Huang Long, Dai Wentao, Sun Xiaoyu, Pu Yingting, Feng Jiang, Jin Longru, Sun Keping
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China; Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China.
Microbiol Res. 2025 Apr;293:128086. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2025.128086. Epub 2025 Jan 28.
Wild bats may serve as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance and pathogen transmission. However, current assessments of bats' antibiotic resistance potential are limited to culture-dependent bacterial snapshots. In this study, we present metagenomic evidence supporting a strong association between diet, gut microbiota, and the resistome, highlighting bats as significant vectors for ARG propagation. We characterized gut microbiota, ARGs, and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in bats with five distinct diets: frugivory, insectivory, piscivory, carnivory, and sanguivory. Our analysis revealed high levels of ARGs in bat guts, with limited potential for horizontal transfer, encompassing 1106 ARGs conferring resistance to 26 antibiotics. Multidrug-resistant and polymyxin-resistant genes were particularly prevalent among identified ARG types. The abundance and diversity of ARGs/MGEs varied significantly among bats with different dietary habits, possibly due to diet-related differences in microbial composition. Additionally, genetic linkage between high-risk ARGs and multiple MGEs was observed on the genomes of various zoonotic pathogens, indicating a potential threat to human health from wild bats. Overall, our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the resistome in wild bats and underscores the role of dietary habits in wildlife-associated public health risks.
野生蝙蝠可能是抗生素抗性基因（ARGs）和抗生素抗性细菌的储存宿主，可能会促进抗生素抗性和病原体传播。然而，目前对蝙蝠抗生素抗性潜力的评估仅限于依赖培养的细菌快照。在本研究中，我们提供了宏基因组学证据，支持饮食、肠道微生物群和抗性组之间存在紧密关联，突出了蝙蝠作为ARG传播重要载体的作用。我们对具有五种不同饮食的蝙蝠的肠道微生物群、ARGs和移动遗传元件（MGEs）进行了表征：食果、食虫、食鱼、食肉和吸血。我们的分析显示蝙蝠肠道中ARGs水平较高，水平转移潜力有限，包括1106个对26种抗生素具有抗性的ARGs。在已鉴定的ARG类型中，多重耐药和耐多粘菌素基因尤为普遍。不同饮食习惯的蝙蝠中ARGs/MGEs的丰度和多样性存在显著差异，这可能是由于微生物组成与饮食相关的差异所致。此外，在各种人畜共患病原体的基因组上观察到高风险ARGs与多个MGEs之间的遗传联系，表明野生蝙蝠对人类健康存在潜在威胁。总体而言，我们的研究对野生蝙蝠的抗性组进行了全面分析，并强调了饮食习惯在与野生动物相关的公共卫生风险中的作用。
