Why birds and foxes could act as early warning systems of antibiotic resistance across ecosystems [View all]

[littlemissmartypants]

By Indrabati Lahiri
Published on 16/04/2026 - 14:28 GMT+2

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been a growing problem for a number of years now, with resistance against antimicrobials key for human medicine being especially worrying.

However, new research has found that wildlife such as foxes and birds could be critical early warning systems for antibiotic resistance at the ecosystem level.

The study, which was first published in the Frontiers of Microbiology journal, evaluates the presence of enzyme-encoding genes in wildlife faecal samples, which can prove resistance to essential antibiotics like third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs), used to treat sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis.

These genes can spread through bacterial groups like ESKAPE, which are particularly resistant and can often sidestep antibacterial agents. One ESKAPE group bacterium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, has even spread much beyond systems and places directly exposed to antibiotics and can cause severe infections in humans.

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https://www.euronews.com/health/2026/04/16/why-birds-and-foxes-could-act-as-early-warning-systems-of-antibiotic-resistance-across-eco