1. Proximity to humans is associated with antimicrobial-resistant enteric pathogens in wild bird microbiomes.
- Author
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Mourkas E, Valdebenito JO, Marsh H, Hitchings MD, Cooper KK, Parker CT, Székely T, Johansson H, Ellström P, Pascoe B, Waldenström J, and Sheppard SK
- Subjects
- Animals, Humans, Animals, Wild microbiology, Drug Resistance, Bacterial genetics, Campylobacter Infections microbiology, Campylobacter Infections veterinary, Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology, Urbanization, Zoonoses microbiology, Ecosystem, Bird Diseases microbiology, Microbiota, Campylobacter jejuni genetics, Campylobacter jejuni physiology, Campylobacter jejuni isolation & purification, Birds microbiology, Gastrointestinal Microbiome
- Abstract
Humans are radically altering global ecology, and one of the most apparent human-induced effects is urbanization, where high-density human habitats disrupt long-established ecotones. Changes to these transitional areas between organisms, especially enhanced contact among humans and wild animals, provide new opportunities for the spread of zoonotic pathogens. This poses a serious threat to global public health, but little is known about how habitat disruption impacts cross-species pathogen spread. Here, we investigated variation in the zoonotic enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. The ubiquity of C. jejuni in wild bird gut microbiomes makes it an ideal organism for understanding how host behavior and ecology influence pathogen transition and spread. We analyzed 700 C. jejuni isolate genomes from 30 bird species in eight countries using a scalable generalized linear model approach. Comparing multiple behavioral and ecological traits showed that proximity to human habitation promotes lineage diversity and is associated with antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) strains in natural populations. Specifically, wild birds from urban areas harbored up to three times more C. jejuni genotypes and AMR genes. This study provides novel methodology and much-needed quantitative evidence linking urbanization to gene pool spread and zoonoses., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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