High prevalence and diversity of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase and emergence of Carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae spp in wildlife in Catalonia

In wildlife, most of the studies focused on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) describe Escherichia coli as the principal indicator of the selective pressure. In the present study, new species of Enterobacteriaceae with a large panel of cephalosporin resistant (CR) genes have been isolated from wildlife in Catalonia. A total of 307 wild animals were examined to determine CR enterobacteria prevalence, AMR phenotypes and common carbapenem and CR gene expression. The overall prevalence of CR-phenotype was 13% (40/307): 17.3% in wild mammals (18/104) and 11.5% in wild birds (22/191) (p