and Klebsiella pneumoniae complex species (13.3%) predominating.…”

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates from Animals in Greece

“…The therapeutic, metaphylactic and prophylactic use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine is considered to be the main cause for the selection of resistant bacteria in cattle and pigs, which are identified as a major ESBL reservoir [ 13 ]. However, ESBLs are also detected in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from hosts that do not consume antibiotics, i.e., wild fauna [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Wild birds are the most frequent ESBL carriers among wildlife species and have been proposed as another potential reservoir that can significantly contribute to the diffusion of resistant strains via migration and/or living in close proximity to both humans and other animals [ 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

A survey of antimicrobial resistance in <i>Escherichia coli</i> isolated from wild sika deer (<i>Cervus nippon</i>) in Japan

“…Because the wide use of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine is one of the risk factors in the selection of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, reducing the usage of antimicrobial agents is an important approach for preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance [ 10 , 14 ]. Environments contaminated with human and animal wastes have become reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria or resistance genes, and wild animals play a certain role in the spread of antimicrobial resistance [ 2 , 7 , 9 ]. Therefore, the surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in wild animals is also important in terms of the One Health approach [ 18 ].…”