Norwegian_E__coli_bacteraemia_survey

Worldwide spread of specific bacterial lineages (high-risk clones) is a hallmark of all successful nosocomial and community-related pathogens. However, our current understanding of the evolution, selection and rapid dissemination of these lineages is limited and this prevents accurate prediction of future emerging lineages, improved diagnostics, and optimized targeted treatment strategies. In this project we focus on Escherichia coli, the most common cause of bloodstream and urinary tract infections in the developed world. The problem presented by the scale of these infections is exacerbated by the number of cases involving multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains, which has resulted in MDR E. coli being included in the WHO global priority pathogen list. Our objective is to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the evolution, selection and spread of successful bacterial lineages. We do this by characterizing at a whole population level the variation of the ExPEC genomes in a national survey covering all larger hospitals in Norway over the years 2002-2017.