WGS of Intrauterine E. coli from cows with early postpartum uterine infection

Metritis is a common infectious disease in dairy cattle and the second most common reason for treating a cow with antimicrobials. The pathophysiology of the disease is complex and is not completely understood. Specific endometrial pathogenic E. coli have been reported to be adapted to the endometrium and sometimes lead to uterine disease. The objective of this project was to define the association between the prevalence of specific antimicrobial resistance and virulence factor genes in E. coli with the clinical status related to uterine infection. Results from this study provide key microbial ecological advances by elucidating and challenging accepted concepts for the role of Intrauterine E. coli in metritis in dairy cattle, especially contradicting the existence of a unique intrauterine E. coli genotype associated with metritis in dairy cows, which was not found in our study.