MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT SERRATIA MARCESCENS ASSOCIATED WITH PNEUMONIA DISEASE IN A CARETTA CARETTA TURTLE

Serratia marcescens is Gram-negative bacterium, naturally found in plants and animals often as a pathogen. In humans it has emerged th cause of pneumonia and bloodstream infections in newborns, immune-compromised and intensive care patients among America and Europe. Since the alarming increase of antimicrobial resistance in S. marcescens, the treatment of diseases caused by this bacterium represents a challenge. In this study we describe an outbreak of respiratory disease in a sea turtle (Caretta caretta) with swim problems associated with a multidrug resistant strain of S. marcescens. An adult male loggerhead turtle, found from the CRAS (Centro Recupero Animali Selvatici) of the WWF unit of Policoro oasis (MT), was visited at the Sea Turtle Clinic of Bari. During the routine examination, a total body - ed to pneumonia, thus samples from bronchoalveo- were collected and screened for infectious agents using classical cultural assays. Grown bacteria pattern of antibiotics with a Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Bacteriological assays showed the presence of non-lactose fermenting Gram-negative rods gene as Serratia marcescens antibiotic susceptibility with disc diffusion method, resistances to ampicillin, cephalotin, cephalexin, cefuroxime, erythromycin and tetracycline were observed. Results achieved in this study re- S. marcescens according to previous studies in humans. The presence of a multi-drug-resistance bacterium in a marine animal raises concern of public health due to the zoonotic risk mainly for people working at rescue centers. Additionally, as sea turtles are wild animals never treated with antibiotics, the presence of antimicrobial-resistance genes in the marine environment could be linked to their massive consump- the need of prudent antimicrobial use.