Wild birds are likely spreading antibiotic-resistant superbugs through our cities
Antibiotic-resistant superbugs have been branded "one of the biggest threats to global health" of our time, and now researchers have discovered they could be spreading through an unlikely source.
Wild birds that populate our cities, invade our rubbish bins and steal our chips are carrying high levels of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria that can be transferred to humans, a new study by an Oxford University team has found.
The researchers analysed 700 samples of bacteria taken from the guts of 30 different species of wild birds across eight countries - the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, Finland, Italy, Lithuania and Sweden.
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Seagulls are prolific across Australia's coastal cities and often come in close proximity to people. AAP
They found up to three times as many antimicrobial -esistant genes in birds living close to large human populations - such as gulls, crows and ducks - than their more remote counterparts living in mountains or remote areas.
This included genes associated with resistance against many commonly used human antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones and beta-lactams.
The World Health Organization describes antibiotic resistance as "one of the top global public health and development threats" of our generation.
More than 1.27 million people die as a direct result of superbugs globally each year, and one in five of those are children under five years old.
Low and middle-income countries are most vulnerable, but even in Australia there were 1600 deaths directly caused by antibiotic resistance in 2019.
Animals living in urban environments are exposed to various sources of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as wastewater-contaminated rivers.
Wild birds present a particular risk as they travel long distances and have the potential to carry disease to livestock raised for human consumption.
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It's thought the wild birds may pick up antibiotic-resistant bacteria via contact with wastewater-contaminated rivers and waterways. Kate Geraghty
There is also a risk that these bacteria could be transferred directly to people via the birds' faeces.
"This can have economic implications for agriculture, animal welfare, and food security," the study's lead author Professor Samuel Sheppard said.
"There is an urgent need to understand how human activity is influencing the spread of zoonotic diseases and AMR (antimicrobial resistance)."
The results of the Oxford University team's research have been published in Current Biology: Cell Press today.
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