{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T20:34:31Z","timestamp":1788986071806,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,9]],"date-time":"2025-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752019200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Clinically significant antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and resistance genes are increasingly being reported in wildlife. In this study, 127 splenic samples from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from northern and central Italy were analysed for the presence of resistance genes against antimicrobials such as tetracycline, sulphonamide, \u03b2-lactam, and colistin, which were previously extensively used in human and veterinary management of bacterial diseases. One or more antimicrobial resistance genes were detected in 78 (61%) of 127 splenic samples. Polymerase chain reaction positivity was revealed for 13 genes\u2014tet(A), tet(B), tet(K), tet(L), tet(M), tet(O), tetA(P), tet(Q), tet(S), tet(X), sul1, sul2, and blaTEM-1\u2014out of the 21 tested genes. Our results, corroborated by reports in the literature, confirm the potential role of the red fox as a sentinel for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in contaminated environments and suggest that detecting resistance genes in biological samples by a culture-independent method might be an effective tool for the epidemiological study of antimicrobial resistance in wildlife.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15142022","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,10]],"date-time":"2025-07-10T07:38:27Z","timestamp":1752133107000},"page":"2022","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Antimicrobial Resistance and Wildlife: Occurrence of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes, Linnaeus, 1758), in Italy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8111-6798","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonietta","family":"Di Francesco","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, 40064 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniela","family":"Salvatore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, 40064 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Roberta","family":"Taddei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell\u2019Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), \u201cBruno Ubertini\u201d, Sede Territoriale di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5292-0613","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fabrizio","family":"Bertelloni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2085-3516","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Caterina","family":"Lupini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, 40064 Bologna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8198-5865","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulia","family":"Cagnoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7997-776X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valentina Virginia","family":"Ebani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100298","DOI":"10.1016\/j.onehlt.2021.100298","article-title":"Antimicrobial resistance in wildlife and in the built environment in a wildlife rehabilitation center","volume":"13","author":"Munita","year":"2021","journal-title":"One Health"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mib.2019.06.005","article-title":"Environmental and clinical antibiotic resistomes, same only different","volume":"51","author":"Wright","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr. 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