Author(s):
Silva, Vanessa ; Araújo, Sara ; Caniça, Manuela ; Pereira, José Eduardo ; Igrejas, Gilberto ; Poeta, Patrícia
Date: 2025
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/188487
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso para Atribuição do Estatuto e Financiamento de Laboratórios Associados (LA)/LA%2FP%2F0059%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Base/UIDB%2F00772%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Base/UIDB%2F50006%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso para Atribuição do Estatuto e Financiamento de Laboratórios Associados (LA)/LA%2FP%2F0008%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017%2F2018) - Financiamento Programático/UIDP%2F50006%2F2020/PT;
Subject(s): antimicrobial resistance; bacterial transmission; environmental reservoirs; ESKAPE pathogens; One Health; wildlife; Ecology; Ecological Modelling; Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous); Nature and Landscape Conservation; SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Description
Funding Information: This work was supported by the projects UI/00772 and LA/P/0059/2020 funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). This work received financial support from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/00772/2020, Doi:10.54499/UIDB/00772/2020, UIDB/50006/2020 DOI 10.54499/UIDB/50006/2020, LA/P/0008/2020 DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0008/2020, UIDP/50006/2020 DOI 10.54499/UIDP/50006/2020). Publisher Copyright: © 2025 by the authors.
The emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria poses a significant global health challenge, with ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp.) playing a major role in multidrug-resistant infections. While traditionally associated with hospital settings, these bacteria have increasingly been detected in wildlife, suggesting a complex web of transmission between human, animal, and environmental reservoirs. Wildlife may act as both sentinels and reservoirs for resistant pathogens, contributing to their persistence and dissemination across ecosystems. This review explores the presence of ESKAPE bacteria in wild animals, examining their clonal lineages, resistance profiles, and virulence traits. Understanding how these pathogens circulate in natural environments is crucial for designing effective strategies to mitigate antimicrobial resistance. By adopting a One Health perspective—integrating human, animal, and environmental health—efforts to control ESKAPE bacteria can extend beyond clinical interventions to broader ecological and public health frameworks. Addressing this issue requires comprehensive surveillance, responsible antibiotic use, and policies aimed at reducing environmental contamination, ultimately safeguarding both biodiversity and global health.
