| Alexandru GLIGOR1, Vlad IORGONI2, Paula NISTOR3, Ionica IANCU4, Viorel HERMAN5, Agatha POPESCU6
Abstract. Antimicrobial resistance represents one of the major current challenges for both human and veterinary medicine, with antibiotic use exerting selective pressure that favors the emergence and dissemination of resistant bacteria. Pigeons (Columba livia domestica), through their frequent contact with humans, other animal species, and various sources of contamination in urban and peri-urban environments, may contribute to the circulation of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms. Escherichia coli, a commensal bacterium of the avian gastrointestinal tract, is also an important indicator for antimicrobial resistance surveillance and may include strains with pathogenic and zoonotic potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Escherichia coli strains isolated from pigeons in Romania. The identified resistance profiles were analyzed to highlight co-resistance patterns and phenotypic associations among the antimicrobial agents investigated and were descriptively contextualized against available data on human E. coli isolates. This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of pigeons as potential reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and provides relevant data for antimicrobial resistance surveillance at the animal–human–environment interface within a One Health framework. Keywords: Escherichia coli; antimicrobial resistance; pigeons; co-resistance; One Health. DOI 10.56082/annalsarsciagri.2026.2.54 Read full article 1Lecturer PhD. Med. Vet. University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, Timisoara, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Romania, e-mail: alexandru.gligor@usvt.ro 2PhD student Med. Vet., University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, Timisoara, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Romania, e-mail: vlad.iorgoni@usvt.ro 3Assist.Prof. Ph.D. student Med.Vet., University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, Timisoara, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Romania, e-mail: paula.nistor@usvt.ro 4Assoc.Prof. PhD.Med.Vet., University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, Timisoara, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Romania, e-mail: ionica.iancu@usvt.ro 5Prof.PhD Med.Vet, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I”, Timisoara, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Romania, Corresponding Member of Academy of Romanian Scientists, e-mail: viorel.herman@fmvt.ro 6Prof. PhD Eng.Ec., University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Management and Rural Development, Bucharest, Romania, Full Member of Academy of Romanian Scientists, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences “ Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisesti”, Bucharest, Romania, e-mail: agatha_popescu@yahoo.com |
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Agriculture, Silviculture and Veterinary Medicine
ISSN PRINT 2069-1149 ISSN ONLINE 2344-2085 |
