Genetic Diversity and Zoonotic Potential of Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli (STEC) in Cattle and Buffaloes from Islamabad, Pakistan

Hamid Irshad (), Aitezaz Ahsan, Arfan Yousaf, Naowarat Kanchanakhan, Tepanata Pumpaibool, Wattasit Siriwong, Pinidphon Prombutara, Ibrar Ahmed, Zarrin Basharat, Mudussar Nawaz, Abdullah, Humaira Amin, Audrey D. Thevenon, Muhammad Ijaz Khan, Muhammad Usman Zaheer, Sangeeta Rao and Mo Salman
Additional contact information
Hamid Irshad: Animal Health Program, Animal Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Islamabad 45500, Pakistan
Aitezaz Ahsan: Animal Health Program, Animal Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Islamabad 45500, Pakistan
Arfan Yousaf: Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan
Naowarat Kanchanakhan: College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tepanata Pumpaibool: College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Wattasit Siriwong: College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Pinidphon Prombutara: Omics Sciences and Bioinformatics Centre, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Ibrar Ahmed: Alpha Genomics Private Limited, Islamabad 45710, Pakistan
Zarrin Basharat: Alpha Genomics Private Limited, Islamabad 45710, Pakistan
Mudussar Nawaz: Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan
Abdullah: State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Modernization, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
Humaira Amin: Alpha Genomics Private Limited, Islamabad 45710, Pakistan
Audrey D. Thevenon: National Academies of Sciences, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Muhammad Ijaz Khan: Livestock and Dairy Development Department, Muzaffarabad 13100, Pakistan
Muhammad Usman Zaheer: Animal Population Health Institute, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Sangeeta Rao: Animal Population Health Institute, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Mo Salman: Animal Population Health Institute, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are considered important zoonotic pathogens of great economic significance, associated with diarrhea, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), hemorrhagic colitis (HC), and death in humans. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of various STEC virulence gene markers and antimicrobial susceptibility (AST) profiles associated within E. coli isolates from the recto-anal mucosal swabs (RAMSs) of slaughtered cattle and buffaloes in Islamabad, Pakistan. The RAMSs ( n = 200) were analyzed using multiplex PCR for the presence of stx1 , stx2 , eae , and ehxA genes. Samples that were positive for one or more of the virulence genes were inoculated with Sorbitol MacConkey agar (SMAC) for isolation of STEC. The isolates were further analyzed for the presence of virulence genes using multiplex PCR. Of the 200 RAMS, 118 (59%) were positive for one or more virulence genes. E. coli isolates ( n = 18) with one or more virulence genes were recovered from the 118 positive samples. The DNA of the isolates positive for one or more virulent genes was extracted and subjected to whole genome sequencing using Illumina. Analysis of the WGS data indicated that the E. coli isolates could be differentiated into 11 serotypes. Most E. coli isolates (13/18; 72.2%) carried five genes ( stx1 , stx2 , Iha , iss , and IpfA ) in various combinations. In addition to these five genes, other virulence genes identified in these isolates were espI , ireA , espP , exhA , epeA , mcmA , mch , ast , celB , eilA , katP , and capU . The AST was performed using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion test. The study indicated that all the isolates were resistant to rifampicin and a significant proportion of the isolates were MDR. A wide range of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) were detected among the isolates, reflecting the complex nature of resistance mechanisms. The study results indicate that cattle and buffaloes slaughtered in Islamabad might be the carriers of antimicrobial resistant STEC of zoonotic significance, thus representing a source of human infection.

Keywords: STEC; E. coli; zoonoses; one health; whole genome sequencing; antimicrobial resistance; Pakistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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