Wild animal oral microbiomes reflect the history of human antibiotics use

Abstract

Following the advent of industrial-scale antibiotics production in the 1940s, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been on the rise and now poses a major global health threat. Because AMR can be exchanged between humans, livestock and wildlife, evaluating the potential of wild animals to act as AMR reservoirs is essential. We used shotgun metagenomics sequencing of dental calculus, the calcified form of the oral microbial biofilm, to determine the abundance and repertoire of AMR genes in the oral microbiome of Swedish brown bears from museum specimens collected over the last 200 years. Our temporal metagenomics approach allowed us to establish a baseline of natural AMR in the pre-antibiotics era and to quantify a significant increase in total AMR load and diversity of AMR genes that is correlated with human antibiotics use. We also demonstrated that Swedish public health policies were effective in limiting AMR spillover into wildlife.