Emergence of Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Morganella morganii in a Captive Breeding Dolphin in South Korea

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become an important consideration in animal health, including marine mammals, and several potential zoonotic AMR bacterial strains have been isolated from wild cetacean species. Although the emergence of AMR bacteria can be assumed to be much more plausible in captive than in free-ranging cetaceans owing to their frequent contact with humans and antibiotic treatments, the spread and its impacts of AMR bacteria in captive animals have not been dequately investigated yet. Here in this study, we present evidence on the presence of multidrug-resistant potential zoonotic bacteria which caused fatal infection in a captive dolphin bred at a dolphinarium in South Korea.