Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated from Larus dominicanus on the Coast of Brazil

Ebert, L.A.; Schlemper, J.C.; Pelisser, M.R.; Vásquez-Ponce, F.; Branco, J.O., and Barbieri, E., 2025. Detection of pathogenic bacteria isolated from Larus dominicanus on the coast of Brazil. Journal of Coastal Research, 41(3), 409–416. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Bacterial resistance is a significant public health issue as it exacerbates adverse impacts on human, animal, and environmental health. Larus dominicanus are considered potential carriers or reservoirs. The objective of this study was to identify the possible presence of bacteria pathogenic to humans in the gull L. dominicanus and to evaluate their resistance to antibiotics. For this, 39 cloacal samples were obtained from L. dominicanus with swabs and subjected to biochemical tests for the detection of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria; the isolated bacteria were subjected to antibiogram analysis using the cutoff points reported in the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. Twenty-two bacteria were isolated from the cloacal samples, with three families and 12 distinct genera with zoonotic potential observed more frequently in the gulls of the Moleques do Sul Archipelago. The antibiogram revealed that most of the bacteria were resistant to ampicillin.