Preliminary study results to be presented as poster at Wildlife Disease Association conference

Aug 03, 2019

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Preliminary study results to be presented as poster at Wildlife Disease Association conferenceThe preliminary results of this study are being presented as a poster this coming week at the 
68th Wildlife Disease Association Annual International Conference. As of August 1, we have sampled 28 harbor seals and 10 harbor porpoise. the prevalence of multi-drug resistant bacteria is greater in harbor porpoises (50%) than in harbor seals (25%). 
 
Poster of preliminary results to be presented at the 68th Wildlife Disease Association Annual International Conference.

Annette, Nora, and 4 others like this.

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Jay NormanBacker

Quite interesting....

Aug 06, 20190

Tim CuchnaBacker

To what antibiotics were the individual bacteria resistant? Even though a small sample size, were there any patterns of more resistance in a geographic area?

Aug 04, 20190

Stephanie NormanResearcher

Hi Tim, The resistance patterns at this point are showing amoxicillin, cephalexin, and TMS as the top three for harbor seals, and amoxicillin, cephalexin, and doxycycline for harbor porpoises. We are continuing to sample through the end of 2019, so this pattern may change. Have not had a chance to look at geographic differences yet. Stay tuned!....

Aug 04, 20190

About This Project

Do Pacific Northwest marine mammals carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria from land animals?

Orca Network

Antibiotic resistance, a global concern, is a significant health issue of animals and humans. Resistant bacteria, a growing presence in marine life, are derived from land via humans, animals, and agriculture. This is particularly troubling. Are resistant bacteria present in marine mammals of an urban ecosystem, the Salish Sea, in Washington State? We will sample dead locally stranded harbor seals and porpoises to detect resistant bacteria and their possible linkages to land sources.