Zoonotic bacterial and parasitic intestinal pathogens in foxes, raccoons and other predators from eastern Germany.
Sonja KittlCaroline F FreyIsabelle BrodardNadia ScalisiMaria Elena Vargas AmadoAndreas ThomannPeter SchierackJoerg JoresPublished in: Environmental microbiology reports (2024)
In this study, we investigated faecal specimens from legally hunted and road-killed red foxes, raccoons, raccoon dogs, badgers and martens in Germany for parasites and selected zoonotic bacteria. We found that Baylisascaris procyonis, a zoonotic parasite of raccoons, had spread to northeastern Germany, an area previously presumed to be free of this parasite. We detected various pathogenic bacterial species from the genera Listeria, Clostridium (including baratii), Yersinia and Salmonella, which were analysed using whole-genome sequencing. One isolate of Yersinia enterocolitica contained a virulence plasmid. The Salmonella Cholerasuis isolate encoded an aminoglycoside resistance gene and a parC point mutation, conferring resistance to ciprofloxacin. We also found tetracycline resistance genes in Paeniclostridium sordellii and Clostridium baratii. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the isolates were polyclonal, indicating the absence of specific wildlife-adapted clones. Predators, which scavenge from various sources including human settlements, acquire and spread zoonotic pathogens. Therefore, their role should not be overlooked in the One Health context.
Keyphrases
- escherichia coli
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- listeria monocytogenes
- plasmodium falciparum
- antimicrobial resistance
- genome wide
- healthcare
- endothelial cells
- gram negative
- public health
- staphylococcus aureus
- mental health
- toxoplasma gondii
- copy number
- genome wide identification
- dna methylation
- risk assessment
- single molecule
- climate change
- ultrasound guided
- health promotion
- aqueous solution