About This Project

Penguins are suffering population declines due to a variety of human causes, including disease. One indicator of these could be the presence of Salmonella, a very serious bacterium that infects multiple species. Salmonella will be isolated from two penguin colonies with different anthropogenic influence and its resistance to antibiotics will be measured. This could serve as a basis for establishing preventive measures in areas where the wildlife-human interface may pose a risk to both.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Anthropogenic stress increases the likelihood of disease in animals, lowering their immune system and increasing the risk of transmission.
Penguins are the world's second most endangered seabird group and the fact that they are so cute and funny makes them a tourist attraction. However, this has negative impacts on them.
One way to assess how this stress may negatively impact them is through the study of Salmonella and its anti-microbial resistance. Salmonella has been isolated from penguins before and was found to be more prevalent in areas closer to human settlements. Also, its resistance has increased in recent years due to the abuse of antibiotics.

This is why we want to look for the relationship between anthropogenic influence and the trend of this bacterium.

What is the significance of this project?

Salmonella can cause very serious disease, is widely spread and infects a multitude of species. If its distribution and risks are known, better preventive measures can be implemented to safeguard the health of wild animals as well as that of humans and domestic animals.

If human activity increases the possibility of disease in penguins, it increases the possibility of these populations disappearing. Therefore, wildlife managers can use this information to prevent anthropogenic impact on penguin populations and keep them healthy and stable. Additionally, if penguins near human populations have higher rates of infections, then it is important that actions be taken to protect humans and domestic birds from also becoming infected.

What are the goals of the project?

Investigate whether Salmonella prevalence and its antibiotic resistance is proportional to the level of anthropogenic influence in two penguin colonies in Chile. Environmental faecal samples will be taken to not disturb the welfare of the animals. Approximately 200 samples shall be taken from Cachagua island and 80 from Pájaro Niños Islet. Samples will be incubated, characterised and tested for antibiotic resistance in the laboratory of the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Chile. A higher prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella is expected in Pájaro Niños, where the level of human impact is higher. As the sample number is very small, this could serve as a basis for future research in larger areas, to confirm this hypotesis.