ArticleAnimal microbiome2025
Antimicrobial treatment affects the microbiome and resistome of both treated and untreated rehabilitating harbour seals (Phoca vitulina).
Article in Animal microbiome, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Microbiome-inspired solutions to save human and planetary health.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAntimicrobial use has contributed to the alarming rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), posing a significant global health threat. Effective AMR control requires a One Health approach. The presence of AMR in the environment can challenge wildlife conservation, as resistance may reduce treatment success. This study investigates the impact of antimicrobial treatment on the gut microbiome and resistome of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) undergoing rehabilitation at the Sealcentre Pieterburen, the Netherlands. A longitudinal cohort study was conducted with 200 seals, from which 127 were treated with antimicrobials and 73 were not treated. Samples were collected before and during rehabilitation, including before and after treatment and analysed using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, and targeted qPCR.
resultsWe observed a significant but transient decrease in gut microbiome alpha diversity following antimicrobial treatment, with a recovery observed by the time of release. Beta diversity analysis indicated persistent changes in microbial composition post-treatment. An increase in antimicrobial resistance gene load was observed in treated seals, with some resistance genes remaining high at release. Untreated seals cohabiting with treated seals also exhibited increased resistance gene loads, suggesting exposure through environmental transmission.
conclusionsAntimicrobial treatments in rehabilitation settings alter the gut microbiome and enhance AMR gene persistence in seals. The potential risk of antimicrobial resistance transmission among rehabilitating seals suggests the need for antimicrobial stewardship as the risk of antimicrobial resistance contamination by seals returning to the wild is currently unknown.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.