Detection of Beta-Lactam-Resistant Escherichia coli and Toxigenic Clostridioides difficile Strains in Wild Boars Foraging in an Anthropization Gradient

Open Access

Abstract

Ajuts: Marina Cerdá was a student of the master's degree in Zoonosis and One Health (UAB). Anna Vidal was supported by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (PIF-UAB 2015). Laia Aguirre was supported by a collaboration scholarship from the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte from the Spanish government (2017-2018). This research was funded by the contracts 13/051, 15/0174 and 16/0243 between the Barcelona City Council and the Wildlife Health Service (SEFaS-UAB). Marta Valldeperes and Raquel Castillo-Contreras benefitted from a PhD grant each (2018FI_B_00978 and 2016FI_B 00425, respectively), financed by the Secretaria d'Universitats i Recerca del Departament d'Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Social Fund. Gregorio Mentaberre is a Serra Húnter Fellow. ; Disease transmission among wild boars, domestic animals and humans is a public health concern, especially in areas with high wild boar densities. In this study, fecal samples of wild boars (n = 200) from different locations of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona were analyzed by PCR to explore the frequency of β-lactamases and extended cephalosporin and carbapenem resistance genes (ESBLs) in Escherichia coli strains and the presence of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile. The prevalence of genes conferring resistance to β-lactam antimicrobials was 8.0% (16/200): blaCMY-2 (3.0%), blaTEM-1b (2.5%), blaCTX-M-14 (1.0%), blaSHV-28 (1.0%), blaCTX-M-15 (0.5%) and blaCMY-1 (0.5%). Clostridioides difficile TcdA+ was detected in two wild boars (1.0%), which is the first report of this pathogen in wild boars in Spain. Moreover, the wild boars foraging in urban and peri-urban locations were more exposed to AMRB sources than the wild boars dwelling in natural environments. In conclusion, the detection of E. coli carrying ESBL/AmpC genes and toxigenic C. difficile in wild boars foraging in urban areas reinforces the value of this game species as a sentinel of environmental AMRB sources. In addition, these wild boars can be a public and ...