Abstract

LA SALA, Luciano F; PETRACCI, Pablo F; RANDAZZO, Viviana  and  FERNANDEZ-MIYAKAWA, Mariano E. Enteric bacteria in Olrog’s Gull (Larus atlanticus) and Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) from the Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina. Hornero [online]. 2013, vol.28, n.2, pp.59-64. ISSN 0073-3407.

The Bahía Blanca Estuary in Argentina is under the effect of chronic microbiological pollution with untreated raw sewage and the pathogens associated with it. In this estuary, there are breeding colonies of Olrog’s Gull (Larus atlanticus) and Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), where parents feed chicks and themselves on prey and food items foraged at or near sewage outfalls and refuse tips where they can be exposed to pathogens of human and animal origin. The objective of this study was to assess the role of Olrog’s Gull and Kelp Gull as carriers of zoonotic pathogens of faecal origin. Bacterial recovery from faecal samples of both gull species was positive for Salmonella enterica var. Typhimurium, Salmonella enterica var. Gallinarum, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The prevalence and diversity of pathogens varied between gull species, and Olrog’s Gull tested positive for a wider range of pathogens than Kelp Gull. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent bacteria in chicks and adults of both gull species, followed by Salmonella spp. in Olrog’s Gull chicks, and Enterobacter cloacae and Shigella dysenteriae in Olrog’s Gull adults. The potential use of these gull species as sentinels of microbiological pollution in the Bahía Blanca Estuary is proposed.

Keywords : Bahía Blanca Estuary; Kelp Gull; Larus atlanticus; Larus dominicanus; Microbiological pollution; Olrog’s Gull; Sentinel species; Zoonotic pathogens.

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