Molecular detection of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing from bat caves on Lombok Island.

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 TEM gene in isolated from bat excrements in Tanjung Ringgit Cave, East Lombok.

METHODS

Bat fecal samples were firstly inoculated onto eosin methylene blue agar media. Recovered bacterial isolates were further characterized using standard microbiological techniques. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. TEM 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 . Eight (8) out of the 56 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) multidrug resistance isolates recovered from fecal samples of bats, 2 (two) harbored the TEM gene.

CONCLUSION

The discovery of the TEM gene in bat fecal samples indicates the potential for wild animals, especially bats, to spread ESBL resistance genes to the environment and to humans.