Benavides Julio A. auteur aut IRD Godreuil S. auteur aut IRD Opazo-Capurro A. auteur aut IRD Mahamat O.O. auteur aut IRD Falcon N. auteur aut IRD Oravcova K. auteur aut IRD Streicker D.G. auteur aut IRD Shiva C. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli) have been reported in wildlife worldwide. Whether wildlife is a transient host of ESBL-E. coli or comprises an independently maintained reservoir is unknown. We investigated this question by longitudinally monitoring ESBL-E. coli in common vampire bats and nearby livestock in Peru. Among 388 bats from five vampire bat colonies collected over three years, ESBL-E. coli were detected at a low prevalence (10% in 2015, 4% in 2017 and 2018) compared to a high prevalence (48%) from 134 livestock sampled in 2017. All ESBL-E. coli were multidrug-resistant, and whole genome sequencing of 33 randomly selected ESBL-E. coli isolates (18 recovered from bats) detected 46 genes conferring resistance to antibiotics including third-generation cephalosporins (e.g., blaCTX-M-55, blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M-65, blaCTX-M-3, blaCTX-M-14), aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and colistin (mcr-1). The mcr-1 gene is reported for the first time on a wild bat in Latin America. ESBL-E. coli also carried 31 plasmid replicon types and 16 virulence genes. Twenty-three E. coli sequence types (STs) were detected, including STs involved in clinical infections worldwide (e.g., ST 167, ST 117, ST 10, ST 156 and ST 648). ESBL-E. coli with identical cgMLST (ST 167) were detected in the same bat roost in 2015 and 2017, and several ESBL-E. coli from different bat roosts clustered together in the cgMLST reconstruction, suggesting long-term maintenance of ESBL-E. coli within bats. Most antibiotic resistance and virulence genes were detected in E. coli from both host populations, while ESBL-E. coli ST 744 was found in a bat and a pig from the same locality, suggesting possible cross-species exchanges of genetic material and/or bacteria between bats and livestock. This study suggests that wild mammals can maintain multidrug-resistant bacteria and share them with livestock. specialized PEROU 080PROANI05 050EPID 810 152045 [8 ] 2022 0048-9697 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096630 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152045 0048-9697 [F B010096630] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096630 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2026-03/010096630.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2026-02-27 2026-03-05 fdi:010096630 fre