The Wildlife–Livestock Interface as a Bidirectional Pathway for the Spread of ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli

Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health challenge that requires a One Health approach integrating humans, animals, wildlife, food systems and the environment. Among resistant bacteria, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-producing E. coli) is particularly relevant because it is widely distributed across hosts and ecosystems, may carry mobile resistance genes and is commonly used as an indicator for antimicrobial resistance surveillance. This narrative review examines the occurrence, characteristics and transmission dynamics of ESBL-producing E. coli at the wildlife–livestock interface, with emphasis on its public health relevance and strategies for mitigation and control. The reviewed evidence indicates that livestock, wildlife and environmental matrices can be interconnected reservoirs of resistant E. coli and resistance genes. Transmission should not be interpreted as a simple linear process from livestock to wildlife or humans but rather as a bidirectional and ecological phenomenon shaped by antimicrobial use, farm management, biosecurity, wildlife ecology, environmental contamination and mobile genetic elements. Wildlife may function as a sentinel, reservoir or disperser of resistant bacteria, although detection alone does not demonstrate direct transmission. Integrated surveillance combining livestock, wildlife, food-chain and environmental sampling, supported by genomic analysis, is essential to clarify transmission pathways and guide effective control measures.