Bats and Antibiotic Resistance: A Culprit or a Victim?

In the last decades, the increase of antimicrobial resistance bacteria has become a concern for public health. Bats’ ability to fly, form colonies for a long lifespan, and inhabit a variety of diverse ecological niches make them successful species in terms of adaptation and distribution on earth. Moreover, these characteristics let them act as the potential natural reservoir of numerous zoonotic pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi). Bat bacteriome knowledge is still very scarce, but a few studies have indicated that bats are hosts of antimicrobial resistance and play an important role in the dispersion of resistance in the environment. Moreover, bats are vulnerable to acquiring these pathogens since they sometimes live in close contact with humans and domestic animals. Therefore, the present study aimed to compile the latest studies that describe the presence of antibiotic-resistant in bats. Based on the papers analyzed for this review, it is possible to conclude that bats are hosts of pathogenic bacteria that carry numerous antibiotic resistance. Extended-spectrum b-lactamases (ESBLs) or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus which nowadays days are a great public health concern, have already been reported in these animals, with some isolated strains being of Human origin. Although not completely understood regarding the dynamics and transmission routes, bats seem to have an important role in the dissemination and acquisition of antibiotic resistance in the environment. They can be contaminated by bacteria with antibiotic resistance and disperse through the environment. However, they also can be the host of bacteria that carry antibiotic resistance.