Genetic relatedness and antimicrobial resistance profiles of β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli from environmental and animal sources in West Texas: A One Health approach.

Aims: We aimed to determine the genetic relatedness among β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolated from soil, lake water, and feces of geese, pigs, dogs, cattle, coyotes, wild hogs, and horses at one health interface in West Texas.

Methods and results: Previously isolated 56 β-lactamase-producing E. coli isolates from the feces of geese, pigs, horses, coyotes, dogs, cattle, and wild hogs, and soil and lake water from different locations in West Texas were analyzed for genetic relatedness using whole-genome sequencing, core genome multilocus sequence typing, and phylogenetic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis using the publicly available bioinformatic platforms. Among 56 β-lactamase-producing E. coli isolates, 82.1% carried blaCTX-M genes, 42.86% carried blaTEM genes, 7.14% carried blaOXA-10, and 3.57% contained blaCMY-2 genes. 9 different types of phylogroups, 35 serotypes and 36 sequence types, 32 distinct plasmid groups, 75 types of virulence genes, and 46 core genome multilocus sequence types were identified. Using 100 maximum of SNPs between the isolates to define a clone, 14 clones were identified in 13 E. coli isolates from animal feces and environmental samples. The clonally related E. coli isolates were clustered based on the phylogenetic tree.

Conclusion: The findings from this study provide limited evidence of clonal dissemination of β-lactamase-producing E. coli between different animal sources.