Population structure and antibiotic resistance of swine extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli from China

Xudong Li, Huifeng Hu, Yongwei Zhu, Taiquan Wang, Youlan Lu, Xiangru Wang, Zhong Peng, Ming Sun, Huanchun Chen, Jinshui Zheng () and Chen Tan ()
Additional contact information
Xudong Li: Huazhong Agricultural University
Huifeng Hu: Huazhong Agricultural University
Yongwei Zhu: Huazhong Agricultural University
Taiquan Wang: Huazhong Agricultural University
Youlan Lu: Huazhong Agricultural University
Xiangru Wang: Huazhong Agricultural University
Zhong Peng: Huazhong Agricultural University
Ming Sun: Huazhong Agricultural University
Huanchun Chen: Huazhong Agricultural University
Jinshui Zheng: Huazhong Agricultural University
Chen Tan: Huazhong Agricultural University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) pose a significant threat to human and animal health. However, the diversity and antibiotic resistance of animal ExPEC, and their connection to human infections, remain largely unexplored. The study performs large-scale genome sequencing and antibiotic resistance testing of 499 swine-derived ExPEC isolates from China. Results show swine ExPEC are phylogenetically diverse, with over 80% belonging to phylogroups B1 and A. Importantly, 15 swine ExPEC isolates exhibit genetic relatedness to human-origin E. coli strains. Additionally, 49 strains harbor toxins typical of enteric E. coli pathotypes, implying hybrid pathotypes. Notably, 97% of the total strains are multidrug resistant, including resistance to critical human drugs like third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins. Correspondingly, genomic analysis unveils prevalent antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), often associated with co-transfer mechanisms. Furthermore, analysis of 20 complete genomes illuminates the transmission pathways of ARGs within swine ExPEC and to human pathogens. For example, the transmission of plasmids co-harboring fosA3, blaCTX-M-14, and mcr-1 genes between swine ExPEC and human-origin Salmonella enterica is observed. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring and controlling ExPEC infections in animals, as they can serve as a reservoir of ARGs with the potential to affect human health or even be the origin of pathogens infecting humans.

Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-50268-2 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-50268-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50268-2

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().