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The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and diversity of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) species from wild birds in Spain, as well as to analyze the antimicrobial resistance phenotype/genotype and the virulence gene content. During 2015&ndash, 2016, tracheal samples of 242 wild birds were collected in different regions of Spain for staphylococci recovery. The species identification was performed using MALDI-TOF. The antimicrobial resistance phenotype and genotype was investigated by the disk diffusion method and by PCR, respectively. The presence of the virulence genes lukF/S-PV, tst, eta, etb, etd and scn was investigated by PCR. Moreover, CoNS carrying the mecA gene were subjected to SCCmec typing. Of the tested animals, 60% were CoNS-carriers, and 173 CoNS isolates were recovered from the 146 positive animals, which belonged to 11 species, with predominance of S. sciuri (n = 118) and S. lentus (n = 25). A total of 34% of CoNS isolates showed a multidrug resistance phenotype, and 42 mecA-positive methicillin-resistant CoNS (MRCoNS) were detected. The isolates showed resistance to the following antimicrobials (percentage of resistant isolates/antimicrobial resistance genes detected): penicillin (49/ blaZ, mecA), cefoxitin (24/ mecA), erythromycin and/or clindamycin (92/ erm(B), erm(C), erm(43), msr(A), mph(C), lnu(A), lsa(B), vga(A) and sal(A)), gentamicin and/or tobramycin (5/ aac(6&prime, )-Ie-aph(2&Prime, )-Ia, ant(4&prime, )-Ia), streptomycin (12/str), tetracycline (17/ tet(K), tet(L), tet(M)), ciprofloxacin (4), chloramphenicol (1/ fexA), fusidic acid (86/ fusB, fusD) and trimethoprim&ndash, sulfamethoxazole (1/ dfrK). None of the isolates harbored the lukF/S-PV, eta, etb, etd and scn genes, but two S. sciuri isolates (1%) carried the tst gene. Wild birds are frequently colonized by CoNS species, especially S. sciuri. We identified scavenging on intensively produced livestock and feeding on landfills as risk factors for CoNS carriage. High proportions of MRCoNS and multidrug resistant CoNS were detected, which coupled with the presence of important virulence genes is of concern.

[EN]: There is a strong relationship between bird wing morphology and flight style. Wing shapes are related to manoeuvrability, flight speed, energetic costs during flight and take-off speed. Wing shape differences among species have been frequently studied but differences can also be found within species, between sexes and age groups. Many studies have assessed differences in wing shape between juveniles and adults in different passerine species but little is known about such differences in other bird orders. Performing a Size Constrained Components Analysis (SCCA) and a graphical approximation, we analysed the wing shape of juveniles and adults of eight species, including four passerines and four non-passerines of three different orders. According to a graphical approximation, we observed that wing shape differences between age groups differ among species. In the non-passerine species considered, juveniles have more pointed and concave wings than adults. In contrast, in the four passerine species, juveniles have more rounded wings than adults. However, the results for the C2 axis of SCCA (index of pointedness) do not completely agree with the graphical approximation. Our results showed that the C2 axis does not represent the same vector of wing shape variation in all species. The contribution of changes in C2 to variation in wing pointedness seemed to depend on the position of the wing tip, which is a good index of pointedness only when the wing tip is in the two most distal primary feathers. Surprisingly, the adults of some species do not have longer wings than the corresponding juveniles, because the feathers that define the wing tip do not grow longer during the first complete moult. We discuss the role of the first complete moult in changing the shape of juvenile wings into adult wings, and the implications of our results for the analysis of bird wing shape. [ES]: Existe una fuerte relación entre la morfología alar y el estilo de vuelo de un ave. La forma del ala está relacionada con la maniobrabilidad, la velocidad de vuelo, los costes energéticos durante el vuelo o la velocidad de despegue. Las diferencias en la forma del ala entre especies han sido estudiadas con frecuencia, pero también existen diferencias dentro de una especie, entre sexos y grupos de edad. Muchos estudios han evaluado las diferencias en la forma alar entre juveniles y adultos en diferentes especies de paseriformes, pero se sabe poco acerca de las diferencias en la forma alar entre grupos de edad en otros órdenes de aves. Realizando un análisis SCCA (‘Size Constrained Components Analysis’) y una aproximación gráfica, analizamos la forma alar de juveniles y adultos de ocho especies, cuatro paseriformes y cuatro no paseriformes de tres órdenes diferentes. De acuerdo con la aproximación gráfica, observamos que las diferencias en la forma alar entre grupos de edad difieren entre especies. En las especies de no paseriformes estudiadas, los juveniles tienen alas más puntiagudas y cóncavas que los adultos. En contraste, en las cuatro especies de paseriformes, los juveniles tienen alas más redondeadas que los adultos. Sin embargo, los resultados del eje C2 del SCCA no concuerdan completamente con la aproximación gráfica. nuestros resultados mostraron que el eje C2 no representa el mismo vector de variación de la forma del ala en todas las especies. La contribución de los cambios en C2 a la variación del apuntamiento del ala parece depender de la posición de la punta del ala, siendo un buen índice de apuntamiento solo cuando la punta del ala está en las dos plumas primarias más distales. Sorprendentemente, los adultos de algunas especies no tienen alas más largas que los respectivos juveniles, debido a que la pluma que define la punta del ala no tiene un incremento de tamaño durante la primera muda completa. Describimos cómo la primera muda completa es clave en el cambio de la morfología alar entre el ala de los juveniles y el ala de los adultos, y discutimos las implicaciones de nuestros resultados en relación con el análisis de la forma de las alas de las aves. Xabier Cabodevilla was supported by a PhD Grant, financed by the Basque Country Government (Grant no. PRE_2018_2_0273).

