Surveillance of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from wild cranes on the Izumi plain in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan

The prevalence of antibiotic resistance in 376 Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates from fecal samples of Hooded and White-naped cranes was investigated on the Izumi plain in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, during winter 2016 and 2017. Resistance to oxytetracycline, ampicillin, and nalidixic acid were observed in 10.9%, 3.1–4.4%, and 2.1–7.7% of isolates, respectively. Since the previous surveillance in 2007, isolation rates of antibiotic-resistant E. coli recovered from wild cranes have remained at significantly low levels compared with those in Japanese livestock. Our results indicate that surveillance of antibiotic-resistant E. coli from wild cranes wintering in the Izumi plain could be a useful strategy to indicate natural environmental pollution by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment.