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. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):20814.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-97816-4.

Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST70 harboring blaNDM in a migratory Penguin

Sandryelle Merces Freire  1 , Annelise Kyllar  1 , Marina Côrtes  2 , Thiago P G Chagas  3 , Felipe Pinheiro  3 , Renata F A Pereira  3 , Fabio Aguiar-Alves  4 , Bruno Penna  5
Affiliations

Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST70 harboring blaNDM in a migratory Penguin

Sandryelle Merces Freire et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The growing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance poses a global threat to human and animal health. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance in a Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) rescued off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The penguin presented a bacterial infection, identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae. Molecular analysis revealed the presence of several resistance genes, including those that confer resistance to carbapenems, beta-lactams, quinolones, and other classes of antibiotics. The bacterial strain belonged to Sequence Type 70 (ST70), a clone previously associated with human nosocomial infections. This study highlights the potential of migratory penguins as vectors of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, emphasizing the need for a One Health approach to address the complex interaction between environmental factors, animal health, and human well-being. The findings underscore the urgency of implementing strategies to mitigate the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria in natural and urban environments.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Alignment of the plasmid pNDM-KN (accession number JN157804) with the plasmid carried by the penguin isolate from this study. Below: Zoom of the region highlighted by the red circle. Resistance genes are shown in colors.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Alignment of the plasmid pKPN-IT (accession number JN233704.1) with the plasmid carried by the penguin isolate from this study. Below: Zoom of the region highlighted by the red circle. Resistance genes are shown in colors.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Alignment of the plasmid RSF1010 (accession number NC_001740) with the plasmid carried by the isolate 169 from this study. Resistance genes are highlighted in colors.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree of 169 (in bold) with 143 klebsiella pneumoniae genomes publicly available at NCBI and pathogen watch. Colors are shown in the legends. Not available information is in black.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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