Comparative Molecular Epidemiology and Virulence Gene Profiling of Escherichia coli from Clinical and Aquatic Environments: A One Health Perspective

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19130045

Abstract

The Escherichia coli is a highly heterogeneous bacterium capable of behaving both as a commensal bacterium and a versatile pathogen causing additional intestinal and extraintestinal infections. The hypothetical purpose of the present research was to compare the molecular epidemiology, virulence gene patterns as well as antimicrobial resistance patterns of E. coli isolates in clinical and aquatic settings in a One Health paradigm. A total of 55 samples comprising of 30 water samples of filtration plants and 25 clinical isolates of urinary tract infections were collected and subjected to the procedure of bacterial isolation. Standard culture tests confirmed the isolates to be E. coli, and then tested them as to antibiotic susceptibility and virulence-associated genes (stx1, stx2, eae, eae_y, bfp, lpfa variants) by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antimicrobial testing showed a high level of sensitivity to imipenem with high levels of resistance to rifampicin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. The patterns of multidrug resistance were observed in both clinical and environmental isolates, which points to the concerns of public health. Virulence gene profiling showed that both sources carry stx1 and stx2 with stx2 being more common in clinical isolates. Gene related to adhesion were more common in water isolates especially the gene bfp showing that there were environmental reservoirs of the enteropathogenic strains. Comparative analysis indicated that there overlapping patterns of virulence, which indicated the possibility of the transmission between the environmental and human populations. It highlights the importance of water as a possible source of pathogenic and multidrug-resistant E. coli and the need to integrate surveillance approaches. This paper Has emphasized the importance of the One Health approach in the study and management of the spread of E. coli in both clinical and environmental environments.