Repeated detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli in gulls inhabiting Alaska, USA

Scientists report the first detection of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli in Alaska and in wildlife in the United States. Wild bird (gull) feces sampled at three locations in Southcentral Alaska yielded isolates that harbored plasmid-encoded bla_KPC-2 or chromosomally-encoded bla_OXA-48, and genes associated with antimicrobial resistance to up to eight antibiotic classes.