Publikationsdatenbank

Urban brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) as possible source of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp., Vienna, Austria, 2016 and 2017 (2019)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Desvars-Larrive, Amélie

Ruppitsch, Werner

Lepuschitz, Sarah

Szostak, Michael P.

Spergser, Joachim

Feßler, Andrea T. (WE 7)

Schwarz, Stefan (WE 7)

Monecke, Stefan

Ehricht, Ralf

Walzer, Chris

Loncaric, Igor

Quelle

Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin

Bandzählung: 24

Heftzählung: 32

Seiten: 1 – 12

ISSN: 1560-7917

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.32.1900149

DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.32.1900149

Pubmed: 31411133

Kontakt

Institut für Mikrobiologie und Tierseuchen

Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 51843 / 66949
mikrobiologie@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Background:
Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) are an important wildlife species in cities, where they live in close proximity to humans. However, few studies have investigated their role as reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

Aim:
We intended to determine whether urban rats at two highly frequented sites in Vienna, Austria, carry extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, fluoroquinolone-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and meticillin-resistant (MR) Staphylococcus spp. (MRS).

Methods:
We surveyed the presence of antimicrobial resistance in 62 urban brown rats captured in 2016 and 2017 in Vienna, Austria. Intestinal and nasopharyngeal samples were cultured on selective media. We characterised the isolates and their antimicrobial properties using microbiological and genetic methods including disk diffusion, microarray analysis, sequencing, and detection and characterisation of plasmids.

Results:
Eight multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and two extensively drug-resistant New Delhi metallo-β-lactamases-1 (NDM-1)-producing Enterobacter xiangfangensis ST114 (En. cloacae complex) were isolated from nine of 62 rats. Nine Enterobacteriaceae isolates harboured the bla_CTX-M gene and one carried a plasmid-encoded ampC gene (bla_CMY-2). Forty-four MRS were isolated from 37 rats; they belonged to seven different staphylococcal species: S. fleurettii, S. sciuri, S. aureus, S. pseudintermedius, S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus (all mecA-positive) and mecC-positive S. xylosus.

Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that brown rats in cities are a potential source of multidrug-resistant bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant En. xiangfangensis ST114. Considering the increasing worldwide urbanisation, rodent control remains an important priority for health in modern cities.