Aeromonas and Plesiomonas species from scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) and their environment: monitoring antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence

• Published in: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Vol. 110; no. 1; pp. 33 - 43
• Main Authors: Castelo-Branco, Débora Souza Collares Maia, Silva, Aline Lobão da, Monteiro, Frederico Ozanan Barros, Guedes, Glaucia Morgana de Melo, Sales, Jamille Alencar, Oliveira, Jonathas Sales de, Maia Junior, José Erisvaldo, Miranda, Stefânia Araújo, Sidrim, José Júlio Costa, Alencar, Lucas Pereira de, Brilhante, Raimunda Sâmia Nogueira, Cordeiro, Rossana de Aguiar, Bandeira, Tereza de Jesus Pinheiro Gomes, Pereira Neto, Waldemiro de Aquino, Rocha, Marcos Fábio Gadelha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aeromonas - classification; Aeromonas - drug effects; Aeromonas - isolation & purification; Aeromonas - pathogenicity; Aeromonas hydrophila; Aeromonas veronii; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bird Diseases - microbiology; Birds - microbiology; Ecosystem; Eudocimus ruber; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - microbiology; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - veterinary; Life Sciences; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Original Paper; Plant Sciences; Plesiomonas; Plesiomonas - classification; Plesiomonas - drug effects; Plesiomonas - isolation & purification; Plesiomonas - pathogenicity; Plesiomonas shigelloides; Soil Science & Conservation; Virulence; Scarlet ibis; Antimicrobial susceptibility; sp; Virulence factor; Aeromonas sp. Plesiomonas shigelloides; Eudocimus ruber
• ISSN: 0003-6072; 1572-9699
• DOI: 10.1007/s10482-016-0771-9

The present study aimed at evaluating the role of captive scarlet ibises ( Eudocimus ruber ) and their environment as reservoirs of Aeromonas spp. and Plesiomonas spp., and analyzing the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence of the recovered bacterial isolates. Thus, non-lactose and weak-lactose fermenting, oxidase positive Gram-negative bacilli were recovered from cloacal samples (n = 30) of scarlet ibises kept in a conservational facility and from water samples (n = 30) from their environment. Then, the antimicrobial susceptibility, hemolytic activity and biofilm production of the recovered Aeromonas spp. and Plesiomonas shigelloides strains were assessed. In addition, the virulence-associated genes of Aeromonas spp. were detected. Ten Aeromonas veronii bv. sobria , 2 Aeromonas hydrophila complex and 10 P . shigelloides were recovered. Intermediate susceptibility to piperacillin-tazobactam and cefepime was observed in 2 Aeromonas spp. and 1 P. shigelloides , respectively, and resistance to gentamicin was observed in 4 P. shigelloides . The automated susceptibility analysis revealed resistance to piperacillin-tazobactam and meropenem among Aeromonas spp. and intermediate susceptibility to gentamicin among P . shigelloides . All Aeromonas isolates presented hemolytic activity, while 3 P . shigelloides were non-hemolytic. All Aeromonas spp. and 3/10 P . shigelloides were biofilm-producers, at 28 °C, while 10 Aeromonas spp. and 6/10 P . shigelloides produced biofilms, at 37 °C. The most prevalent virulence genes of Aeromonas spp. were asa1 and ascV . Scarlet ibises and their environment harbour potentially pathogenic bacteria, thus requiring monitoring and measures to prevent contamination of humans and other animals.