Phenotypic Characterization of Antibiotic-Resistant Pseudomonas Species in Habituated Gorillas (Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla) Of Moukalaba-Doudou National Park (Nyanga, Gabon)

This study was conducted following WHO recommendations, which advocate monitoring the emergence of specific resistance phenotypes, such as carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas.This study aims to assess the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas spp. in habituated gorillas within Moukalaba Doudou National Park (MDNP).Following bacterial coproculture on Cetrimide agar, 44 samples produced green colonies, all exhibiting the same characteristic aromatic odour and possessing oxidase activity.These colonies were identified as Pseudomonas spp., yielding a prevalence exceeding 50%.Biochemical identification using API galleries for non-enteric bacteria revealed the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and other Pseudomonas spp.Antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated an overall resistance rate exceeding 50% (36/44).This resistance appears to be high, with prevalence varying between 4% and 75%.Specifically, resistance was observed in 75% (33/44) of isolates for ceftazidime, 63.6% (28/44) for ticarcillinclavulanic acid, 54.5% (24/44) for tobramycin, 52.3% (23/44) for imipenem, 25% (11/44) for piperacillintazobactam, and 4.5% (2/44) for piperacillin alone.Furthermore, antibiotic susceptibility results indicated that two Pseudomonas spp.strains exhibited resistance to three different antibiotic classes.These findings confirm that Pseudomonas is an omnipresent genus in the environment, particularly within wildlife.However, our study revealed a high prevalence of resistance to -lactam antibiotics (ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, imipenem, ceftazidime, and piperacillin-tazobactam), although the incidence of multidrug resistance was relatively low.Despite the high levels of acquired resistance, the presence of antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas spp. in more than 50% of habituated gorillas in MDNP represents a significant potential risk to human health, particularly for individuals in direct contact with these primates.The intrinsic and acquired resistance of Pseudomonas spp. to multiple antibiotics further emphasises the urgent need for the development of new strategies to combat this microorganism.