The role of wildlife (wild birds) in the global transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes

• Published in: Dōngwùxué yánjiū Vol. 38; no. 2; p. 55
• Main Authors: Wang, Jing, Ma, Zhen-Bao, Zeng, Zhen-Ling, Yang, Xue-Wen, Huang, Ying, Liu, Jian-Hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Kunming Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences 18.03.2017
• Subjects: Birds; Drug resistance; Genes; Global health; Wildlife; AmpC; IMP, mcr-1; ESBLs; Wild birds; NDM
• ISSN: 2095-8137; 0254-5853
• DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2017.003

Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global health challenge in human and veterinary medicine. Wild animals are not directly exposed to clinically relevant antibiotics; however, antibacterial resistance in wild animals has been increasingly reported worldwide in parallel to the situation in human and veterinary medicine. This underlies the complexity of bacterial resistance in wild animals and the possible interspecies transmission between humans, domestic animals, the environment, and wildlife. This review summarizes the current data on expanded-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), AmpC β-lactamase, carbapenemase, and colistin resistance genes in isolates of wildlife origin. The aim of this review is to better understand the important role of wild animals as reservoirs and vectors in the global dissemination of crucial clinical antibacterial resistance. In this regard, continued surveillance is urgently needed worldwide.