title: Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Pigeons from Public Parks in Costa Rica.
abstract: Antimicrobial resistance is known to be an emerging problem, but the extent of the issue remains incomplete. The aim of this study was to determine the presence or absence of nine resistance genes (blaTEM, catI, mecA, qnrS, sulI, sulII, tet(A), tet(Q), vanA) in the faeces of 141 pigeons from four urban parks in Alajuela, Guadalupe, Tres Ríos and San José in Costa Rica. The genes were identified by real-time PCR directly from enema samples. About 30% of the samples were positive for genes catI and sulI; between 13% and 17% were positive for qnrS, sulII, tet(A) and tet(Q); and 4% were positive for blaTEM. The mecA and vanA genes were not detected. The average of antimicrobial resistance genes detected per pigeon was 2. Eight different patterns of resistance were identified, without differences in the sampling areas, being the most common pattern 2 (sulII positive samples). During rainy season, the genes more frequently found were sulI and tet(A). In conclusion, the urban inhabiting pigeons tested are currently carrying antimicrobial resistance genes, potentially acting as reservoirs of resistant bacteria and vectors to humans. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study carried out on direct detection of resistance genes in the digestive metagenomes of pigeons.
authors.affiliation: Posgrado Regional en Ciencias Veterinarias (PCVET), Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.|Instituto Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Tóxicas (IRET), Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blanco-Peña
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (INIA-CISA), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Esperón
authors.affiliation: Posgrado Regional en Ciencias Veterinarias (PCVET), Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Torres-Mejía
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (INIA-CISA), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de la Torre
authors.affiliation: Instituto Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Tóxicas (IRET), Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de la Cruz
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Especies Menores y Silvestres, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Soto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D010856:Columbidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D003364:Costa Rica; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Antimicrobial resistances; Columba livia; Costa Rica; antimicrobial resistance genes; ecosystem health; urban parks