Long-term maintenance of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli carried by vampire bats and shared with livestock in Peru

Benavides, Julio A.; Godreuil, Sylvain; Opazo-Capurro, Andres; Mahamat, Oumar O.; Falcon, Nestor; Oravcova, Katarina; Streicker, Daniel G.; Shiva, Carlos

Abstract

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli) have been reported in wildlife worldwide. Whether wildlife is a transient host of ESBL-E. coli or comprises an independently maintained reservoir is unknown. We investigated this question by longitudinally monitoring ESBL-E. coli in common vampire bats and nearby livestock in Peru. Among 388 bats from five vampire bat colonies collected over three years, ESBL-E. coli were detected at a low prevalence (10% in 2015, 4% in 2017 and 2018) compared to a high prevalence (48%) from 134 livestock sampled in 2017. All ESBL-E. coli were multidrug-resistant, and whole genome sequencing of 33 randomly selected ESBL-E. coli isolates (18 recovered from bats) detected 46 genes conferring resistance to antibiotics including third-generation cephalosporins (e.g., bla(CTX-M-55), bla(CTX-M-15), bla(CTX-M-65), bla(CTX-M-3), bla(CTX-M-14)), aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and colistin (mcr-1). The mcr-1 gene is reported for the first time on a wild bat in Latin America. ESBL-E. coli also carried 31 plasmid replicon types and 16 virulence genes. Twenty-three E. coli sequence types (STs) were detected, including STs involved in clinical infections worldwide (e.g., ST 167, ST 117, ST 10, ST 156 and ST 648). ESBL-E. coli with identical cgMLST (ST 167) were detected in the same bat roost in 2015 and 2017, and several ESBL-E. coli from different bat roosts clustered together in the cgMLST reconstruction, suggesting long-term maintenance of ESBL-E. coli within bats. Most antibiotic resistance and virulence genes were detected in E. coli from both host populations, while ESBL-E. coli ST 744 was found in a bat and a pig from the same locality, suggesting possible cross-species exchanges of genetic material and/or bacteria between bats and livestock. This study suggests that wild mammals can maintain multidrug-resistant bacteria and share them with livestock.

Más información

Título según WOS: ID WOS:000744495400002 Not found in local WOS DB
Título de la Revista: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Volumen: 810
Editorial: Elsevier
Fecha de publicación: 2022
DOI:

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152045

Notas: ISI