Search

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health concern, and environmental bacteria have been recognized as important reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Citrobacter, a common environmental bacterium and opportunistic pathogen in humans and other animals, has been largely understudied in terms of its diversity and AMR potential. Whole-genome (short-read) sequencing on a total of 77 Citrobacter isolates obtained from Australian silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) (n = 17) and influent wastewater samples (n = 60) was performed, revealing a diverse Citrobacter population, with seven different species and 33 sequence types, 17 of which were novel. From silver gull using non-selective media we isolated a broader range of species with little to no mobilised ARG carriage. Wastewater isolates (selected using Carbapenem- Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) selective media) carried a heavy burden of ARGs (up to 21 ARGs, conferring resistance to nine classes of antibiotics), with several novel multidrug-resistant (MDR) lineages identified, including C. braakii ST1110, which carried ARGs conferring resistance to eight to nine classes of antibiotics, and C. freundii ST1105, which carried two carbapenemase genes, blaIMP-4 in class 1 integron structure, and blaKPC-2. Additionally, we identified an MDR C. portucalensis isolate carrying blaNDM-1, blaSHV-12, and mcr-9. We identified IncC, IncM2, and IncP6 plasmids as the likely vectors for many of the critically important mobilised ARGs. Phylogenetic analyses were performed to assess any epidemiological linkages between isolation sources, demonstrating low relatedness across sources beyond the ST level. However, these analyses did reveal some closer relationships between strains from disparate wastewater sources despite their collection some 13,000 km apart. These findings support the need for future surveillance of Citrobacter populations in wastewater and wildlife populations to monitor for potential

Context: People and wildlife are coming into greater contact worldwide because of the increasing human footprint. Although some species tolerate certain levels of human activities, others are vulnerable to human disturbance, potentially altering their spatial or temporal patterns of activity in response to disturbance by humans. Aims: We evaluated the influence of human activity on burrow activity of the Chinese pangolin, a Critically Endangered species that is heavily persecuted for subsistence and illegal trade. Methods: We deployed remotely triggered camera traps at pangolin burrows located at four sites with contrasting levels of human density and infrastructure in Nepal, and estimated burrow-activity patterns of pangolins by using a kernel-density estimator based on the time stamp of camera trap observations. Key results: Our findings did not suggest that anthropogenic disturbance affected pangolin burrow activity, but we acknowledge that these findings were based on a limited number of observations. Peak pangolin burrow activity was observed after midnight in three of the study sites, including those with highest and lowest levels of human activity. The fourth area, which had intermediate levels of human activity, had an earlier peak in burrow activity, possibly caused by prey deficiency owing to intense agriculture. Conclusions: We suggest that pangolins may tolerate human activity because of their strictly nocturnal temporal niche, but that this tolerance has made them vulnerable to poaching because it allows them to co-exist spatially with humans. Implications: Nocturnal species may be particularly prone to non-conflict-related persecution, because they may be easily accessible targets for illegal hunting activities.

Raptors play a unique role in ecosystem services and are regarded as effective indicators of ecosystem health. In recent years, varieties of anthropogenic factors have threatened the majority of raptor species worldwide. Nepal is considered a global hotspot for threatened and declining raptor species, but there is limited information on the direct human threats to the raptor populations living in the country. In this paper, we identify important anthropogenic threats to raptors in Nepal based on raptor mortality data collected by powerline surveys and from monitoring of GPS-tagged raptors, complete various reports, and social media. We found that powerlines, poisoning, and persecution, mainly shooting, are significant threats to raptors in Nepal that were largely overlooked previously. We report 54 electrocuted raptors affecting eight species, 310 poisoned raptors of 11 species, and five persecuted raptors of four species; among them vultures are the most affected (>88%). Based on our findings, to safeguard the future of Nepal’s raptors, we propose the retrofitting of power poles and the use of flight diverters on powerlines in the most affected areas to reduce raptor interactions with powerlines, as well as an effective conservation education programme to prevent the use of unintentional poisoning.

Species' ranges are dynamic, particularly at large temporal scales. The reconstruction of range dynamics has an obvious biogeographical interest and might also help to frame current knowledge on the ecology and conservation of a species within a wider biogeographical context. The Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus is a charismatic high-altitude species occurring along mountain ranges of the Old World. The species has experienced a global range contraction in the last century mainly due to unintentional poisoning and direct persecution. Despite its declining status and high habitat specialization, little is known about how climate change is impacting the distribution of suitable habitat, or about global past range dynamics of the species. We modelled the current distribution of Bearded Vulture throughout its entire range and projected the Last Glacial Maxima (LGM), Mid-Holocene (MH) and future distribution under 2070s climate change scenarios. Overall, our models predicted that expansion of suitable areas at more northern latitudes for 2070, mostly in Russia and China, does not compensate for range contraction at more southern latitudes, resulting in a global loss of 15% of suitable habitat. Our fine-scale predictions of habitat contraction due to climate change will assist in identifying current portions of the range that might be particularly vulnerable in coming years. African populations (34% decrease) and more thermic areas in Asia are the most impacted areas, and should be at the forefront of future monitoring and conservation efforts. Our models suggest that the predicted contraction in habitat suitability during the 21st century largely continues the contraction experienced since the LGM (7% decline), albeit over a much shorter period of time. From a biogeographical perspective, our models suggest that there have not been relevant changes in the arrangement of the main suitable areas for the species since the LGM. This result challenges some of the main hypoth

Comamonas spp. are Gram-negative bacteria that catabolize a wide range of organic and inorganic substrates. Comamonas spp. are abundant in aquatic and soil environments, including wastewater, and can cause opportunistic infections in humans. Because of their potential in wastewater bioaugmentation and bioremediation strategies, the identification of Comamonas species harboring genes encoding carbapenemases and other clinically important antibiotic resistance genes warrant further investigation. Here, we present an analysis of 39 whole-genome sequences comprising three Comamonas species from aquatic environments in South Australia that were recovered on media supplemented with carbapenems. The analysis includes a detailed description of 33 Comamonas denitrificans isolates, some of which carried chromosomally acquired blaGES-5, blaOXA, and aminoglycoside resistance (aadA) genes located on putative genomic islands (GIs). All blaGES-5- and blaOXA-containing GIs appear to be unique to this Australian collection of C. denitrificans. Notably, most open reading frames (ORFs) within the GIs, including all antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, had adjacent attC sites, indicating that these ORFs are mobile gene cassettes. One C. denitrificans isolate carried an IncP-1 plasmid with genes involved in xenobiotic degradation and response to oxidative stress. Our assessment of the sequences highlights the very distant nature of C. denitrificans to the other Comamonas species and its apparent disposition to acquire antimicrobial resistance genes on putative genomic islands. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a global public health threat, and the increase in resistance to "last-resort drugs," such as carbapenems, is alarming. Wastewater has been flagged as a hot spot for AMR evolution. Comamonas spp. are among the most common bacteria in wastewater and play a role in its bioaugmentation. While the ability of Comamonas species to catabolize a wide range of organic and in

This dataset consists of Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus occurrence points which were used to develop a distribution model to study its suitable habitat of this species. Using these data, we modelled the current distribution of Bearded Vulture throughout its entire range and projected the Last Glacial Maxima (LGM), Mid-Holocene (MH) and future distribution under 2070s climate change scenarios. We compiled these data from the entire distribution range in Asia, Europe and Africa using different sources: freely accessible online resources including, eBird and GBIF repositories, published reports and grey literature and occurrence data collected by the authors in the field, mostly in Nepal.