PubMedArchives of microbiology2026-08-02
Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and detection of resistance genes of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. isolated from captive European wild boars reared in Brazil.
Faria Adriana Marques AM, Araújo Itallo Conrado Sousa ICS, Figueira Samantha Verdi SV, Andrade Maria Auxiliadora MA et al.
The expansion of invasive European wild boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) populations in Brazil and the increasing commercialization of this species raise concerns about their role as reservoirs of zoonotic and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and detection of virulence and resistance genes in Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. isolated from captive wild boars. A total of 100 rectal swab samples were collected from animals raised on commercial farms in Goiás State, Brazil. One Salmonella isolate (1%) was detected and identified as serotype O:6,8, showing phenotypic resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin, and sulfonamides, but no virulence or resistance genes were detected. E. coli was isolated from 56% of samples, with 98.2% of isolates classified as multidrug-resistant and all presenting antimicrobial resistance index values above 0.2. High resistance rates were observed for sulfonamides (96.8%), tetracycline (92.1%), amoxicillin (87.3%), ampicillin (85.7%), doxycycline (81.0%), whereas most isolates remained susceptible to ceftriaxone. Virulence genes were detected in a subset of isolates, including tsh (29.8%), papC (12.3%), and iss (7.0%), with some isolates presenting gene combinations associated with increased pathogenic potential. The eae gene was not detected, and no β-hemolytic activity was observed. These findings indicate a low occurrence of Salmonella but a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant and potentially pathogenic E. coli in captive wild boars, highlighting their potential role as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance within a One Health context.