Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Migratory Birds Active

By Alaska Science Center August 21, 2018

Migratory birds, and particularly those using habitats close to human settlements, may be infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria.  The USGS is working with public health professionals to understand the role of birds in the maintenance and dispersal of antibiotic resistant bacteria.  Additionally, the USGS is investigating how antibiotic resistant bacteria in birds may relate to public and ecosystem health.

Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems or Wildlife Disease and Environmental Health

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose challenges to healthcare delivery systems globally; however, limited information is available regarding the prevalence and spread of such bacteria in the environment. The aim of this project is to compare the prevalence and genetic relatedness of antibiotic resistant bacteria in large-bodied gulls (Larus spp.) at locations across Alaska to gain inference into associations between antibiotic resistance in wildlife and anthropogenically influenced habitats.  Study locations include: Adak, Bethel, Cold Bay, the Kenai River, the Kasilof River, Middleton Island, Nome, Soldotna, and Utqiagvik.

 

 

Woman holding gull with satellite tag on it's back
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Christina Ahlstrom holding a gull tagging with a satellite transmitter.(Public domain.)
link
Herring and Glaucous gulls at the Bethel Landfill, Bethel, Alaska

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Acquired by Wild Birds in Urban Settings and Dispersed via Migration

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have developed a model that demonstrates how migratory wild birds in urban areas can acquire bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, including those used in clinics, and potentially disperse these bacteria between continents via migration.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Environmental Health Program, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
link

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Acquired by Wild Birds in Urban Settings and Dispersed via Migration

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have developed a model that demonstrates how migratory wild birds in urban areas can acquire bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, including those used in clinics, and potentially disperse these bacteria between continents via migration.
Learn More

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

Antimicrobial Resistance Testing and qPCR Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Surface Water and Gull (Larus spp.) Feces on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, 2021

This data set includes information on collections of surface water and fecal samples from wild gulls (Larus spp.) at two locations on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA. Samples were screened for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) and tested for resistance to multiple antibiotics.
By
Alaska Science Center

Data for Continental-Scale Dispersal of Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria by Alaska Landfill-Foraging Gulls

This data set includes information on collections of fecal samples from wild gulls (Larus spp.) at seven locations in Alaska, USA. Samples were screened for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and tested for resistance to multiple antibiotics.
By
Alaska Science Center

Sampling, Antimicrobial Resistance Testing, and Genomic Typing of Carbapenemase Producing E. coli in Gulls (Larus spp.) in Alaska, 2016

This data set includes information on collections of fecal samples from wild gulls (Larus spp.) at seven locations in Alaska, USA. Samples were screened for carbapenemase producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) and tested for resistance to multiple antibiotics.
By
Alaska Science Center

Sampling, antimicrobial resistance testing, and genomic typing of E. coli in gulls (Larus spp.) on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, 2016

This data set includes information on collections of fecal or cloacal samples from wild gulls (Larus spp.) at four locations on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA. Samples were also collected from sockeye salmon harvested as part of the personal-use fisheries on the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers. Samples were screened for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and tested for resistance to multiple antibiotics.
By
Alaska Science Center

Sampling and Resistance and Genomic Typing of Cephalosporin-resistant E. coli in Gulls (Larus spp.) and Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Southcentral Alaska, 2016

This data set includes information on collections of fecal or cloacal samples from wild birds at a location in Alaska, USA. Samples were screened for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and tested for resistance to multiple antibiotics.
By
Alaska Science Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

Genomic comparison of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from humans and gulls in Alaska

ObjectivesWildlife may harbor clinically important antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria, but the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of AMR bacterial infections in humans is largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess dissemination of theblaKPC carbapenemase gene among humans and gulls in Alaska.MethodsWe performed whole genome sequencing to determine the genetic context ofblaKPC in bact
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Anna Frick, Catherine Pongratz, Kimberly Spink, Catherine Xavier, Jonas Bonnedahl, Andrew M. Ramey
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Evidence for continental-scale dispersal of antimicrobial resistant bacteria by landfill-foraging gulls

Anthropogenic inputs into the environment may serve as sources of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and alter the ecology and population dynamics of synanthropic wild animals by providing supplemental forage. In this study, we used a combination of phenotypic and genomic approaches to characterize antimicrobial resistant indicator bacteria, animal telemetry to describe host movement patterns, and a
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Mariëlle L. van Toor, Hanna Woksepp, Jeffrey C Chandler, John Reed, Andrew B. Reeves, Jonas Waldenström, Alan B. Franklin, David C. Douglas, Jonas Bonnedahl, Andrew M. Ramey
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Gulls as sources of environmental contamination by colistin-resistant bacteria

