Genomic diversity of Escherichia coli isolates from backyard chickens and guinea fowl in the Gambia

AbstractChickens and guinea fowl are commonly reared in Gambian homes as affordable sources of protein. Using standard microbiological techniques, we obtained 68 caecal isolates of Escherichia coli from ten chickens and nine guinea fowl in rural Gambia. After Illumina whole-genome sequencing, 28 sequence types were detected in the isolates (four of them novel), of which ST155 was the most common (22/68, 32%). These strains span four of the eight main phylogroups of E. coli, with phylogroups B1 and A being most prevalent. Nearly a third of the isolates harboured at least one antimicrobial resistance gene, while most of the ST155 isolates (14/22, 64%) encoded resistance to ≥3 classes of clinically relevant antibiotics, as well as putative virulence factors, suggesting pathogenic potential in humans. Furthermore, hierarchical clustering revealed that several Gambian poultry strains were closely related to isolates from humans. Although the ST155 lineage is common in poultry from Africa and South America, the Gambian ST155 isolates belong to a unique cgMLST cluster comprised of closely related (38-39 alleles differences) isolates from poultry and livestock from sub-Saharan Africa—suggesting that strains can be exchanged between poultry and livestock in this setting. Continued surveillance of E. coli and other potential pathogens in rural backyard poultry from sub-Saharan Africa is warranted.Author notesAll supporting data and protocols have been provided within the article or as supplementary data files. Eleven supplementary figures and eight supplementary files are available with the online version of this article.Data summaryThe genomic assemblies for the isolates reported here are available for download from EnteroBase (http://enterobase.warwick.ac.uk/species/index/ecoli) and the EnteroBase assembly barcodes are provided in File S2.Sequences have been deposited in the NCBI SRA, under the BioProject ID: PRJNA616250 and accession numbers SAMN14485281 to SAMN14485348 (File S2). Assemblies have been deposited in GenBank under the BioProject ID: PRJNA616250 and accession numbers CP053258 and CP053259.Impact statementDomestic birds play a crucial role in human society, in particular contributing to food security in low-income countries. Many households in Sub-Saharan Africa rear free-range chickens and guinea fowl, which are often left to scavenge for feed in and around the family compound, where they are frequently exposed to humans, other animals and the environment. Such proximity between backyard poultry and humans is likely to facilitate transmission of pathogens such as Escherichia coli or antimicrobial resistance between the two host species. Little is known about the population structure of E. coli in rural chickens and guinea fowl, although this information is needed to contextualise the potential risks of transmission of bacterial strains between humans and rural backyard poultry. Thus, we sought to investigate the genomic diversity of E. coli in backyard poultry from rural Gambia.

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Genomic diversity of Escherichia coli isolates from backyard chickens and guinea fowl in the Gambia

Microbial Genomics ◽

10.1099/mgen.0.000484 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko ◽

Nabil-Fareed Alikhan ◽

Anuradha Ravi ◽

Nicholas M. Thomson ◽

Sheikh Jarju ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Type Species ◽

Guinea Fowl ◽

Genomic Diversity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Content Type ◽

E Coli ◽

Link Type ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance Gene ◽

Sub Saharan

Chickens and guinea fowl are commonly reared in Gambian homes as affordable sources of protein. Using standard microbiological techniques, we obtained 68 caecal isolates of Escherichia coli from 10 chickens and 9 guinea fowl in rural Gambia. After Illumina whole-genome sequencing, 28 sequence types were detected in the isolates (4 of them novel), of which ST155 was the most common (22/68, 32 %). These strains span four of the eight main phylogroups of E. coli, with phylogroups B1 and A being most prevalent. Nearly a third of the isolates harboured at least one antimicrobial resistance gene, while most of the ST155 isolates (14/22, 64 %) encoded resistance to ≥3 classes of clinically relevant antibiotics, as well as putative virulence factors, suggesting pathogenic potential in humans. Furthermore, hierarchical clustering revealed that several Gambian poultry strains were closely related to isolates from humans. Although the ST155 lineage is common in poultry from Africa and South America, the Gambian ST155 isolates belong to a unique cgMLST cluster comprising closely related (38–39 alleles differences) isolates from poultry and livestock from sub-Saharan Africa – suggesting that strains can be exchanged between poultry and livestock in this setting. Continued surveillance of E. coli and other potential pathogens in rural backyard poultry from sub-Saharan Africa is warranted.

