Researchers found the “superbug” that is resistant to the last-ditch antibiotic used in treating human disease in seagulls on two continents, Europe and South America, writes Maryn McKenna in National Geographic. The discovery pinpoints one way the so-called MCR-1 gene, which confers resistance to colistin, is moving around the world.
The MCR-1 gene rides on a piece of DNA called a plasmid; it moves easily among bacteria, creating the possibility of untreatable infections and diseases. The first discovery of colistin-resistant bacteria was last November in livestock and people in China. Since then, the MCR-1 gene has been found in more than 100 countries. In recent weeks, three U.S. discoveries were reported, two in tissue samples from hogs and one in a human.
“This isn’t the first time that gulls have been identified as possible carriers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” said National Geographic. “The point … is that gulls migrate, from hundreds to thousands of miles depending on the species—so they could serve as a vehicle for carrying resistant bacteria somewhere new.”
Migratory waterfowl are cited as the primary cause of last year’s devastating outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The epidemic killed 10 percent of all U.S. hens laying eggs for table consumption, as well as millions of turkeys.