JOURNAL OF PURE & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Nov. 2014. Vol. 8(Spl. Edn. 2), p. 273-282 * To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Mob.: 00966533473418; E-mail: sabryh@lycos.com Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance Characteristics of Gram-negative Bacteria Associated with Wild Animals Presenting at Live Animal Market, Taif, Western Saudi Arabia Sabry A. Hassan 1,2 * and Mohammed Y. Shobrak 1,3 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Taif University 888, Taif, Saudi Arabia. 2 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University 83523, Qena, Egypt. 3 National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), 1086, Taif, Saudi Arabia. (Received: 10 August 2014; accepted: 31 October 2014) Wildlife traded has the potential to carry or transmit potentially pathogenic and high resistant bacteria, that could have an important impact on human health. In this study, Gram-negative bacteria, associated antibiotic resistance and the presence of extended-spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL/AmpC) producing organisms in wild animals presenting at live animal market were investigated. Results revealed that 154 Gram- negative bacteria belong to eleven genera were recovered. Multiple drug resistance phenotypes were exhibited by 24% of tested isolates, the most common being against ampicillin, cephalothin, sulfonamide, aminoglycosides, tetracycline, and quinolones. Maximum resistance to extended-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics occurred in 14.9% of isolates. The presence of ESBL/AmpC phenotype was detected in 11.0% of isolates as confirmed by combination disk method (CDM). The entire positive ESBL/AmpC producers were subjected to plasmid curing to ascertain the location of resistant marker. The result of the plasmid curing indicated that the resistance was chromosomally borne. Molecular analysis identified class 1 and 2 integrons among ESBL positive isolates. The findings have therefore established the presence of multidrug resistant bacteria and ESBL/AmpC producing organisms along with antibiotic resistant determinants in the fecal samples from wild animals and highlights the potential spread of pathogens and resistance between wild animals, environment and human. Key words: Antibiotic resistance; Zoonoses, ESBL/AmpC; Plasmid curing; Integron; faecal bacteria; wildlife trade. Wild animals are caught or bought for pet, shops, local breeder or traded (sometimes illegally). Wildlife harvest and trade range in magnitude from local communities hunting or gathering species for subsistence living to large commercial enterprises 1 . These live markets and the fact of animals and humans living so close together are known factors in the development of disease and also made it easier for organisms to spread, and often with negative implications for the environment and public health 2-3 . Furthermore, wild caught animals also may has the potential to introduce and spread bacteria which could potentially be resistant to antibiotics. The occurrence of antimicrobial resistance is important not only for the species studied but also for public health 4-7 . Recent studies indicate exponential increase in the frequency of antimicrobial resistance in clinical health settings 8 . Data from the Arabian Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia,