Abstract

Background:
The discovery of antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae bacteria in wild animals is an indication of their potential for wildlife as a reservoir. Bats are natural reservoir hosts and a source of infection for several microorganisms and have the potential to become vectors for the spread of zoonotic diseases.
Aim:
A study was conducted based on these characteristics to identify and detect the blaTEM gene in Eschericia coli isolated from bat excrements in Tanjung Ringgit Cave, East Lombok.
Methods:
Bat faecal samples were firstly inoculated onto EMB agar media. Recovered bacterial isolates were further characterized using standard microbiological techniques. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. blaTEM gene detection was carried out using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Results:
Out of the 150 bat fecal samples obtained from Tanjung Ringgit cave, Lombok Island, Indonesia, 56 (37 %) were positive for E. coli. Eight (8) out of the 56 E. coli isolates that underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the disc diffusion method were confirmed to be multidrug-resistant as they exhibited resistance to at least three different classes of antibiotics. Out of the eight (8) MDR E. coli isolates recovered from fecal samples of bats, 2 (two) harbored the blaTEM gene.
Conclusion:
The discovery of the blaTEM gene in bat fecal samples indicates the potential for wild animals, especially bats, to spread ESBL resistance genes to the environment and to humans.

Key words: Escherichia coli, Multidrug resistance, Bats, blaTEM, Human health