Identification of Anthropogenic Impact on Natural Habitats by Antimicrobial Resistance Quantification in Two Neotropical Wild Cats and Their Geospatial Analysis

Abstract

Human activities such as habitat degradation and fragmentation threaten biodiversity in Neotropical areas. This work proposes an analytical methodology to identify natural areas in Central America with anthropogenic impact, analyzing the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in accordance with their theoretical relationship with human-related activities. Sixteen ARGs were quantified in feces of different individuals of 13 jaguars (Panthera onca) and 13 pumas (Puma concolor) in three conservation areas in Costa Rica by real-time PCR. At least one ARG was detected in all samples. Of the ARGs encoding tetracycline resistance, the most frequent were tetQ and tetY (85% and 69%, respectively). The sulfonamides (sulI and sulII; 69% each), phenicols (catI and catII; 19% and 54%, respectively), and quinolones (qnrS; 12%) were also detected. The presence of human settlements, livestock farms (pigs, cattle, and poultry), roads, human health centers, flood zones, and rivers were identified within each area to generate an index of human activity. We found no difference between the presence of ARG by roads, agricultural activities, and human settlements (P>0.05). However, tetW showed higher percentages with porcine and bovine farms; both tetY and tetW were more frequent in jaguars than in pumas. Of concern is that many of the most contaminated samples were taken from national parks, such as Braulio Carrillo and Tortuguero, where animals should not have direct contact with humans.

American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus: Reptilia: Crocodilidae) visiting the facilities of a freshwater aquaculture of the Northern Pacific region, Costa Rica, carry tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli

“…Current scientific evidence indicates that human activities are closely related to AMR occurrence in various ecological niches at different trophic levels (47). In this matter, studies of the last years support the hypothesis that the regional varying type, degree, and density of landscape's anthropization differently shape AMR epidemiology in wild herbivore and omnivorous populations inhabiting the human-wildlife interface (52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57), which agrees with the observation in predators of such habitats (6,10,11,17). Despite the relatively low settlement density, the habitats of the Costa Rican Northern Pacific region are characterized by the high density of crops and the presence of extensive livestock (27).…”

“…Although tetracycline and its derivates are not currently a common target for the screening of AMR in wild populations, tetracycline resistance has been frequently reported in antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolated from wild carnivorous species in America (15), Africa (6), and Europe (4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14). By culture-independent methods, ARGs associated with tetracycline resistance were also detected in such wild populations (10,17,18). Current scientific evidence indicates that human activities are closely related to AMR occurrence in various ecological niches at different trophic levels (47).…”

“…The latter due to the trophic transfer and bioaccumulative tendency of such agents along the trophic chain in natural as well as in human-influenced ecosystems (4-14). Regarding the presence of AMR in wild populations of predators of the American continent, studies using culture or direct genetic approaches confirmed the presence of indicator bacteria with AMR or antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in faecal samples of wild felids (10,(15)(16)(17), and foxes (16,18). However, to our knowledge, no other published data is available regarding the epidemiological status of AMR in terrestrial, water-associated apex predators of the continent.…”

Medidas para la reducción del riesgo de contaminación ambiental con residuos de antibióticos y propagación de bacterias resistentes

“…Adicionalmente, las bacterias resistentes a antibióticos pueden propagarse de fuentes antropogénicas a ecosistemas naturales, pudiendo afectar el estado de salud de los animales silvestres y, por tanto, su conservación. En ese sentido, existen múltiples estudios que evidencian la presencia de ARGs en excretas tanto de animales silvestres como animales adaptados a las condiciones ambientales modificadas por la actividad humana (Angulo et al, 2023;Blanco-Peña et al, 2017;Rodríguez et al, 2007), pero hay una carencia notoria de información sobre la afectación de su salud. Además, los animales silvestres pueden ser reservorio de bacterias resistentes con importancia clínica (Dolejska y Literak, 2019), facilitando su transmisión a humanos o animales domésticos.…”