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

• Published in: EcoHealth Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 147 - 156
• Main Authors: Indykiewicz, Piotr, Andrzejewska, Małgorzata, Minias, Piotr, Śpica, Dorota, Kowalski, Jarosław
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Ecology; Animal health; Animal husbandry; Animals; Anthropogenic factors; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Azithromycin; Birds; Breeding seasons; Campylobacter; Charadriiformes; Chickens; Chicks; Chroicocephalus ridibundus; Ciprofloxacin; Colonies; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Ecosystems; Environmental Health; Erythromycin; Juveniles; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Microbiology; Original Contribution; Prevalence; Public Health; Water and Health; Urbanization; Birds; Antibiotic resistance; Black-headed gull; Campylobacteriosis; Zoonoses
• ISSN: 1612-9202; 1612-9210; 1612-9210
• DOI: 10.1007/s10393-021-01540-0

We 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 of Campylobacter spp. Colonies with different anthropogenic pressures were studied to examine differences in exposure to sources of Campylobacter between rural and urban birds. We recorded Campylobacter 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%), and Campylobacter lari and Campylobacter coli were much scarcer. Prevalence of Campylobacter 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 antibiotics Campylobacter and they can contaminate natural waterbodies with their faeces, which poses a threat to human and farm animal health.