[en] Escherichia coli is a major cause of deadly infections in calves. As surveillance in livestock is mainly performed on carriage isolates, factors driving the dissemination of E. coli infecting calves remain largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the population of β-lactam-resistant E. coli in sick calves across five calving seasons on 444 farms in Wallonia, Belgium. 99% of the isolates were MDR and enriched in virulence factors, adhesins and toxins. Restrictions on critical antibiotic usage have no impact on population structure and β-lactamase gene content. This resilient population is likely shaped by virulence and resistance. Correlations of phylogeny and geographic origin suggest indirect local transmission with differences between regions east and west of the Meuse. Phylogenetic analyses with isolates from EnteroBase show a close relationship of calf isolates with human isolates, suggesting host jumps. These findings provide new means to further model the spread of E. coli in livestock farming.
Disciplines :
Microbiology
Author, co-author :
Guérin, Virginie ✱; Unité EERA, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France ; Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France ; Veterinary Bacteriology, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, FARAH and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, ULiège, Liège, Belgium ; École Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 7, Avenue du Général de Gaulle, Maisons-Alfort, France
Cabanel, Nicolas ✱; Unité EERA, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France ; Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France
Meijer, Gan Min Marissa Diana; Unité EERA, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France ; Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France ; Institute of Biology-Molecular Microbiology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Royer, Guilhem; Unité EERA, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France ; Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France
Duprez, Jean-Noël ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI)
Mainil, Jacques ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI)
Saulmont, Marc; Regional Animal Health and Identification Association (ARSIA), Ciney, Belgium
Thiry, Damien ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI) > Bactériologie vétérinaire et maladies bactériennes animales
Glaser, Philippe; Unité EERA, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. pglaser@pasteur.fr ; Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France. pglaser@pasteur.fr
✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work.
Language :
English
Title :
Antibiotic resistance and virulence shape the population of E. coli from diseased calves in Wallonia, Belgium.
