Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Campylobacter spp. in Urban and Rural Black-Headed Gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus

AbstractWe investigate the role of black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), an omnivorous species that is among the most likely wild bird candidates for transmission of zoonotic agents, as a potential reservoir ofCampylobacter spp. Colonies with different anthropogenic pressures were studied to examine differences in exposure to sources ofCampylobacter between rural and urban birds. We recordedCampylobacter spp. in 4.87% of adult black-headed gulls and 2.22% of their chicks after analysing 1036 cloacal swabs collected over two breeding seasons in three colonies in northern Poland.Campylobacter jejuni was found most frequently (85.72%), andCampylobacter lari andCampylobacter coli were much scarcer. Prevalence ofCampylobacter did not differ significantly between black-headed gulls breeding in urban (4.27%) and rural (3.80%) habitats. Almost all isolates from chicks and adults were susceptible to azithromycin (97.62%) and erythromycin (95.24%), but fewer to tetracycline (50.00%) and ciprofloxacin (47.62%).Campylobacter prevalence was unrelated to the date of sampling. Our study indicates that black-headed gulls are carriers of resistant to antibioticsCampylobacter and they can contaminate natural waterbodies with their faeces, which poses a threat to human and farm animal health.
Source: EcoHealth - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research