Galápagos tortoises that live in human-populated areas have more bacterial resistance to antibiotics compared with tortoises in other, more isolated areas. What is different about the giant Galápagos tortoises is that they have close contact with humans.
The Galápagos tortoises (Chelonoidis spp) and the presence of the antimicrobial resistant genes appear to be human derived. Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to global public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that by 2050 the matter could lead to more deaths than cancer, diabetes or traffic accidents.
With the new study, scientists sampled 200 free-living tortoises from western Santa Cruz Island, which is the most human-populated island of the archipelago. In addition, they examined 70 tortoises from the isolated Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island, which minimal human presence.
The samples were of fecal material in order to assess the microorganisms and genes isolated. For this quantitative PCR for a panel of 21 anti-microbial resistant genes was used. The data for the tortoises inhabiting the human modified environments of Santa Cruz showed a greater abundance of antimicrobial resistant microbes and genes. Even within this data set, the Cruz tortoises sampled in higher human-modified landscapes (such as farmlands and urban areas) presented a higher number of multi-resistant microbiomes.
The findings suggest that human activities in Galapagos have a negative impact on ecosystem health through anti-microbial resistant gene dispersal. This also highlights the threat for the health and conservation of the unique wildlife of the Galapagos, their ecosystems, and the humans inhabiting the World Heritage Site.
The researchers recommend to local policy makers that they need to control and reduce the use of antibiotics in both human and animal health.
According to the research lead Ainoa Nieto: “Human activities are facilitating the dispersal of resistance into the environment, which has already been observed in other parts of the world, but which has never been demonstrated on the Galapagos Islands.”
Nieto adds that in the Galapagos, as well as man other regions, antimicrobials can readily be obtained without a prescription. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics inevitably leads to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
This includes improving how humanity prevents and manages infections in people and in animals, including better hygiene and monitoring of bacteria in medical and community settings, and through better farming practices.
The research outcome appears in the journal Environmental Pollution “Antimicrobial resistance in Galapagos tortoises as an indicator of the growing human footprint.”
