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Zeballos-Gross D, Rojas-Sereno Z, Salgado-Caxito M, Poeta P, Torres C, Benavides JA. The Role of Gulls as Reservoirs of Antibiotic Resistance in Aquatic Environments: A Scoping Review. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:703886. [PMID: 34367104 PMCID: PMC8343230 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.703886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of wildlife with long-range dispersal such as gulls in the global dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across natural and anthropogenic aquatic environments remains poorly understood. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been detected in resident and migratory gulls worldwide for more than a decade, suggesting gulls as either sentinels of AMR pollution from anthropogenic sources or independent reservoirs that could maintain and disperse AMR across aquatic environments. However, confirming either of these roles remains challenging and incomplete. In this review, we present current knowledge on the geographic regions where AMR has been detected in gulls, the molecular characterization of resistance genes, and the evidence supporting the capacity of gulls to disperse AMR across regions or countries. We identify several limitations of current research to assess the role of gulls in the spread of AMR including most studies not identifying the source of AMR, few studies comparing bacteria isolated in gulls with other wild or domestic species, and almost no study performing longitudinal sampling over a large period of time to assess the maintenance and dispersion of AMR by gulls within and across regions. We suggest future research required to confirm the role of gulls in the global dispersion of AMR including the standardization of sampling protocols, longitudinal sampling using advanced satellite tracking, and whole-genome sequencing typing. Finally, we discuss the public health implications of the spread of AMR by gulls and potential solutions to limit its spread in aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danae Zeballos-Gross
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Zulma Rojas-Sereno
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.,Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Marília Salgado-Caxito
- Millennium Initiative for Collaborative Research on Bacterial Resistance (MICROB-R), Santiago, Chile.,Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Department of Animal Production and Preventive Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Patricia Poeta
- Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance Team (MicroART), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.,Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV-REQUIMTE), University NOVA of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.,Veterinary and Animal Research Centre, Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Science (AL4AnimalS), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Carmen Torres
- Área Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de La Rioja, Logroño, Spain
| | - Julio A Benavides
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.,Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.,Millennium Initiative for Collaborative Research on Bacterial Resistance (MICROB-R), Santiago, Chile
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