Pilot Study of Antimicrobial Resistance in Northern Bobwhites (Colinus virginianus)

SUMMARY Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an important issue for both wildlife conservation and public health. The purpose of this study was to screen for AMR in fecal bacteria isolated from northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), a species that is an ecologically and economically important natural resource in the southern United States. The antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of 45 Escherichia coli isolates, 20 Enterococcus faecalis isolates, and 10 Enterococcus faecium isolates were determined using the SensititerTM microbroth dilution minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) plate, AVIAN1F. Overall, E. coli isolates had high MIC values for the following classes of antimicrobials: aminocoumarins, beta-lactams, lincosamides, macrolides, florfenicol, and sulfonamides. Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium isolates had high MICs for aminocyclitols, aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, lincosamides, and sulfonamides. Enterococcus faecalis isolates also showed high MICs for aminocoumarins, while E. faecium isolate...