Prevalence and dissemination risk of antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from shared bikes in Beijing, China

Bike-sharing as a common public transportation has been booming in China in recent years. Previous studies showed that the surfaces of public transport can act as reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant (AR) bacteria, but AR bacterial contamination of shared bikes has not been investigated. Otherwise, the AR-Enterobacteriaceae is considered as a global health threat for humans. Herein, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of AR Enterobacteriaceae on shared bikes and examine correlations between AR Enterobacteriaceae from shared bikes and public buildings around Metro stations in Beijing. We collected 2117 samples from shared bikes at 240 Metro stations in Beijing. A total of 444 non-duplicate Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from 418 samples at 166 stations. The isolates exhibited low rates of resistance (0.5%-6.3%) to all antimicrobial agents except sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (31.5%). Three ceftazidime-resistant E. coli isolates were positive for bla_CTX-M-199 and two of them were positive for carbapenemase-producing gene bla_NDM-5. Multivariable logistic regression model revealed that variable "secondary/tertiary non-profit hospital nearby" was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with isolation of AR Enterobacteriaceae from the shared bikes around the Metro stations. Low AR rates of Enterobacteriaceae observed in this study suggested the risk of dissemination of AR-Enterobacteriaceae via shared bikes is limited. However, we identified hospitals as a risk factor for the dissemination of AR Enterobacteriaceae among shared bike users. More attention should be paid to both comprehensive hygiene managements in the surrounding environment of hospitals and the increasing of public awareness on the personal hygienic habits.