Absence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci among highly ESBL-positive crows (Corvus splendens) foraging on hospital waste in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged as a growing problem in hospitals; however, domesticated animals, poultry, and wild birds are acting as potential reservoirs. There is a knowledge gap in the Epidemiology of VRE from Bangladesh. METHODS: To study the prevalence of VRE and the mechanisms of resistance implicated among wild birds, 238 fecal samples were collected in 2010 from house crows (Corvus splendens) foraging on hospital waste in Bangladesh. Fecal samples were screened by analyzing color change in broth and screening for vanA and vanB resistant genes by PCR. RESULTS: Neither vanA nor vanB genes were detected from the fecal samples. The house crow does not seem to constitute a reservoir for VRE. CONCLUSION: The zero prevalence is an indication that foraging on hospital waste does not constitute a major risk of VRE carriage in house crows and this is the first study to focus on the prevalence of VRE from wild birds in Bangladesh.