High level of intrinsic phenotypic antimicrobial resistance in enterobacteria from terrestrial wildlife in Gabonese national parks.

Data on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Enterobacteriaceae in African wildlife are still relatively limited. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of phenotypic intrinsic and acquired antimicrobial resistance of enterobacteria from several species of terrestrial wild mammals in national parks of Gabon. Colony culture and isolation were done using MacConkey agar. Isolates were identified using the VITEK 2 and MALDI-TOF methods. Antibiotic susceptibility was analysed and interpreted according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing guidelines. The preliminary test for ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae was performed by replicating enterobacterial colonies on MacConkey agar supplemented with 2 mg/L cefotaxime (MCA+CTX). Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production was confirmed with the double-disc synergy test (DDST). The inhibition zone diameters were read with SirScan. Among the 130 bacterial colonies isolated from 125 fecal samples, 90 enterobacterial isolates were identified. Escherichia coli (61%) was the most prevalent, followed by Enterobacter cloacae (8%), Proteus mirabilis (8%), Klebsiella variicola (7%), Klebsiella aerogenes (7%), Klebsiella oxytoca (4%), Citrobacter freundii (3%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (1%) and Serratia marcescens (1%). Acquired resistance was carried by E. coli (11% of all E. coli isolates) and E. cloacae (3% of all E. cloacae) isolates, while intrinsic resistance was detected in all the other resistant isolates (n = 31); K. variicola, K. oxytoca, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae, K. aerogenes, S. marcescens and P. mirabilis). Our data show that most strains isolated in protected areas in Gabon are wild type isolates and carry intrinsic resistance rather than acquired resistance.

Correction: Mbehang Nguema, P.P., et al. Characterization of ESBL-Producing Enterobacteria from Fruit Bats in an Unprotected Area of Makokou, Gabon. Microorganisms 2020, 8, 138.

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...].

Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamases in E. coli of Rats in the Region North East of Gabon.

Antibiotic resistance occurs in the environment by multiplication and the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria that would be due to an improper and incorrect use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of E.coli producing Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamase (ESBL) antibiotics from rats and gregarious animals in a semirural area of Gabon and to evaluate the origin of a resistance distribution in the environment from animal feces. The bacterial culture was carried out, and the identification of E. coli strains on a specific medium and the antibiotic susceptibility tests allowed establishing the prevalence. Characterization of resistance genes was performed by gene amplification after DNA extraction. On 161 feces collected in rats, 32 strains were isolated, and 11 strains of E. coli produced ESBL with a prevalence of 34.37%. Molecular tests showed that CTX-M genes 214 bp were identified in rats. The presence of CTX-M genes could have a human origin. So, the rats can carry ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae which poses a risk to human health and pets in this region of Gabon.

Characterization of ESBL-Producing Enterobacteria from Fruit Bats in an Unprotected Area of Makokou, Gabon.

In Gabon, terrestrial mammals of protected areas have been identified as a possible source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Some studies on antibiotic resistance in bats have already been carried out. The main goal of our study was to detect extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) that are produced by enterobacteria from bats in the Makokou region in Gabon. Sixty-eight fecal samples were obtained from 68 bats caught in the forests located 1 km from the little town of Makokou. After culture and isolation, 66 Gram-negative bacterial colonies were obtained. The double-disk diffusion test confirmed the presence of ESBLs in six (20.69%) Escherichia coli isolates, four (13.79%) Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, and one (3.45%) Enterobacter cloacae isolate. The analysis based on the nucleotide sequences of the ESBL resistance genes showed that all cefotaximase-Munichs (CTX-Ms) were CTX-M-15 and that all sulfhydryl variables (SHVs) were SHV-11: 54.54% ESBL (CTX-M-15)-producing E. coli, 9.09% ESBL (CTX-M-15)-producing K. pneumoniae, 27.27% ESBL (CTX-M-15, SHV-11)-producing K. pneumoniae, and 9.09% ESBL (CTX-M-15)-producing E. cloacae. This study shows for the first time the presence of multiresistant ESBL-producing enterobacteria in fruit bats in Makokou.