2024-09-01 11:18:37
A new study has revealed that seagulls in urban coastal areas can disperse zoonotic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria throughout those urban environments.
The research was led by the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM) in Barcelona and the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB). The ICM is part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
In addition to analysing the presence of these pathogens in yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis), the movements of these animals have been monitored, which has allowed the identification of the distances they travel and the spaces they visit most. Although the risk of transmission is low, the study concludes that the results of the research provide key data for the management of public health in these environments.
Specifically, the study, published in the academic journal Science of the Total Environment, assesses the presence of pathogenic bacteria in yellow-legged gulls living in the city of Barcelona. To carry out the study, a total of 129 individuals were captured and analysed in the ASPB laboratory. The results show the presence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in 14% of the gulls sampled and a low prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and Listeria monocytogenes. Furthermore, neither Yersinia enterocolitica nor Salmonella spp. were detected during the analysis. All of these bacteria can have dangerous repercussions for human health.
On the other hand, the scientific team studied the movements of the captured seagulls using GPS devices. This allowed them to generate maps of potential dispersion of pathogens by urban seagulls and to identify the type of facilities most sensitive to the presence of these pathogens, such as primary care centres, hospitals, food establishments and industries, schools or ornamental fountains.
“Combining seagull movement data with pathogen analysis allows us to generate explicit maps that can be essential for public health management in large cities such as Barcelona,” explains Víctor Martín-Vélez, a postdoctoral researcher at the ICM.
By: Science News.com / Amazings.com