These results were presented as oral exposition at the 27th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), Vienna, April 2017., The aim of this study was to determine the carriage rate of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) in wild birds and to characterize recovered isolates. Tracheal samples from 324 wild birds, obtained in different Spanish regions during 2015–2016, were screened for CoPS carriage. The antimicrobial resistance profile and the virulence gene content were investigated. Molecular typing was performed by spa, agr, MLST, SCCmec, and S. delphini group classification. CoPS were recovered from 26 samples of wild birds (8.3%), and 27 isolates were further characterized. Two CoPS species were detected: S. aureus (n = 15; eight cinereous vultures and seven magpies) and S. delphini (n = 12; 11 cinereous vultures and one red kite). Thirteen S. aureus were methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and the remaining two strains were methicillin-susceptible (MSSA). Twelve MRSA were mecC-positive, typed as t843-ST1583/ST1945/ST1581/ST1571 (n = 11) and t1535-ST1945 (n = 1) (all of clonal-complex CC130); they were susceptible to the non-β-lactams tested. The remaining MRSA strain carried the mecA gene, was typed as t011-ST398-CC398-agrI-SCCmec-V, and showed a multiresistance phenotype. MSSA isolates were ascribed to lineages ST97-CC97 and ST425-CC425. All S. aureus lacked the studied virulence genes (lukS/F-PV, tst, eta, etb, and etd), and the IEC type E (with scn and sak genes) was detected in four mecC-positive and one MSSA isolates. S. delphini strains were methicillin-susceptible but showed resistance to at least one of the antimicrobials tested, with high penicillin (75%, with blaZ gene) and tetracycline [58%, with tet(K)± tet(L)] resistance rates. All S. delphini isolates presented the virulence genes lukS-I, siet, and se-int, and four carried the clindamycin-resistance lnu(A) gene., This work was supported by project SAF2016-76571-R from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain and FEDER. Laura Ruiz-Ripa has a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Universidad de La Rioja (Spain).

The objectives were to evaluate the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci with acquired (VRE-a) and intrinsic (VRE-i) resistance mechanisms in fecal samples from different wild animals, and analyze their phenotypes and genotypes of antimicrobial resistance. A total of 348 cloacal/rectal samples from red-legged partridges (127), white storks (81), red kites (59), and wild boars (81) (June 2014/February 2015) were inoculated in Slanetz-Bartley agar supplemented with vancomycin (4 μg/mL). We investigated the susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials and the presence of 19 antimicrobial resistance and five virulence genes. In addition, we performed multilocus sequence typing, detection of IS16 and studied Tn1546 structure. One VRE-a isolate was identified in one wild boar. This isolate was identified as Enterococcus faecium, harbored vanA gene included into Tn1546 (truncated with IS1542/IS1216), and belonged to the new ST993. This isolate contained the erm(A), erm(B), tet(M), dfrG, and dfrK genes. Neither element IS16 nor the studied virulence genes were detected. Ninety-six VRE-i isolates were identified (89 Enterococcus gallinarum and seven Enterococcus casseliflavus), with the following prevalence: red kites (71.2 %), white storks (46.9 %), red-legged partridges (7.9 %), and wild boars (4.9 %). Most E. gallinarum isolates showed resistance to tetracycline (66.3 %) and/or erythromycin (46.1 %). High-level resistance to aminoglycosides was present among our VRE-i isolates: kanamycin (22.9 %), streptomycin (11.5 %), and gentamicin (9.4 %). In general, VRE-i isolates of red kites showed higher rates of resistance for non-glycopeptide agents than those of other animal species. The dissemination of acquired resistance mechanisms in natural environments could have implications in the global spread of resistance with public health implications., This work was supported by Project SAF2012-35474 from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), the project POIC-2014-001-P of the regional government of Castilla–La Mancha, and by the project RTA2011-00111-C03-02 from the National Institute for Research in Agricultural and Alimentary Technology (INIA), by CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial, MINECO). Carmen Lozano has a contract associated with Project SAF2012-35474.