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Gambian poultry isolates from hyperendemic group of AMR Escherichia coli strains in sub-Saharan Africa

Access Microbiology ◽

10.1099/acmi.ac2020.po0824 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (7A) ◽

Author(s):

Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko ◽

Nabil-Fareed Alikhan ◽

Anuradha Ravi ◽

Nicholas Thomson ◽

Sheikh Jarju ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Guinea Fowl ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Pathogenic Potential ◽

E Coli ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance Gene ◽

Microbiological Techniques ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Genomic Cluster ◽

Sequence Types

Chickens and guinea fowl are commonly reared in Gambian homes as affordable sources of protein. Using standard microbiological techniques, we obtained 68 caecal isolates of Escherichia coli from ten chickens and nine guinea fowl in rural Gambia. After Illumina whole-genome sequencing, 28 sequence types were detected in the isolates (four of them novel), of which ST155 was the most common (22/68, 32%). These strains span four of the eight main phylogroups of E. coli, with phylogroups B1 and A being most prevalent. Nearly a third of the isolates harboured at least one antimicrobial resistance gene, while most of the ST155 isolates (14/22, 64%) encoded resistance to ≥3 classes of clinically relevant antibiotics, as well as putative virulence factors, suggesting pathogenic potential in humans. Furthermore, hierarchical clustering revealed that several Gambian poultry strains were closely related to isolates from humans. Although the ST155 lineage is common in poultry from Africa and South America, the Gambian ST155 isolates sit within a tight genomic cluster (100 alleles difference) of strains from poultry and livestock in sub-Saharan Africa (the Gambia, Uganda and Kenya). Continued surveillance of E. coli and other potential pathogens in rural backyard poultry from sub-Saharan Africa is warranted.

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Genomic diversity of Escherichia coli from healthy children in rural Gambia

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.10572 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e10572

Author(s):

Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko ◽

Nabil-Fareed Alikhan ◽

Usman N. Ikumapayi ◽

Golam Sarwar ◽

Catherine Okoi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Genomic Diversity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Minor Role ◽

Healthy Children ◽

E Coli ◽

Asymptomatic Children ◽

Study Population ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Host Evolution

Little is known about the genomic diversity of Escherichia coli in healthy children from sub-Saharan Africa, even though this is pertinent to understanding bacterial evolution and ecology and their role in infection. We isolated and whole-genome sequenced up to five colonies of faecal E. coli from 66 asymptomatic children aged three-to-five years in rural Gambia (n = 88 isolates from 21 positive stools). We identified 56 genotypes, with an average of 2.7 genotypes per host. These were spread over 37 seven-allele sequence types and the E. coli phylogroups A, B1, B2, C, D, E, F and Escherichia cryptic clade I. Immigration events accounted for three-quarters of the diversity within our study population, while one-quarter of variants appeared to have arisen from within-host evolution. Several isolates encode putative virulence factors commonly found in Enteropathogenic and Enteroaggregative E. coli, and 53% of the isolates encode resistance to three or more classes of antimicrobials. Thus, resident E. coli in these children may constitute reservoirs of virulence- and resistance-associated genes. Moreover, several study strains were closely related to isolates that caused disease in humans or originated from livestock. Our results suggest that within-host evolution plays a minor role in the generation of diversity compared to independent immigration and the establishment of strains among our study population. Also, this study adds significantly to the number of commensal E. coli genomes, a group that has been traditionally underrepresented in the sequencing of this species.

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Genomic diversity of Escherichia coli isolates from healthy children in rural Gambia

10.1101/2020.08.28.271627 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko ◽

Nabil-Fareed Alikhan ◽

Usman Nurudeen Ikumapayi ◽

Sarwar Golam ◽

M Jahangir Hossain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Genomic Diversity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Minor Role ◽

Healthy Children ◽

E Coli ◽

Asymptomatic Children ◽

Study Population ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Host Evolution

AbstractLittle is known about the genomic diversity of Escherichia coli in healthy children from sub-Saharan Africa, even though this is pertinent to understanding bacterial evolution and ecology and their role in infection. We isolated and whole-genome sequenced up to five colonies of faecal E. coli from 66 asymptomatic children aged three-to-five years in rural Gambia (n=88 isolates from 21 positive stools). We identified 56 genotypes, with an average of 2.7 genotypes per host. These were spread over 37 seven-allele sequence types and the E. coli phylogroups A, B1, B2, C, D, E, F and Escherichia cryptic clade I. Immigration events accounted for three-quarters of the diversity within our study population, while one-quarter of variants appeared to have arisen from within-host evolution. Several study strains were closely related to isolates that caused disease in humans or originated from livestock. Our results suggest that within-host evolution plays a minor role in the generation of diversity than independent immigration and the establishment of strains among our study population. Also, this study adds significantly to the number of commensal E. coli genomes, a group that has been traditionally underrepresented in the sequencing of this species.

