Diffusion of ESBL-producing Enterobacter cloacae complex from hospital to close environment in Guadeloupe (French West Indies). Enterobacter cloacae complex

Wastewater treatment plant are considered to be hotspots for antibiotic resistance. In our study extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) producing strains were isolated from different sample types: clinical isolates , wastewater, wild and domestic animals living in the hospital sewers, and at or near the wastewater treatment plant, suggesting the diffusion of resistance of clinical relevance through the hospital effluents. ECC strains were first compared based on their antibiotic resistant profiles. Then a more in depth analysis of whole genome sequenced (WGS) ECC revealed that the most common sequence type, ST114, was isolated in clinical and non-clinical samples with a very close genetic relatedness. WGS confirm the local circulation of this pathogenic lineage in diverse animal species.