Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam Resistant <i>Klebsiella</i> <i>pneumoniae</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Wild European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europeus</i>) Living in Populated Areas

Wildlife has been suggested to be a good sentinel of environmental health because of its close interaction with human populations, domestic animals, and natural ecosystems. The alarming emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human and veterinary medicine has activated/triggered the awareness...

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Main Authors: Biel Garcias, Laia Aguirre, Chiara Seminati, Nerea Reyes, Alberto Allepuz, Elena Obón, Rafael A. Molina-Lopez, Laila Darwich
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
Series:Animals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/10/2837
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author Biel Garcias
Laia Aguirre
Chiara Seminati
Nerea Reyes
Alberto Allepuz
Elena Obón
Rafael A. Molina-Lopez
Laila Darwich
author_facet Biel Garcias
Laia Aguirre
Chiara Seminati
Nerea Reyes
Alberto Allepuz
Elena Obón
Rafael A. Molina-Lopez
Laila Darwich
author_sort Biel Garcias
collection DOAJ
description Wildlife has been suggested to be a good sentinel of environmental health because of its close interaction with human populations, domestic animals, and natural ecosystems. The alarming emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human and veterinary medicine has activated/triggered the awareness of monitoring the levels of AMR pollution in wildlife. European hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europaeus</i>) are common wild species habiting urban areas in Europe. However, there are few studies conducted in hedgehogs as reservoirs of AMR bacteria or genes. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and distribution of ESBL, AmpC, and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria and AMR genes in wild European hedgehogs in Catalonia, a densely populated region of NE Spain. A total of 115 hedgehogs admitted at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Torreferrussa were studied. To our knowledge, this is the first description of β-lactam resistant enterobacteria in wild hedgehogs. Interestingly, 36.8% (42/114) of the animals were detected as carriers of β-lactamase/carbapenemase resistance genes. <i>Klebsiella</i> spp. (59.6%), and specifically <i>K. pneumoniae</i> (84.6%), were the bacteria with the highest proportion of resistance genes, followed by <i>E. coli</i> (34.6%) and <i>C. freundii</i> (5.8%). The most frequently detected genetic variants were <i>bla</i>CTX-M-15 (19.3%), <i>bla</i>SHV-28 (10.5%), <i>bla</i>CMY-1 (9.7%), <i>bla</i>CMY-2 (8.8%), and <i>bla</i>OXA-48 (1.7%). In addition, 52% (27/52) of the isolates presented a multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype and 31% had an extended drug resistance (XDR) profile. No clustering of animals with AMR genes within the study region was shown in the spatial analysis, nor differences in the proportion of positive animals among regions, were detected. The results of this study suggest that wild European hedgehogs could be good sentinels of AMR environmental pollution, especially in areas with a high human population density, because they either inhabit and/or feed in an anthropogenic environment. In conclusion, it is crucial to raise awareness of the strong interconnection between habitats and compartments, and therefore this implies that AMR issues must be tackled under the One Health approach.
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spelling doaj.art-27c2b2af55cd4a7fbdb3ad51732c854d2023-11-22T17:09:55ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-09-011110283710.3390/ani11102837Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam Resistant <i>Klebsiella</i> <i>pneumoniae</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Wild European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europeus</i>) Living in Populated AreasBiel Garcias0Laia Aguirre1Chiara Seminati2Nerea Reyes3Alberto Allepuz4Elena Obón5Rafael A. Molina-Lopez6Laila Darwich7Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, SpainDepartament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, SpainDepartament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, SpainDepartament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, SpainDepartament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, SpainCatalan Wildlife Service, Centre de Fauna Salvatge de Torreferrussa, 08130 Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, SpainCatalan Wildlife Service, Centre de Fauna Salvatge de Torreferrussa, 08130 Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, SpainDepartament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, SpainWildlife has been suggested to be a good sentinel of environmental health because of its close interaction with human populations, domestic animals, and natural ecosystems. The alarming emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human and veterinary medicine has activated/triggered the awareness of monitoring the levels of AMR pollution in wildlife. European hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europaeus</i>) are common wild species habiting urban areas in Europe. However, there are few studies conducted in hedgehogs as reservoirs of AMR bacteria or genes. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and distribution of ESBL, AmpC, and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria and AMR genes in wild European hedgehogs in Catalonia, a densely populated region of NE Spain. A total of 115 hedgehogs admitted at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Torreferrussa were studied. To our knowledge, this is the first description of β-lactam resistant enterobacteria in wild hedgehogs. Interestingly, 36.8% (42/114) of the animals were detected as carriers of β-lactamase/carbapenemase resistance genes. <i>Klebsiella</i> spp. (59.6%), and specifically <i>K. pneumoniae</i> (84.6%), were the bacteria with the highest proportion of resistance genes, followed by <i>E. coli</i> (34.6%) and <i>C. freundii</i> (5.8%). The most frequently detected genetic variants were <i>bla</i>CTX-M-15 (19.3%), <i>bla</i>SHV-28 (10.5%), <i>bla</i>CMY-1 (9.7%), <i>bla</i>CMY-2 (8.8%), and <i>bla</i>OXA-48 (1.7%). In addition, 52% (27/52) of the isolates presented a multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype and 31% had an extended drug resistance (XDR) profile. No clustering of animals with AMR genes within the study region was shown in the spatial analysis, nor differences in the proportion of positive animals among regions, were detected. The results of this study suggest that wild European hedgehogs could be good sentinels of AMR environmental pollution, especially in areas with a high human population density, because they either inhabit and/or feed in an anthropogenic environment. In conclusion, it is crucial to raise awareness of the strong interconnection between habitats and compartments, and therefore this implies that AMR issues must be tackled under the One Health approach.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/10/2837wild European hedgehogsantimicrobial resistanceESBL<i>K. pneumoniae</i><i>E. coli</i>
spellingShingle Biel Garcias
Laia Aguirre
Chiara Seminati
Nerea Reyes
Alberto Allepuz
Elena Obón
Rafael A. Molina-Lopez
Laila Darwich
Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam Resistant <i>Klebsiella</i> <i>pneumoniae</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Wild European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europeus</i>) Living in Populated Areas
Animals
wild European hedgehogs
antimicrobial resistance
ESBL
<i>K. pneumoniae</i>
<i>E. coli</i>
title Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam Resistant <i>Klebsiella</i> <i>pneumoniae</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Wild European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europeus</i>) Living in Populated Areas
title_full Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam Resistant <i>Klebsiella</i> <i>pneumoniae</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Wild European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europeus</i>) Living in Populated Areas
title_fullStr Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam Resistant <i>Klebsiella</i> <i>pneumoniae</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Wild European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europeus</i>) Living in Populated Areas
title_full_unstemmed Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam Resistant <i>Klebsiella</i> <i>pneumoniae</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Wild European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europeus</i>) Living in Populated Areas
title_short Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam Resistant <i>Klebsiella</i> <i>pneumoniae</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Wild European Hedgehogs (<i>Erinaceus europeus</i>) Living in Populated Areas
title_sort extended spectrum β lactam resistant i klebsiella i i pneumoniae i and i escherichia coli i in wild european hedgehogs i erinaceus europeus i living in populated areas
topic wild European hedgehogs
antimicrobial resistance
ESBL
<i>K. pneumoniae</i>
<i>E. coli</i>
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/10/2837
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