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Australian seagulls found to carry antibiotic resistant bacteria
Silver gulls carry bacteria that are resistant to the commonly used antimicrobial drugs, cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones.
Birds earmarked as potential reservoirs for human disease

Seagulls across Australia carry antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause serious infections in humans, according to new research.

Scientists at Murdoch University, Perth, found that 20 per cent of silver gulls carry bacteria that cause infections such as E.coli, urinary tract infections and sepsis. Study leader Dr Sam Abraham said the problem was prevalent across Australia.

“Seagulls act as ecological sponges (bio-accumulators) and we have earmarked them as a potential reservoir for agents that may cause human disease,” he explained.

The study revealed that silver gulls carry bacteria that are resistant to the commonly used antimicrobial drugs, cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. It also found resistance to carbapanem drugs - a class of antibiotics often used for severe infections - in birds from New South Wales and Victoria.

The researchers also found evidence of a seagull in Western Australia carrying resistance to the ‘last resort’ antibiotic, colistin. Study author Dr Mark O’Dea said it was the first time resistance to this drug has been recorded in an Australian wild animal.

“Our results have raised the concern that seagulls could be acquiring this pathogen through their opportunistic feeding habits where they scavenge from leftover human waste and may then be subsequently spreading these resistant bacteria over vast distances,” he said.

“Management of this issue will require examination of human waste sources to determine where gulls are acquiring these elements, and whether or not this can be managed.”

The study, Resistance to critically important antimicrobials in Australian silver gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) and evidence of anthropogenic origins, is published in Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.