(Press-News.org) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Land and marine iguanas and giant tortoises living close to human settlements or tourist sites in the Galápagos islands are more likely to harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria than those living in more remote or protected sites on the islands, researchers report in a new study.
Feces collected at several different sites from free-living reptiles harbored Escherichia coli bacteria that were resistant to ampicillin, doxycycline, tetracycline, and trimethoprin/sulfamethoxazole. Another bacterial species collected from the feces, Salmonella enterica, was found to be only mildly resistant or not resistant at all to the same antibiotics, most likely because of the differing ecology of these two bacterial species in the gut, researchers said.
The study results are reported in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
This is not the first study to find that wild animals living near humans or affected by tourism can obtain antibiotic-resistant bacteria from that exposure, said University of Illinois animal sciences professor Roderick Mackie, who led the study. But it does offer researchers and wildlife managers a way to determine which vulnerable animal species are most at risk of exposure to human pathogens.
"Oceanic island systems such as the Galápagos archipelago are ideal for studying patterns and processes of ecology and evolution, such as antibiotic resistance," Mackie said. "Although the data are interesting, we don't have enough data to identify the likely source of antibiotic exposure and origin of the resistance genes, or to draw conclusions about transmission direction."
Also, it is not yet clear "to what extent this potential exposure translates to ongoing exchange of bacterial strains or bacterial traits," the researchers wrote. Further studies are needed "to understand better how human associations influence disease risk in endemic Galápagos wildlife."
The work was carried out by Emily Wheeler as part of her doctoral studies in Mackie's lab, and was supported by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STAR Fellowship and a student research grant from the Conservation Medicine Center of Chicago. Postdoctoral researcher Pei-Ying Hong and field biologist Lenin Cruz Bedon, of Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos, are co-authors on the study.
Mackie also is an affiliate of the Institute for Genomic Biology at Illinois.
INFORMATION:
Editor's notes: To reach Roderick Mackie, call 217- 244-2526; email r-mackie@illinois.edu.
The paper, "Carriage of Antibiotic-Resistant Enteric Bacteria Varies Among Sites in Galápagos Reptiles," is available online or from the U. of I. News Bureau.
Patterns of antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in Galapagos reptiles
2012-01-25
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Compounds in mate tea induce death in colon cancer cells
2012-01-25
URBANA – Could preventing colon cancer be as simple as developing a taste for yerba mate tea? In a recent University of Illinois study, scientists showed that human colon cancer cells die when they are exposed to the approximate number of bioactive compounds present in one cup of this brew, which has long been consumed in South America for its medicinal properties.
"The caffeine derivatives in mate tea not only induced death in human colon cancer cells, they also reduced important markers of inflammation," said Elvira de Mejia, a U of I associate professor of food chemistry ...
Dentist in South Charlotte, NC Announces Name Change for the New Year
2012-01-25
Dr. Mark Tripp, dentist in South Charlotte, NC, is pleased to welcome 2012 with new, improved changes to his practice. The new year of 2012 brings new beginnings to Drs. Mark Tripp, Armen Balasanyan and Andre Brun, as they are pleased to announce the recent name change for Richards and Tripp Dentistry.
"I am pleased to announce that with the New Year comes a new change at our practice. We have formally changed our name from Richards and Tripp Dentistry to LandMark Dentistry. Even though our name has changed, we still maintain the same commitment and dedication ...
Regional surgical quality collaborative significantly improves surgical outcomes and reduces cost
2012-01-25
CHICAGO (January 23, 2012) – A new study published online today in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons finds hospitals participating in a regional collaborative of the American College of Surgeon's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®), achieved substantial improvements in surgical outcomes, such as reducing the rates of acute renal failure and surgical site infections. The collaborative also saved $2,197,543 per 10,000 general and vascular surgery cases when comparing results from 2010 with results from 2009. ACS NSQIP is the leading nationally ...
IU study: Socioeconomic status more influential than race in determination of child abuse
2012-01-25
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana University School of Medicine study has determined that a patient's socioeconomic status has more influence than race on physician diagnosis of whether a child's injury was accidental or caused by abuse.
When presented with scenarios that could possibly but not obviously indicate child abuse, 2,109 physicians from across the United States who participated in the study were most likely to suspect maltreatment rather than accident for white children from families with low socioeconomic status than for black children with low socioeconomic status ...
Podiatrist in Hackettstown, NJ Announces Practice Merger for Increased Care
2012-01-25
Drs. Helene T. Nguyen, DPM, Vilayvanh Sysounthone, DPM and Yong J. Zhu, DPM, podiatrists in Hackettstown, NJ, are pleased to announce the recent merging of their Parsippany office with Feet 'N Beyond of New Jersey, P.A. Medical and surgical podiatric services are now available during clinical hours or by appointment at the two New Jersey locations convenient to Essex, Morris, Passaic, Warren and Sussex County residents and businesses.
"With our recent merger, I look forward to providing our patients with superior quality foot and ankle care. Growing the practice ...
Nature Materials study: Graphene 'invisible' to water
2012-01-25
Troy, N.Y. – Graphene is the thinnest material known to science. The nanomaterial is so thin, in fact, water often doesn't even know it's there.
Engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Rice University coated pieces of gold, copper, and silicon with a single layer of graphene, and then placed a drop of water on the coated surfaces. Surprisingly, the layer of graphene proved to have virtually no impact on the manner in which water spreads on the surfaces.
Results of the study were published Sunday in the journal Nature Materials. The findings ...
Study: Unilateral divorce laws caused temporary spike in violent crime
2012-01-25
Chicago -- U.S. states that enacted unilateral divorce laws saw substantial increases in violent crime in the years following the reform, according to research in the Journal of Labor Economics. But the ill-effects of the new laws appear to be largely temporary.
The research found an average 9 percent increase in violent crime after a state enacted a unilateral divorce law, which allows one spouse to end a marriage without the consent of the other. The increase in crime was mainly confined to the first two decades after the reform and was mostly attributable to individuals ...
Nurturing mothers rear physically healthier adults
2012-01-25
Nurturing mothers have garnered accolades for rescuing skinned knees on the playground and coaxing their children to sleep with lullabies. Now they're gaining merit for their offspring's physical health in middle age.
In a recent study published in the journal Psychological Science, Brandeis psychologist Margie Lachman with Gregory Miller and colleagues at the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles reveal that while children raised in families with low socioeconomic status (SES) frequently go on to have high rates of chronic illness ...
Georgetown professor applauds decision of researchers to temporarily halt research on H5N1
2012-01-25
WASHINGTON, DC – A Georgetown University Medical Center professor says the voluntary action taken by two research teams to temporarily halt work involving the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 is "laudable."
In the researchers' statement, published today by Science and Nature, the authors stated that they "recognize that we and the rest of the scientific community need to clearly explain the benefits of this important research and the measures taken to minimize its possible risks." The statement comes in the wake of a debate following the U.S. government's request ...
Saginaw Dentist Increases Patient Awareness Through Technology Advancements
2012-01-25
Leading Saginaw dentist, Dr. Greg Herzler, remains up-to-date with technology through the launch of his practice's mobile website. At the current rate of growth, most people will own a smart-phone by 2013 and be capable of browsing the web.
A mobile website is designed to load quickly, preferably in about four seconds, while a desktop site can take much longer on a mobile phone because of connection speeds. Dr. Herzler, dentist in Saginaw, MI, is also aware that patients want their information now - they don't want to wait. Patients are often on-the-go, and need to ...