Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Enteropathogenic Bacteria in Yellow-Legged Gulls () in Southern Italy.

Wild birds may host and spread pathogens, integrating the epidemiology of infectious diseases. Particularly, spp. have been described as responsible for the spread of many enteric diseases, primarily because of their large populations at landfill sites. The aim of this study was to examine the role of yellow-legged gulls as a source of enteropathogenic bacteria such as spp., spp., Shiga toxin-producing and spp., with particular attention to antibiotic-resistant strains. Enteropathogenic bacteria were isolated from 93/225 yellow-legged gulls examined from April to July, during a four-year period (2016-2019). Specifically, spp. was isolated from 60/225 samples (26.7%), and identified as (36/60) and as (24/60). spp. was isolated from 3/225 samples (1.3%), and identified as . Shiga toxin-producing were isolated from 30/225 samples (13.3%) samples, and serotyped as O128 (12/30) O26 (9/30), O157 (6/30) and O11 (3/30); spp. was never detected. Isolated strains exhibited multidrug resistance, including vitally important antibiotics for human medicine (i.e., fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines). Our study emphasizes the importance of yellow-legged gulls as potential reservoirs of pathogenic and resistant strains and their involvement in the dissemination of these bacteria across different environments, with resulting public health concerns.