Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment—particularly in water, soil, and wildlife—is now of global, strategic importance. The “One Health” approach is central to researching and preventing the spread of AMR, as resistant pathogens and genes (ARGs) circulate among humans, animals, and ecosystems via the environment. The environment is not merely a passive recipient but acts as a reservoir and “laboratory” for the evolution of resistance.
In the third part of the lecture series, we will feature three presentations on the topic of “AMR and Wildlife”:
This lecture series is accredited for 2 ATF credits.
13:00
Welcome & short presentation of One Health Platform
Moderated by Dr. Dana Thal
One Health Platform, c/o Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Greifswald-Insel Riems
13:10 - 13:45
Dr. Dr. Timo Homeier-Bachmann, Institute of Epidemiology, Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Federal Research Center for Animal Health, Greifswald – Riems Island, had to cancel his talk "ESBL-E. coli in wildlife and waste water" at short notice.
But we are pleased to present a talk from Jonas Bonnedahl.
Linköping University, Department of biomedical and clinical sciences AND Department of Infectious diseases, Reion Kalmar County, Sweden
Key points:
- Migratory gulls along the Georgian Black Sea coast carried clinically important carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales including Klebsiella pneumoniae, dominated by globally disseminated high-risk clones.
- Several isolates combined multidrug resistance with hypervirulence highlighting potential convergence of two major clinical threats.
- GPS tracking linked the gulls to wastewater treatment plants, landfills and other human-impacted environments, suggesting that migratory birds may act as sentinels of environmental contamination and pathogen dissemination across One Health interfaces.
Questions & Discussion
13:45 - 14:15
Title: Dermatophytes and the skin resistome
Prof. Dr. Jesper Larsen
Reference Laboratory for Antibiotic Resistance and Staphylococci, Division of Bacteria, Parasites, and Fungi, Office of Infectious Disease Prevention
Statens Serum Institut, Denmark
Key points:
- Dermatophytes have produced penicillin for millions of years
- Commensal skin bacteria became resistant to naturally produced penicillin
- Ancient resistance genes (blaZ and mecA homologues) were horizontally transferred to S. aureus and other pathogenic skin bacteria at the onset of the antibiotic era
Questions & Discussion
14:15 - 14:45
Title: Shared Landscapes, Shared Resistance in African Wildlife Systems
Dr. Dishon Muloi
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenia
Key points:
- Wildlife, livestock, and humans share space closely in both urban and rural African settings, making wildlife an integral part of the AMR landscape.
- Is wildlife a villain, a victim, or simply a mirror reflecting back our own behaviour?
- AMR also carries a direct cost to wildlife health, what are knock-on effects for biodiversity? What do we measure? How do we measure?
Questions & Discussion