Pink is the new black : an investigation of antibiotic resistance in wild birds through use of a novel indicator, the Greater Flamingo

Abstract

Antibiotics have revolutionized human health care. Given their importance in treating infectious disease and the explosion in their use worldwide, the latter half of the 20th century is often described, within a medical context, as the era of antibiotics. In addition to their use in human healthcare, antibiotics are used in a variety of other contexts; for example, they have been widely used in an agricultural context to treat and prevent disease and promote growth in livestock. Resulting from the increased use of antibiotics is the emergence of antibiotic resistance - the ability of bacteria to survive exposure to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance has been described by the World Heath Organization as one of the three greatest threats to human health. Initially recognised as a problem in urban environments, antibiotic resistance has now also been identified in a variety of wildlife species in environment systems worldwide. Wild birds are particularly important to consider as reservoirs (i.e. stores) of antibiotic resistant bacteria given their ability to transfer pathogens from one location to another through both short- and long- distance movements.