Abstract 40 – Vitek® analysis of sloth bear scats from wild and captive populations reveals differences in their gut microbiota and antibiotic resistance

Sakhi Dabhi and Nishith Dharaiya

Sloth bear is considered as one of the largest myrmecophagous mammals. In addition to their
consumption of ants and termites, they also consume a large variety of plant food. The present
study compared the presence of selected bacterial species within the wild and captive sloth
bear populations, and investigated the incidence of antimicrobial resistance for both
populations. The antibiotic susceptibility test would be helpful for veterinary care protocols, but
will also indicate any presence of resistance in the wild population. The study was conducted
using a non-invasive method, by isolating microorganisms from fresh scat samples collected
from Jessore Wildlife Sanctuary of Gujarat (wild) and Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre and
Bannerghatta Zoo (captive). Standard microbiological techniques were used for isolation,
growing bacteria on differential media, followed by Gram staining. The Vitek 2 compact system
(bioMerieux®) was used to identify the isolated microorganisms and to determine their
antibiotic susceptibility. A total of 19 and 22 colonies were isolated from wild and captive sloth
bear scats respectively. Of these colonies, eight microorganisms from the wild and nine from
the captive sloth bear scats were identified. Further, two organisms were found in common for
both populations. Apart from the bacteria, one scat collected from the wild was found to
contain Candida albicans fungi. The antimicrobial susceptibility test revealed that ten out of 22
organisms from captive population are resistant to 38 different antibiotics, whereas, in case of
wild population, only two out of 19 organisms were found resistant to 34 different antibiotics.
It is therefore recommended that susceptibility should be tested before antibiotic treatment is
given. In addition, the significant daily use of Jessore Wildlife Sanctuary by livestock and local
villagers, our finding of little antibiotic resistance is reassuring, though further studies in this
area would be helpful.