Repeated detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli in gulls inhabiting Alaska

Abstract

Here, we report the first detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli in Alaska and in wildlife in the United States. Wild bird (gull) feces sampled at three locations in Southcentral Alaska yielded isolates that harbored plasmid-encoded blaKPC-2 or chromosomally encoded blaOXA-48 and genes associated with antimicrobial resistance to up to eight antibiotic classes.