The Asian houbara bustard ( Chlamydotis macqueenii ) is a vulnerable species supported by conservation breeding programs internationally, as well as in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Infectious diseases caused by antimicrobial-resistant pathogens represent an emerging threat to captive populations. This study aimed to characterize the genomic features, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants, and phylogenomic relatedness of an mcr-1.1 -positive multidrug-resistant Salmonella Kentucky ST198 isolate recovered from a captive Asian houbara bustard in the United Arab Emirates. Post-mortem bacteriological culture of yolk sac samples yielded S . Kentucky isolate FAZ18016, which underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing and long-read whole-genome sequencing. The isolate exhibited phenotypic multidrug resistance to 17 antimicrobials, supported by 21 resistance genomic determinants including bla TEM − 1 , mph(A), tet(A), floR, sul1/sul3 , and mcr -1.1. The colistin minimum inhibitory concentration was 8 mg/L. The mcr -1.1 gene was located on an IncHI2 plasmid co-harboring tet(A), terC , and multiple insertion sequences, sharing 99% nucleotide identity with plasmids described in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli . A total of 156 virulence-associated genes were identified, including complete Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1 and 2, type III secretion systems and type VI secretion system components. Core-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis assigned FAZ18016 to sequence type (ST) 198 and revealed 31–166 Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences from previously characterized UAE broiler isolates, with the closest related strains differing by 31–33 SNPs, consistent with relatively recent common ancestry. These findings indicate potential spillover of a high-risk, mcr -1.1–carrying S . Kentucky ST198 clone from poultry into captive wildlife and highlight the need for integrated genomic AMR surveillance and strengthened biosecurity at the wildlife–poultry interface within a One Health framework.
Muñoz et al. (Tue,) studied this question.