Study Finds Antibiotic Resistance Genes in 2% of Wildlife Fecal Samples

A study published in the Frontiers of Microbiology journal evaluates the presence of enzyme-encoding genes in wildlife faecal samples, indicating potential resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, which are critical for treating severe infections such as sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis.

Dr Mauro Conter, an associate professor at the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences at the University of Parma, isolated a high-risk ST307 clone of Klebsiella pneumoniae and NDM-5 carbapenemase from wildlife living far from human activity. " The study included almost 500 faecal samples from crows, magpies, red foxes, and various water bird species, collected across rural, urban, and wild areas without prior antibiotic exposure.

Klebsiella spp, a bacterial genus that includes K pneumoniae, was present in 32 samples, with K pneumoniae detected in 2% of the samples, primarily from foxes and waterbirds. 6% of isolates from human patients in Italy, according to the latest European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control surveillance data.