Circulation_of_MDR_E__coli_clones_in_bloodstream_infections_in_2018_2022_Norway

Multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli, in particular extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing strains, are a global public health concern due to the increasing frequency of bloodstream infections (BSI) with limited treatment options. Molecular dating and transmission analysis of main E. coli lineages from WGS data produced in systematic genomic surveys of BSI from Norway in 2002-2017 (Gladstone et al. Lancet Microbe 2021). A consortium of hospital labs across Norway has assembled a systematic survey of 1,746 BSI E. coli isolates for 2018-2022, covering the pandemic years and beyond. The isolates are pelleted and ready for DNA extraction by April 2023. This cohort is a direct follow-up on the Gladstone et al.Lancet Microbe 2021 study that sequenced Norwegian isolates from 2002-2017. The combined data sets would provide a unique opportunity to investigate in detail how restrictions on human mobility influence local population frequencies of opportunistic MDR pathogens such as E. coli. Such knowledge will be valuable in particular for future management of AMR dissemination.