Prevalence and risk factors of antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus spp. and Escherichia coli in fruit bats at high-risk human-wildlife interfaces in Bangladesh

Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria are frequently detected in wildlife and are often considered an indicator of anthropogenic pathogen exposure to wildlife. However, the role of bats in AMR dissemination remains poorly understood. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with AMR patterns in <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. and <i>Escherichia coli</i> isolated from frugivorous bats in Bangladesh. We collected 369 noninvasive fecal samples from <i>Pteropus medius</i> and <i>Rousettus leschenaultii</i> individual bats. Bacterial isolation was performed using selective media, biochemical tests and performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for confirmation of <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. and <i>E. coli</i>. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for antimicrobials was conducted using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. The prevalence of <i>E. coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. was 29.8 % and 28.5 % respectively. Overall, 28.2 % of <i>E. coli</i> and 26.3 % of <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. exhibited resistance to at least one antimicrobial. Logistic regression analysis revealed that resistant <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. colonisation was significantly higher in rural areas (OR = 2.6) and in <i>R. leschenaulti</i> <i>i</i> species (OR = 2.6), while resistant <i>E. coli</i> was higher in urban areas (OR = 2.0) and in <i>P. medius</i> bat (OR = 1.7). <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. showed the highest resistance to ampicillin (56 %), followed by clindamycin (23 %). On the other hand, <i>E. coli</i> showed the highest resistance against cefepime (16 %) followed by ampicillin (13 %). While the source of AMR bacteria in bats remains unclear, bat drinking habits on the contaminated water bodies with people and domestic animals might be source of resistant bacteria to bats. Future One Health research is recommended to understand the ecology of AMR and role of bats in the transmission of resistant bacteria across ecosystems.