Journal Article
Antimicrobial resistance in wildlife: detection of antimicrobial resistance genes in Apennine wolves (Canis lupus italicus Altobello, 1921) from Central Italy
A. Di Francesco; D. Salvatore; A. Ranucci; M. Gobbi; B. Morandi
Veterinary Research Communications · Vol. 48, Issue 3 · pp. 1941-1947 · 2024
Abstract
The aim of this study was to molecularly investigate the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in organ samples from 11 Apennine wolves ( Canis lupus italicus ) collected in Central Italy. Samples from lung, liver, spleen, kidney, tongue and intestine were investigated by PCRs targeting the following genes: tet (A), tet (B), tet (C), tet (D), tet (E), tet (G), tet (K), tet (L), tet (M), tet (O), tetA (P), tet (Q), tet (S), tet (X), sul1 , sul2 , sul3 , bla CTX−M , bla SHV , bla TEM and mcr -1. A PCR positivity was highlighted for 13 out of the 21 tested genes; no positive results were obtained for tet (C), tet (D), tet (E), tet (G), sul3 , bla CTX , bla SHV and mcr -1 genes. All 11 animals sampled showed positivity for one or more resistance genes. The results confirm the potential role of the wolf as an indicator and/or vector of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria or ARGs.