E. marmotae causing invasive infections

Escherichia marmotae is a recently described species phenotypically indistinguishable from E. coli. We have shown that it can cause the same types of invasive human infections involving blood, bone, the urinary tract and the bile duct system. It can also cause septic shock. It further has the capacity to acquire broad-spectrum beta-lactamases including carbapenamases. A wide range of isolation sources combined with a large accessory genome is indicative of a true generalist bacterium. The extent of encountered virulence genes support that E. marmotae has not been acknowledged as a pathogen due to the resolution of routine species identification methods rather than recent emergence. Reliable routine identification will make it possible to assess the burden of E. marmotae infections in humans.