Evidence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Bats and Its Planetary Health Impact for Surveillance of Zoonotic Spillover Events: A Scoping Review

Abstract

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other outbreaks, such as SARS and Ebola, bats are recognized as a critical species for mediating zoonotic infectious disease spillover events. While there is a growing concern of increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally during this pandemic, knowledge of AMR circulating between bats and humans is limited. In this paper, we have reviewed the evidence of AMR in bats and discussed the planetary health aspect of AMR to elucidate how this is associated with the emergence, spread, and persistence of AMR at the human–animal interface. The presence of clinically significant resistant bacteria in bats and wildlife has important implications for zoonotic pandemic surveillance, disease transmission, and treatment modalities. We searched MEDLINE through PubMed and Google Scholar to retrieve relevant studies (n = 38) that provided data on resistant bacteria in bats prior to 30 September 2022. There is substantial variability in the results from studies measuring the prevalence of AMR based on geographic location, bat types, and time. We found all major groups of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in bats, which are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. The most alarming issue is that recent studies have increasingly identified Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), ESBL producing, and Colistin resistant Enterobacterales in samples from bats. This evidence of superbugs abundant in both humans and wild mammals, such as bats, could facilitate a greater understanding of which specific pathways of exposure should be targeted. We believe that these data will also facilitate future pandemic preparedness as well as global AMR containment during pandemic events and beyond.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Physiological and Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated in Southern Italian Bats

“…In line with previous studies, the major antibiotic resistance recorded in Gram-negative bacteria was against penicillins [ 14 ]. Our analysis also revealed a high resistance to streptomycin, in agreement with previous results [ 15 , 26 ], and to colistin sulfate, which had previously been found only at lower levels [ 15 , 31 ].…”

“…Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been isolated in several bat species worldwide [ 14 ], and it seems that bats are more likely to carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria than other taxonomic wildlife groups [ 15 ]. However, despite their potential role as environmental reservoirs and vectors of AMR, no studies have comprehensively evaluated the occurrence of resistant strains in European bat populations.…”

“…The levels of resistance reported in the literature vary according to the bacterial species examined and the geographical site of the study [ 14 ]. Previous research revealed low AMR levels in bacteria isolated from bats living in well-preserved environments away from human activities [ 16 ].…”

Zoonotic sources and the spread of antimicrobial resistance from the perspective of low and middle-income countries

“…Latest models suggest that the risk for exposure to emerging infectious diseases caused by drug resistant pathogens in LMIC is highest in West Africa and East Asia [ 87 ]. Similar to livestock meat, E. coli and S. aureus are the most relevant antimicrobial resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive species in bushmeat [ 88 ]. Apart from one study in Peru [ 89 ], transmission of ESBL-producing E. coli between wild animals/bushmeat and humans or livestock have not yet been traced, but numerous observations suggest a certain role of bushmeat/wildlife in the spread of AMR.…”

Detection of antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacterales in insectivorous bats from Chile

“…Recent studies have investigated the occurrence of AMR among bats worldwide, mostly reporting the faecal carriage of ESBL-E. coli [7,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. For example, ESBL-E. coli have been reported in Eidolon helvum, Megaloglossus woermanni and Nycteris hyspida in Africa and Tadarida teniotis in Europe [18,20,21].…”