4.7 Article

Antimicrobial resistance in Galapagos tortoises as an indicator of the growing human footprint*

Journal

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Volume 284, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117453

Keywords

Wildlife surveillance; One health; Antibiotic resistance; ARG; Chelonoidis spp

Funding

  1. Galapagos National Park Directorate
  2. Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine
  3. Saint Louis WildCare Institute Center for Chelonian Conservation
  4. AAZV Wild Animal Health Fund [37]
  5. IWC Schaffhausen
  6. Houston Zoo
  7. Galapagos Conservation Trust
  8. Charles Darwin Foundation
  9. Ecoventura

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The spread of antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to global public health, with anthropogenic activities contributing to the issue. Research on Galapagos giant tortoises indicated that those living in human-modified environments had higher levels of antimicrobial resistant genes. These findings underscore the importance of controlling antibiotic use to protect the unique wildlife and ecosystems of the Galapagos.
Antimicrobial resistance has become one of the main public health threats worldwide with anthropogenic activities driving the spread of resistance. Understanding and combatting the spread of resistant bacteria is a top priority for global health institutions, and it is included as one of the main goals of the One Health initiative. Giant tortoises (Chelonoidis spp.), some of the most iconic species on Earth, are widely distributed across the Galapagos archipelago and are thus perfect candidates to test the hypothesis that wildlife species in the Galapagos carry antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) associated with human activities. We sampled a total of 200 free-living Galapagos tortoises from western Santa Cruz Island (C. porteri), the most human-populated island of the archipelago, and 70 tortoises (C. vandenburghi) from the isolated Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island, a natural area with minimal human presence. Fecal samples were analyzed by quantitative PCR for a panel of 21 ARGs conferring resistance for eight antimicrobial classes. We found ARGs in both Santa Cruz and Alcedo Volcano giant tortoises; however, both qualitative and quantitative results showed higher loads of ARGs in tortoises inhabiting the human modified environments of Santa Cruz. Moreover, Santa Cruz tortoises sampled in higher human-modified landscapes (i.e., farmlands and urban areas) presented a higher number of ARGs, antimicrobial classes, and multi-resistant microbiomes than those from less anthropized areas within the same island. Our findings suggest that human activities in Galapagos have a negative impact on ecosystem health through ARG dispersal. This research highlights a new threat for the health and conservation of the unique wildlife of the Galapagos, their ecosystems, and the humans inhabiting this World Heritage Site. Our recommendation to local policy makers is to control and reduce the use of antibiotics in both human and animal health, thus helping enforce antimicrobial regulations.

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