Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in common vampire bats Desmodus rotundus and livestock in Peru

J. Benavides (1) , C. Shiva (2) , M. Virhuez (2) , C. Tello , A. Appelgren (3) , J. Vendrell (4) , J. Solassol (4, 5) , S. Godreuil (4, 6, 3) , D. Streicker (1, 7)

1 University of Glasgow
2 UPCH - Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
3 MIVEGEC - Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle
4 CHRU Montpellier - Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire [Montpellier]
5 IRCM - U1194 Inserm - UM - Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier
6 Pathogénèse et contrôle des infections chroniques (PCCI)
7 MRC - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research

Antibiotic resistance mediated by bacterial production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) is a global threat to public health. ESBL resistance is most commonly hospital-acquired; however, infections acquired outside of hospital settings have raised concerns over the role of livestock and wildlife in the zoonotic spread of ESBL-producing bacteria. Only limited data are available on the circulation of ESBL-producing bacteria in animals. Here, we report ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in wild common vampire bats Desmodus rotundus and livestock near Lima, Peru. Molecular analyses revealed that most of this resistance resulted from the expression of blaCTX-M-15 genes carried by plasmids, which are disseminating worldwide in hospital settings and have also been observed in healthy children of Peru. Multilocus sequence typing showed a diverse pool of E. coli strains carrying this resistance that were not always host species-specific, suggesting sharing of strains between species or infection from a common source. This study shows widespread ESBL resistance in wild and domestic animals, supporting animal communities as a potential source of resistance. Future work is needed to elucidate the role of bats in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant strains of public health importance and to understand the origin of the observed resistance.

Mots clés: Desmodus rotundus; ESBL-producing Escherichia coli; Peru; antibiotic resistance; multilocus sequence typing; plasmid typing

Domaines: Médecine humaine et pathologie

J. Benavides, C. Shiva, M. Virhuez, C. Tello, A. Appelgren, et al.. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in common vampire bats Desmodus rotundus and livestock in Peru. Zoonoses and Public Health, 2018, 65 (4), pp.454 - 458. ⟨10.1111/zph.12456⟩. ⟨hal-01889903⟩