Staphylococcus spp. isolated from wild birds apprehended in the local illegal trade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and relevance in public health.

This work aimed to investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus in wild birds seized in illegal trade and their antimicrobial resistance patterns. Cloacal samples were obtained from 109 wild birds apprehended in the street markets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Staphylococcus spp. were phenotypically and genotypically identified, and resistance profile was evaluated according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines and by polymerase chain reaction of mecA and blaZ genes. Staphylococcus was detected in 45·9% (50/109) of the cloacal swab samples, and 39 (78·0%) isolates were resistant to one or more of the nine antimicrobials tested and were also positive to mecA (12/39) or blaZ genes (14/39). High percentage of resistance was detected to ampicillin, oxacillin, cefoxitin, clindamycin and tetracycline, with the absence of resistance to vancomycin. Wild birds captured and submitted to captive stress conditions of illegal trade market of Brazil may have an important role as reservoirs of Staphylococcus spp. and its antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. The significance of this study is revealed by the zoonotic and pathogenic potential of staphylococci and that impact to public health and requires monitoring polices of wild birds health in tropical areas. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The isolation of Staphylococcus species that are not commonly isolated from wild bird faeces, the relatively high proportion of strains showing degrees of resistance to ß-lactamics, lincosamides and tetracycline, and also the presence of mecA and blaZ genes that has been associated with multidrug phenotype reveal its public health relevance and zoonotic potential. Consequently, this represents an important route to transmission of this pathogen and its antimicrobial resistance mechanisms throughout national and international frontiers fostered by the illegal trade of wild animals and close contact with humans.

A comprehensive survey of Aeromonas sp. and Vibrio sp. in seabirds from southeastern Brazil: outcomes for public health.

AIMS: To perform a microbiological survey regarding the presence, prevalence and characterization of Aeromonas sp. and Vibrio sp. in debilitated wrecked marine birds recovered from the centre-north coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS AND RESULTS: Swabs obtained from 116 alive and debilitated wrecked marine birds, comprising 19 species, from the study area were evaluated by biochemical methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests and pathogenicity gene screening were performed for bacterial strains of public health importance. Vibrio sp. and Aeromonas sp. were identified, as well as certain pathogenic genes and resistance to selected antimicrobials. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the identified bacteria, mainly Vibrio sp., are fairly prevalent and widespread among several species of seabirds and highlights the importance of migratory birds in bacterial dispersion. In addition, it demonstrates the importance of the bacterial strains regarding their pathogenic potential. Therefore, seabirds can act as bacterial reservoirs, and their monitoring is of the utmost importance in a public health context. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The study comprehensively evaluates the importance of seabirds as bacteria of public health importance reservoirs, since birds comprising several pathogenic bacterial species were evaluated.

Molecular sexing of unusually large numbers of Spheniscus magellanicus (Spheniscidae) washed ashore along the Brazilian coast in 2008.

There have been few studies on Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus). In 2008, these penguins washed ashore along the Brazilian coast in unusually high numbers, some reaching as far as northeast Brazil. As Magellanic penguins show little sexual dimorphism, sex determination by morphological features is not accurate. Here, we tested a molecular procedure for sexing specimens of S. magellanicus washed ashore along the coasts of Sergipe, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul in 2008, comparing the sex ratio between these localities. Tissue samples were collected from 135 dead, beached specimens. We carried out total genomic DNA extraction and CHD-Z/CHD-W gene amplification by PCR using P2 and P8 primers. Amplicons were separated by 12% acrylamide gel electrophoresis. We found a greater proportion of females (70%). Sex could be determined because females have two intronic regions of CHD gene of different size in the sex chromosomes, visualized as two bands on the gel (380 and 400 bp approximately), while males have only one (400 bp). Therefore, this method proved to be effective and sensitive for sex determination of S. magellanicus individuals. Data on sex ratios are useful for understanding the dynamics and ecology of Magellanic penguin populations.