Antibiotic resistance in bacteria from magpies (Pica pica) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from west Wales |
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| Authors: | David M. Livermore Marina Warner Lucinda M. C. Hall Virve I. Enne Stephen J. Projan Paul M. Dunman Sarah L. Wooster Graham Harrison |
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| Affiliation: | Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring and Reference Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory,
61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK.;Department of Medical Microbiology, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK.;Infectious Diseases, Wyeth-Ayerst Research, Pearl River, NY 10965, USA.;Public Health Laboratory, West Wales General Hospital, Glangwili, Carmarthen SA31 2AF, UK. |
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| Abstract: | The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wild animal and bird populations is largely unknown, with little consistency among the few published reports. We therefore examined intestinal bacteria from magpies ( Pica pica ) and rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) collected in rural west Wales. Escherichia coli isolates resistant to multiple antibiotics were grown from eight of 20 magpies trapped in spring, 1999 and one of 17 in spring, 2000; the most prevalent resistance trait among these isolates was to tetracycline, but resistances to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, sulphonamide, tetracycline and trimethoprim were also found. Tetracycline-resistant Enterococcus spp. were found in one of 20 magpies in 1999 and three of 17 in 2000. Only one resistant E. coli isolate was detected among gut bacteria from 13 rabbits, and this strain was resistant only to tetracycline. Differences in the prevalence of resistance between bacteria from rabbits and magpies may reflect differences in diet: rabbits graze field edges, whereas magpies are omnivorous and opportunistic. The resistance genes found in E. coli isolates from magpies mostly corresponded to those common among human isolates, but those conferring tetracycline resistance were unique. |
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