- I Literák: Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
AIMS: To characterize antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella isolates in rooks wintering in the Czech Republic.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Three hundred and sixty-three faeces samples from rooks were examined for antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Altogether 13.7%E. coli isolates were resistant to antimicrobial agents tested. The dominant type of resistance was to tetracycline. Resistant E. coli isolates were examined for antibiotic resistance genes and class 1 integrons. Five of 29 antibiotic resistant isolates possessed the int1 gene. Nine Salmonella isolates (2.5%) were found in rook faeces. All the isolates belonged to serotype Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis phage type PT8 and PT23.
CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that rooks can be infected by antibiotic resistant E. coli and Salmonella isolates, probably reflecting the presence of such isolates in their sources of food and/or water in the environment.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Rooks can serve as reservoirs and vectors of antibiotic resistant E. coli and Salmonella isolates and potentially transmit these isolates over long distances.