Di Francesco Antonietta, Salvatore Daniela, Taddei Roberta, Bertelloni Fabrizio, Lupini Caterina, Cagnoli Giulia, Ebani Valentina Virginia
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), "Bruno Ubertini", Sede Territoriale di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jul 9;15(14):2022. doi: 10.3390/ani15142022.
Clinically significant antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and resistance genes are increasingly being reported in wildlife. In this study, 127 splenic samples from red foxes () from northern and central Italy were analysed for the presence of resistance genes against antimicrobials such as tetracycline, sulphonamide, β-lactam, and colistin, which were previously extensively used in human and veterinary management of bacterial diseases. One or more antimicrobial resistance genes were detected in 78 (61%) of 127 splenic samples. Polymerase chain reaction positivity was revealed for 13 genes-(A), (B), (K), (L), (M), (O), (P), (Q), (S), (X), , , and -out of the 21 tested genes. Our results, corroborated by reports in the literature, confirm the potential role of the red fox as a sentinel for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in contaminated environments and suggest that detecting resistance genes in biological samples by a culture-independent method might be an effective tool for the epidemiological study of antimicrobial resistance in wildlife.
野生动物中具有临床意义的抗菌药物耐药细菌和耐药基因的报道日益增多。在本研究中，对来自意大利北部和中部的127份赤狐脾脏样本进行了分析，以检测对四环素、磺胺类、β-内酰胺类和黏菌素等抗菌药物的耐药基因，这些抗菌药物此前广泛应用于人类和兽医的细菌疾病治疗。在127份脾脏样本中，有78份（61%）检测到一种或多种抗菌药物耐药基因。在检测的21种基因中，有13种基因（A、B、K、L、M、O、P、Q、S、X、、、和）的聚合酶链反应呈阳性。我们的结果得到了文献报道的证实，确认了赤狐作为受污染环境中抗菌药物耐药细菌哨兵的潜在作用，并表明通过非培养方法检测生物样本中的耐药基因可能是野生动物抗菌药物耐药性流行病学研究的有效工具。
