Available phosphorus and opportunistic pathogens drive geographic variation in Escherichia coli O157:H7 survival in soils across eastern China

The persistence of food-borne pathogens in soil can trigger disease outbreaks, highlighting the critical need to understand their survival patterns. Here we investigate the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7, a notable food-borne pathogen, across 81 natural soils from eastern China using inoculation experiments. E. coli O157:H7 survival ranged from 2.0 days to 43.3 days in soils. The survival-time map revealed hotspots and geographical heterogeneity of E. coli O157:H7 survival across eastern China. Bioinformatics analysis and validation experiments identified available phosphorus as the major factor controlling E. coli O157:H7 survival, with higher available phosphorus content in soils extending their survival. Two opportunistic pathogens, Enterococcus faecium and Aerococcus viridans, facilitated E. coli O157:H7 survival by forming biofilm structures and cross-feeding, respectively. Climate factors showed mostly indirect correlations with E. coli O157:H7. These findings enhance our understanding of food-borne pathogen survival in soils and offer insights to inform agricultural practices for preventing and controlling outbreaks. Soil ecosystems are not only reservoirs of food-borne pathogens, but also transmitters through contaminated water and agricultural products. This study examines the survival of food-borne pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 across 81 natural soils from eastern China, mapping geographic survival patterns and identifying key abiotic and biotic drivers.