Characterization of quinolone-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli derived from sika deer populations of the Nara Prefecture, Japan

Wildlife in urban areas have the potential to disseminate antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) across a wider environment. Using antimicrobial-supplemented agar plates, we isolated extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (EEC) and quinolone-resistant E. coli (QREC) from 144, 23, and 30 deer feces from Nara Park (NP), rural area neighboring NP (RA), and Mt. Odaigahara (MO), respectively. In NP and RA, the prevalence of EEC was 24.3 and 4.3%, respectively; that of QREC was 11.1 and 17.4%, respectively. Neither EEC nor QREC were detected in MO. The pulsotypes of EEC and QREC isolates differed between NP and RA. Our study suggests that deer of the Nara Prefecture are potential carriers of ARB, but long-distance dissemination is unlikely due to limited deer movement.