Escherichia coli Genome sequencing and assembly. Escherichia coli

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing multi-resistant E. coli have been on the rise for years. Infections caused by these bugs are severe and increasingly difficult to treat due to limitations in antimicrobial therapies. Initially restricted to solely a human and veterinary clinical context, recent findings proof their prevalence in extra-clinical settings such as the environment, suggesting broad public health threats.To get further insights into the complex ecology of ESBL-producing E. coli, 24 isolates from wild birds in Berlin, Germany, and forty ESBL-producing human clinical E. coli isolates were comparatively analyzed using multi-locus sequence typing. Isolates of sequence type (ST) 410 occurred in both sample groups (six in total). In addition, three previously published ESBL-producing E. coli of ST410 from environmental dog feces and one from a clinical dog isolate were included in this study. All ten ST410 isolates (sampled between 2009 and 2013) were clonally analyzed using macrorestriction analysis, which showed almost identical macrorestriction patterns. They were chosen for whole genome sequencing revealing that the whole genome content of these ten E. coli isolates showed a very high genetic similarity, differing by low numbers of SNPs only.In conclusion, this study gives initial evidence for a recent interspecies transmission of a new successful clone of ST410 E. coli between wildlife, humans, companion animals and the environment underlining their zoonotic potential as well as the mandatory nature of the “One Health” approach to address the threat of multi-resistant ESBL-E. coli.