Multidrug-Resistant Virulent Escherichia coli Strains in Cattle: Implications on Food Safety and Public Health

Escherichia coli inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of mammals, including cattle, where they occur as commensals. However, some strains have evolved as highly virulent pathogens that also harbor a variety of multidrug-resistant determinants. In the present study, from cattle fecal samples, a total of 636 confirmed E. coli strains were obtained based on the presence of the uidA housekeeping gene. Of the seven antibiotics tested, 120 isolates displayed multiple antibiotic-resistant (MAR) traits, with two strains (ERO138 and EKL68) showing resistance to six antibiotics. The hlyA (62.5%) was the most prevalent among the MAR isolates. In addition, 11 (9.1%) isolates harbored all four screened virulence genes (eaeA, stx1, stx2, and hlyA). Seven of the 120 MAR isolates displayed moderate biofilm-producing properties, and two of these isolates (ERO157 and EKL127) harbored all four virulence genes tested. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis revealed that all 120 MAR isolates clustered into eight groups, displaying high genetic variability. These findings are important for screening and monitoring of diverse E. coli isolates from cattle in the Northwest region of South that harbors virulence and multiple antibiotic resistance traits.