Prevalence of <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. and the Whole-Genome Characteristics of <i>Enterococcus faecium</i> and <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> Strains Isolated from Free-Living Birds in Poland
Renata Kwit,
Magdalena Zając,
Aleksandra Śmiałowska-Węglińska,
Magdalena Skarżyńska,
Arkadiusz Bomba,
Anna Lalak,
Ewelina Skrzypiec,
Dominika Wojdat,
Weronika Koza,
Emilia Mikos-Wojewoda,
Paulina Pasim,
Milena Skóra,
Marcin Polak,
Jarosław Wiącek,
Dariusz Wasyl
Affiliations
Renata Kwit
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Magdalena Zając
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Aleksandra Śmiałowska-Węglińska
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Magdalena Skarżyńska
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Arkadiusz Bomba
Department of Omic Analyses, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Anna Lalak
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Ewelina Skrzypiec
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Dominika Wojdat
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Weronika Koza
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Emilia Mikos-Wojewoda
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Paulina Pasim
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Milena Skóra
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Marcin Polak
Department of Zoology and Nature Protection, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University (UMCS), 20-033 Lublin, Poland
Jarosław Wiącek
Department of Zoology and Nature Protection, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University (UMCS), 20-033 Lublin, Poland
Dariusz Wasyl
Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Enterococci as opportunistic bacteria are important for human health. Due to the prevalence and ease of acquisition and transfer of their genes, they are an excellent indicator of environmental contamination and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of Enterococcus spp. in wild birds in Poland, determination of antimicrobial susceptibility and WGS analysis of Enterococcus (E.) faecium and E. faecalis. For this purpose, 138 samples from various species of free-living birds were tested, with 66.7% positive results. Fourteen species were detected, with E. faecalis being the most common, followed by E. casseliflavus and E. hirae. In antimicrobial susceptibility testing, 10.0% of E. faecalis and 50.0% of E. faecium showed resistance to one antimicrobial agent, in addition the MDR phenotype which was found in one E. faecium. The most common resistance phenotype included tetracycline and quinupristin/dalfopristin. The WGS analysis confirmed the significant advantage of the virulence gene diversity of E. faecalis strains over E. faecium. In addition, plasmid replicons were found in 42.0% of E. faecalis and 80.0% of E. faecium. The obtained results confirm free-living birds can be a reservoir of Enterococcus spp. with a considerable zoonotic potential.
