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Commensal and opportunistic bacteria resistant to fourth-generation cephalosporins or fluoroquinolones isolated from yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) settled in Taranto, Southern Italy
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  • Published: 22 April 2026

Commensal and opportunistic bacteria resistant to fourth-generation cephalosporins or fluoroquinolones isolated from yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) settled in Taranto, Southern Italy

  • Nicola Pugliese1,
  • Chiara Intermite1,
  • Rossella Samarelli1,
  • Viviana Manzulli2,
  • Stefano Castellana2,
  • Cristiano Liuzzi1,
  • Olimpia Lai1,
  • Domenico Galante2,
  • Roberto Lombardi1,
  • Angelica Bianco2,
  • Michela Prioletti1,
  • Dalila Salierno1,
  • Loredana Capozzi2,
  • Valentina Giordano1,
  • Giuseppe Crescenzo1,
  • Elena Circella1,
  • Antonio Parisi2 &
  • …
  • Antonio Camarda1 

Scientific Reports (2026) Cite this article

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Subjects

  • Ecology
  • Microbiology

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health challenge and its circulation in wildlife is garnering increasing attention. Seabirds, such as the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), which inhabit the interface between marine and anthropogenic environments and exhibit synanthropic habits, are valuable targets for investigating AMR. Therefore, this study focused on the dissemination of bacteria resistant to the critically important antimicrobials (CIA) cefepime (CEP) and enrofloxacin (ENR), by sampling the cloacal content of 15 L. michahellis nestlings. Twenty-seven strains resistant to CEP and/or ENR were isolated. Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. hoffmannii was the most represented species, and all those isolates shared the same multidrug resistance profile. Ten resistant strains belonged to the genus Enterococcus, while three strains belonging to the Bacillus cereus complex were CEP resistant. No horizontal transfer of CEP or ENR resistance was observed. High rates of resistance to trimethoprim/sulphametoxazole, streptomycin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol were detected. The study evidences the wide presence of CIA-resistant bacteria in L. michahellis, indicating that yellow-legged gulls may contribute to the environmental dissemination of clinically relevant resistances. This highlights the potential bidirectional circulation of resistant bacteria between anthropogenic sources and natural ecosystems, thereby increasing the likelihood of exposure to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The nucleotide sequences of the partial 16 S rRNA gene analyzed for species identification have been submitted to NCBI GenBank with the accession numbers PX390185-PX390198.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Antonella Bove and Diana Romito for their technical assistance.

Funding

This study has been funded by the project “CALLIOPE - CasA dell’InnovaziOne Per il one hEalth” (funders: Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy; Italy’s Development and Cohesion Fund), and by the Ricerca Corrente IZSPB 01/2023 “Antibiotico resistenza, il ruolo dell’avifauna selvatica (ARAS)” (funder: Italian Ministry of Health). The Open Access Fees have been covered by the “Fondo per la Qualità e l’Internazionalizzazione della Ricerca” according to the D.R.2924/2024 (funder: University of Bari).

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  1. Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, S.P. per Casamassima, km 3, 70010, Valenzano, BA, Italy

    Nicola Pugliese, Chiara Intermite, Rossella Samarelli, Cristiano Liuzzi, Olimpia Lai, Roberto Lombardi, Michela Prioletti, Dalila Salierno, Valentina Giordano, Giuseppe Crescenzo, Elena Circella & Antonio Camarda

  2. Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, Foggia, Italy

    Viviana Manzulli, Stefano Castellana, Domenico Galante, Angelica Bianco, Loredana Capozzi & Antonio Parisi

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Contributions

Conceptualization: NP, AC; Data curation: NP, OL, VM, SC, GC; funding acquisition: AC, AP; investigation – sampling procedures: RS, CL, AC; investigation – isolation and cultural procedures: NP, CI, RS, RL, MP, DS, VG; investigation – MALDI/TOF identification: VM, DG; investigation – 16 S rRNA gene identification: NP, SC, AB, LC, AP; methodology: NP, VM, LC, AP; project administration: AC; resources: DG, AP, AC; supervision: NP, DG, AP, AC; validation: OL, EC; visualization: NP, VG; writing – original draft: NP, OL, AC; writing – review and editing: DG, EC, AP.

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Correspondence to Antonio Camarda.

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The study has been approved by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), with the authorization number 25336/2024, prot. 0028044. All procedures complied with the Italian and European regulations for animal welfare in scientific studies. No animals were harmed during this study, and all procedures involving animals were conducted by expert veterinarian personnel.

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Pugliese, N., Intermite, C., Samarelli, R. et al. Commensal and opportunistic bacteria resistant to fourth-generation cephalosporins or fluoroquinolones isolated from yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) settled in Taranto, Southern Italy. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-49997-9

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  • Received: 22 October 2025

  • Accepted: 17 April 2026

  • Published: 22 April 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-49997-9

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Keywords

  • Critically important antimicrobials
  • Fourth-generation cephalosporins
  • Fluoroquinolones
  • Enterobacter cloacae complex
  • Enterococcus spp.
  • Bacillus spp.
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