Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria from Free-Living Green Turtles ().

Bioindicator species are used to assess the damage and magnitude of possible impacts of anthropic origin on the environment, such as the reckless consumption of antimicrobials. has several characteristics that make it a suitable bioindicator of marine pollution and of the presence of pathogens that cause diseases in humans. This study aimed to investigate the green sea turtle as a reservoir of resistant bacteria, mainly because is the most frequent sea turtle species in Brazilian coastal regions and, consequently, under the intense impact of anthropic factors. Free-living green sea turtles ranging from 42.8 to 92 cm (average = 60.7 cm) were captured from Itaipú Beach, Brazil. Cloaca samples (characterizing the gastrointestinal tract) and neck samples (representing the transient microbiota) were collected. Bacterial species were identified, and their was resistance associated with the antimicrobials cephalothin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, tetracycline, and vancomycin. , , and were found resistant to cephalothin and and tetracycline-resistant isolates in cloaca samples. In neck samples, species resistant to tetracycline were sp., , and . This data reinforces that the green turtle is a bioindicator of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).