Wild birds as environmental reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella: a global systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Background: The lack of consolidated global data on the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles of Salmonella in wild bird populations hinders our understanding of their epidemiological role as reservoirs and disseminators of resistant strains and impedes accurate evaluation of their potential implication for global public health.
Methods: A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to generate a pooled prevalence estimate of Salmonella and its AMR patterns in the global wild bird populations.
Results: The pooled prevalence of Salmonella spp. in wild birds was 5.77% (95% CI: 4.21-7.54%), with the highest prevalence observed in Asia (10.13%), followed by Africa (6.66%) and Europe (6.14%). Serovar-specific analysis revealed that S. Typhimurium had the highest prevalence (4.12%), followed by S. Enteritidis (1.42%). Significant variation in prevalence across avian taxonomic orders has been detected, with Accipitriformes (6.85%) and Charadriiformes (6.15%) exhibiting the highest infection rates. Resistance to critically important antimicrobials ranged from 0% to 29.6%, with the highest prevalence observed for macrolides (29.6%), monobactams (22.9%), and penicillins (14.7%). In addition, a significant temporal increase in resistance was observed for key antimicrobials, including fluoroquinolones (R 2 = 19.21%, p = 0.003) and penicillin/β-lactamase inhibitors (R 2 = 66.75%, p < 0.01), suggesting an escalating environmental selective pressure.
Conclusions: A…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
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