Human-Associated Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase in the Antarctic

Abstract

e Escherichia coli bacteria with extended-spectrum ␤-lactamase (ESBL) type CTX-M resistance were isolated from water samples collected close to research stations in Antarctica. The isolates had bla CTX-M-1 and bla CTX-M-15 genotypes and sequence types (ST) indicative of a human-associated origin. This is the first record of ESBL-producing enterobacteria from Antarctica.

Trends in Human Fecal Carriage of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in the Community: Toward the Globalization of CTX-M

“…ESBL-E have indeed been isolated from well water in Nicaragua (30) and from diverse other aquatic environments in Switzerland (31), the United Kingdom (32), China (33), South Korea (34), Portugal (35), and Tunisia (36). Even seawater from beaches in Algeria (37) and water from the Antarctic have been found to be positive for ESBL-E (38), suggesting that the current reservoir of these bacteria is in reality massive (Fig. 3).…”

Physical, chemical, biological and ecotoxicological properties of wastewater discharged from Davis Station, Antarctica

“…Introduced micro-organisms from human sewage and wastewater have been found to survive and remain viable in the Antarctic environment for extended periods (Hughes and Nobbs, 2004;Smith et al, 1994). In addition, although the risk of introduction of genetic material below the level of whole organisms is not recognised in the Protocol, the discharge of non-sterile wastewater creates the risk of introduction of bacteria with mobile genetic elements, such as those encoding for antibiotic resistance or increased virulence, that can be transferred to local bacterial populations (Hernández et al, 2012;Miller et al, 2009). Nothing included in the Environmental Protocol indicates that during the negotiations leading to its agreement these risks were recognised as potential environmental impacts from sewage and wastewater treatment and disposal in Antarctica.…”

Infectious diseases of Antarctic penguins: current status and future threats

“…A recent concern is the finding of human-associated antibiotic-resistant strains of Escherichia coli in water and the feces of gentoo penguins in the proximity of a research stations in the Maritime Antarctic (Hernández et al 2012;González-Acuña et al 2013). Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a major healthcare threat worldwide (Spellberg et al 2013); however, their effects on Antarctica wildlife are unknown (Hernández et al 2012).…”