In 2015, the mcr-1 gene was discovered in Escherichia coli in domestic swine in China that conferred resistance to colistin, an antibiotic of last resort used in treating multi-drug resistant bacterial infections in humans. Since then, mcr-1 was found in other human and animal populations, including wild gulls. Because gulls could disseminate the mcr-1 gene, we conducted an experiment to assess wh
Authors
Alan B. Franklin, Andrew M. Ramey, Kevin T Bentler, Nicole L Barret, Loredana M McCurdy, Christina Ahlstrom, Jonas Bonnedahl, Susan A. Shriner, Jeffrey C Chandler
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Antibiotic resistant bacteria in wildlife: Perspectives on trends, acquisitions and dissemination, data gaps, and future directions

The proliferation of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment has potential negative economic and health consequences. Thus, previous investigations have targeted wild animals to understand the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in diverse environmental sources. In this critical review and synthesis, we summarize important concepts learned through the sampling of wildlife for antibiotic
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Christina Ahlstrom
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Early emergence of mcr-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae in gulls from Spain and Portugal

We tested extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase producing bacteria from wild gulls (Larusspp.) sampled in 2009 for the presence of mcr‐1. We report the detection of mcr‐1 and describe genome characteristics of four Escherichia coli and one Klebsiella pneumoniaeisolate from Spain and Portugal that also exhibited colistin resistance. Results represent the earliest evidence for colistin‐resistant bacteria in
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Andrew M. Ramey, Hanna Woksepp, Jonas Bonnedahl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Repeated detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli in gulls inhabiting Alaska, USA

We report the first detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli in Alaska and in wildlife in the United States. Wild bird (gull) feces sampled at three locations in Southcentral Alaska yielded isolates that harbored plasmid-encoded blaKPC-2 or chromosomally-encoded blaOXA-48, and genes associated with antimicrobial resistance to up to eight antibiotic classes.
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Andrew M. Ramey, Hanna Woksepp, Jonas Bonnedahl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Satellite tracking of gulls and genomic characterization of fecal bacteria reveals environmentally mediated acquisition and dispersal of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Gulls (Larus spp.) have frequently been reported to carry Escherichia coli exhibiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR E. coli); however, the pathways governing the acquisition and dispersal of such bacteria are not well-described. We equipped 17 landfill-foraging gulls with satellite transmitters and collected gull fecal samples longitudinally from four locations on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska to as
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Jonas Bonnedahl, Hanna Woksepp, Jorge Hernandez, John Reed, T. Lee Tibbitts, Björn Olsen, David C. Douglas, Andrew M. Ramey
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Acquisition and dissemination of cephalosporin-resistant E. coli in migratory birds sampled at an Alaska landfill as inferred through genomic analysis

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens threatens global health, though the spread of AMR bacteria and AMR genes between humans, animals, and the environment is still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the role of wild birds in the epidemiology of AMR Escherichia coli. Using next-generation sequencing, we characterized cephalosporin-resistant E. coli cultured from sympatric gulls
Authors
Christina Ann Ahlstrom, Jonas Bonnedahl, Hanna Woksepp, Jorge Hernandez, Olsen Bjorn, Andrew M. Ramey
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Alaska Science Center

Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in migratory birds inhabiting remote Alaska

We explored the abundance of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli among migratory birds at remote sites in Alaska and used a comparative approach to speculate on plausible explanations for differences in detection among species. At a remote island site, we detected antibiotic-resistant E. coli phenotypes in samples collected from glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens), a species often associat
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Jorge Hernandez, Veronica Tyrlöv, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Clara Atterby, Josef D. Järhult, Jonas Bonnedahl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Alaska Science Center

Increased prevalence of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in gulls sampled in southcentral Alaska is associated with urban environments

BackgroundAntibiotic-resistant bacteria pose challenges to healthcare delivery systems globally; however, limited information is available regarding the prevalence and spread of such bacteria in the environment. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in large-bodied gulls (Larus spp.) at urban and remote locations in Southcentral Alaska to gain inferen
Authors
Clara Atterby, Andrew M. Ramey, Gabriel Gustafsson Hall, Josef Jarhult, Stefan Borjesson, Jonas Bonnedahl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center