{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T10:09:10Z","timestamp":1778839750938,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]],"date-time":"2026-05-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778544000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Antibiotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Pet birds are increasingly recognized as potential reservoirs of zoonotic and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, raising concerns within the One Health framework. However, data on bacterial diversity and resistance profiles in clinically affected ornamental birds remain limited. Methods: This study, conducted over three years (November 2022\u2013March 2026), included 198 pet birds presenting with digestive and respiratory disorders. From these birds, clinical samples were analyzed bacteriologically; resulting isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and antimicrobial susceptibility assessed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method according to EUCAST and CLSI guidelines. Results: Bacterial growth was detected in 87.9% of cases, yielding 249 distinct isolates. Gram-positive cocci predominated (62.3%), led by Staphylococcus spp. (33.3%) and Enterococcus spp. (9.6%), while Escherichia coli (9.2%) was the primary Gram-negative species. At the genus level, Staphylococcus spp. demonstrated high susceptibility to amikacin (88.5%) but significant resistance to gentamicin (75.6%) and oxytetracycline (63.6%). In contrast, Escherichia spp. isolates were largely resistant, showing only 50% susceptibility to enrofloxacin and 40% to doxycycline, with resistance to tylosin reaching 90%. Overall, 57% of isolates were multidrug-resistant, with Staphylococcus spp. contributing most to this burden. Conclusions: These findings characterize clinically ill pet birds as significant carriers of multidrug-resistant bacteria, highlighting the need for routine diagnostics and improved antimicrobial stewardship in avian medicine.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics15050487","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T08:50:12Z","timestamp":1778835012000},"page":"487","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Pet Birds as Potential Reservoirs of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria in Digestive and Respiratory Infections"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Smaranda","family":"Cr\u0103ciun","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Carmen","family":"Turcu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Companion Animals Veterinary Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3900-1433","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristiana \u015etefania","family":"Novac","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicodim Iosif","family":"Fi\u0163","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cosmina Maria","family":"Bouari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sorin","family":"R\u0103puntean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-4246-8079","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u0103lina Lorena","family":"Mihu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2363-4041","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George Cosmin","family":"Nad\u0103\u015f","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cardoso-Freitas, F., Mota, S.M., Silva, V., Martinez-Silvestre, A., Martins, \u00c2., and Poeta, P. 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