Staphylococcus spp and Antibiotic Resistance in Cave Versus City Bats in Gabon

Antibiotic resistance is a major global health concern, yet its prevalence in wildlife remains poorly understood. Bats, due to their ecological diversity and mobility, can serve as indicators of environmental antimicrobial resistance. This study compares the diversity of Staphylococcus spp. and antibiotic resistance patterns between bats from a cave and an urban area in northeastern Gabon.

A total of 655 bats were captured from Zadié Cave and Makokou City. Rectal and oral swabs were collected, and Staphylococcus spp. were isolated using mannitol media and identified via the APIstaph system. Antibiotic susceptibility was assessed by the disk-diffusion method. Statistical analyses, including Fisher's exact test, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), and Random Forest classification, were applied to compare resistance patterns.

Among 257 Staphylococcus isolates, S. xylosus (32.5%), S. lentus (21.7%), and S. sciuri (14.9%) were the most prevalent. Clindamycin (74.0%-79.3%) and erythromycin/azithromycin (59.1%-72.4%) resistance were high in both environments. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was more frequent in cave bats (60.0%) than in urban bats (27.8%) (p < 0.001). MCA and Random Forest analyses highlighted a higher prevalence of chloramphenicol and rifampicin resistance in cave bats, while sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim resistance was more common in urban bats.

These results suggest that natural environments influence the emergence of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus spp. in bats. Given their ecological role and interactions with human habitats, bats should be integrated into One-Health surveillance programs to monitor antimicrobial resistance dissemination.