{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T05:07:03Z","timestamp":1782277623388,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,12]],"date-time":"2023-07-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1689120000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100013920","name":"Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100013920","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Staphylococci are a natural component of the skin microbiota of many organisms, including humans and birds. As opportunistic pathogens, they can cause a variety of infections in humans. The close contact between domestic pigeons and their owners provide an opportunity for exchange of skin-associated bacteria. In this study, 41 healthy racing pigeons were tested. Staphylococci were detected on the skin of each bird (41\/41, 100%). Isolates were identified at the species level using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The diversity of the <jats:italic>Staphylococcus<\/jats:italic> species was relatively high and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were predominantly isolated. In total, ten different staphylococcal species were identified. <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>lentus<\/jats:italic> (19\/41, 46.3%) was noted most frequently. The pigeon skin was also inhabited by <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>xylosus<\/jats:italic> (6\/41, 14.6%), <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>equorum<\/jats:italic> (4\/41, 9.8%), <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>hyicus<\/jats:italic> (3\/41, 7.3%), <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>intermedius<\/jats:italic> (2\/41, 4.9%), <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>sciuri<\/jats:italic> (2\/41, 4.9%), <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>vitulinus<\/jats:italic> (2\/41, 4.9%), <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>lugdunensis<\/jats:italic> (1\/41, 2.4%), <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>hominis<\/jats:italic> (1\/41, 2.4%), and <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>auricularis<\/jats:italic> (1\/41, 2.4%). Our results indicate that domestic pigeons may carry pathogens with zoonotic potential. All strains were susceptible to 12 antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, clindamycin chloramphenicol, erythromycin, fosfomycin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, norfloxacin, rifampicin, tobramycin, trimethoprim\/sulfamethoxazole, vancomycin) representing 8 different classes. None isolate displayed a multidrug-resistant phenotype. Resistance to tetracycline (6\/41, 14.6%) and to penicillin (4\/41, 9.7%) was shown. The <jats:italic>mec<\/jats:italic>A gene was not detected in the examined strains and no methicillin-resistant staphylococci were found on the skin of the healthy pigeons.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0287261","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,12]],"date-time":"2023-07-12T17:52:42Z","timestamp":1689184362000},"page":"e0287261","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Staphylococcal species composition in the skin microbiota of domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica)"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1278-7301","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ewa","family":"Szczuka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Weso\u0142owska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-7999-4083","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Adrianna","family":"Krawiec","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jakub Z.","family":"Kosicki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0287261.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1215","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms20051215","article-title":"Coagulase-negative staphylococci pathogenomics","volume":"20","author":"X Argemi","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int J Mol Sci"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro.2017.157","article-title":"The human skin microbiome","volume":"16","author":"AL Byrd","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nat Rev Microbiol"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"118","DOI":"10.1080\/01652176.2020.1748253","article-title":"Virulence factors in coagulase-positive staphylococci of veterinary interest other than Staphylococcus aureus","volume":"40","author":"M Gonz\u00e1lez-Mart\u03af\u0131ni","year":"2020","journal-title":"Vet Quart"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"870","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.00109-13","article-title":"Coagulase-negative staphylococci","volume":"27","author":"K Becker","year":"2014","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Rev"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref005","first-page":"231","article-title":"Virulence properties of Staphylococcus delphini strains isolated from domestic pigeons","volume":"68","author":"M Sudagidan","year":"2012","journal-title":"Med Weter"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1053\/j.jepm.2018.02.006","article-title":"Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of biofilm forming Staphylococcus aureus isolated from pigeon external ocular infections","volume":"27","author":"SN Gharajalar","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Exot Pet Med"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"664226","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2021.664226","article-title":"Pigeons as carriers of clinically relevant multidrug-resistant pathogens-a clinical case report and literature review","volume":"8","author":"D Chrobak-Chmiel","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Vet Sci"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2911","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sjbs.2022.01.023","article-title":"Investigation of many bacterial and viral infections circulating in pigeons showing nervous symptoms","volume":"29","author":"H Badr","year":"2022","journal-title":"Saudi J Biol Sci"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"41","DOI":"10.15406\/ijawb.2017.02.00013","article-title":"Changes in bacterial microflora in young carrier pigeons during the race season","volume":"2","author":"F Zigo","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol"},{"key":"pone.0287261.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"401","DOI":"10.1099\/00207713-26-4-401","article-title":"Staphylococcus intermedius, a new species isolated from animals","volume":"26","author":"V. 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