Pathogenic microorganisms carried by migratory birds passing through\ud the territory of the island of Ustica, Sicily (Italy).

摘要

Several studies have shown that migratory birds play an important role in the ecology, circulation and\uddissemination of pathogenic organisms. In October 2006, a health status evaluation was performed on a\udlarge population of migratory birds passing through the territory of Ustica (Italy), an island located on the\udmigration route of many species of birds to Africa, and various laboratory tests were conducted. In total,\ud218 faecal swabs and the internal organs of 21 subjects found dead in nets were collected for bacteriological\udand virological examination, including avian influenza and Newcastle disease. In addition, 19 pooled fresh\udfaecal samples were collected for mycological examination. The bacteriological analysis produced 183 strains\udbelonging to 28 different species of the Enterobacteriaceae family. In particular, Salmonella bongori, Yersinia\udenterocolitica and Klebsiella pneumonia strains were isolated. Almost all of the isolates were susceptible to\udsulphamethoxazole/trimethoprime (99.4%), cefotaxime (98.9%), nalidixic acid (96.7%), chloramphenicol\ud(95.6%), and tetracycline (93.4%). Alternatively, many strains were resistant to ampicillin (42.6%),\udamoxicillin-clavulanic acid (42.6%), and streptomycin (43.7%). According to reverse transcriptasepolymerase\udchain reaction analysis, all of the samples were negative for the M gene of avian influenza\udvirus. Moreover, isolation tests conducted on specific pathogen free eggs were negative for avian influenza\udand Newcastle disease. Several hyphomycetes and yeasts belonging to different genera were present in the\udspecimens, and Cryptococcus neoformans was observed in a pooled faecal sample. Antibiotic resistance in\udwildlife can be monitored to evaluate the impact of anthropic pressure. Furthermore, migratory birds are\udpotential reservoirs of pathogenic agents; thus, they can be regarded as sentinel species and used as\udenvironmental health indicators.