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
Molecular Ecology
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- Data Releases:
- USGS data release - Tracking Data for Three Large-bodied Gull Species and Hybrids (Larus spp.)
- USGS data release - Sampling, antimicrobial resistance testing, and genomic typing of E. coli in gulls (Larus spp.) on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, 2016
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Abstract
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 assess: 1) gull attendance and transitions between sites, 2) spatiotemporal prevalence of fecally-shed AMR E. coli, and 3) genomic relatedness of AMR E. coli isolates among sites. We also sampled Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) harvested as part of personal-use dipnet fisheries at two sites to assess potential contamination with AMR E. coli. Among our study sites, marked gulls most commonly occupied the lower Kenai River (61% of site locations) followed by the Soldotna landfill (11%), lower Kasilof River (5%), and upper Kenai River (<1%). Gulls primarily moved between the Soldotna landfill and the lower Kenai River (94% of transitions among sites), which were also the two locations with the highest prevalence of AMR E. coli. There was relatively high spatial and temporal variability in AMR E. coli prevalence in gull feces and there was no evidence of contamination on salmon harvested in personal-use fisheries. We identified E. coli sequence types and AMR genes of clinical importance, with some isolates possessing genes associated with resistance to as many as eight antibiotic classes. Our findings suggest that gulls acquire AMR E. coli at habitats with anthropogenic inputs and subsequent movements may represent pathways through which AMR is dispersed.
Suggested Citation
Ahlstrom, C., Bonnedahl, J., Woksepp, H., Hernandez, J., Reed, J., Tibbitts, T.L., Olsen, B., Douglas, D., Ramey, A.M., 2019, 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: Molecular Ecology, v. 28, no. 10, p. 2531-2545, https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15101.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | 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 |
| Series title | Molecular Ecology |
| DOI | 10.1111/mec.15101 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Publication Date | May 11, 2019 |
| Year Published | 2019 |
| Language | English |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center Biology WTEB |
| Description | 15 p. |
| First page | 2531 |
| Last page | 2545 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Kenai Peninsula |