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Population genomics and antimicrobial resistance dynamics of Escherichia coli in wastewater and river environments

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-021-01949-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jose F. Delgado-Blas ◽

Cristina M. Ovejero ◽

Sophia David ◽

Natalia Montero ◽

William Calero-Caceres ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Population Genomics ◽

Population Diversity ◽

Genomic Diversity ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Aquatic Environments ◽

E Coli ◽

Water Ecosystems ◽

Sequence Types

AbstractAquatic environments are key niches for the emergence, evolution and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. However, the population diversity and the genetic elements that drive the dynamics of resistant bacteria in different aquatic environments are still largely unknown. The aim of this study was to understand the population genomics and evolutionary events of Escherichia coli resistant to clinically important antibiotics including aminoglycosides, in anthropogenic and natural water ecosystems. Here we show that less different E. coli sequence types (STs) are identified in wastewater than in rivers, albeit more resistant to antibiotics, and with significantly more plasmids/cell (6.36 vs 3.72). However, the genomic diversity within E. coli STs in both aquatic environments is similar. Wastewater environments favor the selection of conserved chromosomal structures associated with diverse flexible plasmids, unraveling promiscuous interplasmidic resistance genes flux. On the contrary, the key driver for river E. coli adaptation is a mutable chromosome along with few plasmid types shared between diverse STs harboring a limited resistance gene content.

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Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of bacterial pathogens isolated from childhood diarrhoea in four provinces of Kenya

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ◽

10.3855/jidc.2196 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 6 (07) ◽

pp. 572-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Willie Kipkemboi Sang ◽

Valerie Oundo ◽

David Schnabel

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Vibrio Cholera ◽

Antimicrobial Drug Resistance ◽

E Coli ◽

Shigella Isolate ◽

Stool Samples ◽

Sub Saharan

Introduction: Diarrhoea is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality among children in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of the main causes of hospital admissions in rural areas of Kenya. In Kenya, antimicrobial resistance surveillance has been conducted only at the institutional levels, with limited sharing of information and analysis of data. As a result, the actual scale of regional or national antimicrobial drug resistance is not well defined. Methodology: Stool samples were collected between 1 October 2007 and 30 September 2008 from a total of 651 outpatients with diarrhoea who were under five years of age in four provinces of Kenya. Conventional, biochemical methods, multiplex PCR and antimicrobial susceptibility were conducted to identify the bacterial causes and virulence factors in the isolates, respectively. Results: Of the 651 patients screened, we identified the causes of 115 cases (17.7%) as follows: Pathogenic E. coli (11.2%) [enteroaggregative (8.9%), enterotoxigenic (1.2%), enteroinvasive (0.6%), shigatoxigenic (0.5%)], Salmonella (3.5%), Shigella (2%) and Vibrio cholera O1 (0.7%). The highest levels of resistance among the E. coli isolates were observed in ampicillin and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole each at 95% followed by tetracycline at 81%. Shigella isolate levels of resistance ranged from 80% to 100% for ampicillin, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole. Conclusion: The highest prevalence of antimicrobial resistance was to ampicillin followed by trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole and tetracycline. Though still at low levels, the major concern from our findings is the emerging resistance of enteric pathogens that was observed to quinolones (ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin) and gentamycin.

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Milk Hygiene in Rural Southwestern Uganda: Prevalence of Mastitis and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Bacterial Contaminants of Milk and Milk Products

Veterinary Medicine International ◽

10.1155/2017/8710758 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Paul Ssajjakambwe ◽

Gloria Bahizi ◽

Christopher Setumba ◽

Stevens M. B. Kisaka ◽

Patrick Vudriko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Production Efficiency ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Milk Products ◽

E Coli ◽

Antimicrobial Sensitivity ◽

Causative Agents ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Government ◽

Milk Hygiene

Mastitis and antimicrobial resistance are a big challenge to the dairy industry in sub-Saharan Africa. A study was conducted in Kashongi and Keshunga subcounties of Kiruhura District (in Uganda) where the government and private sector have deliberate programs to improve production efficiency, quality, and safety of milk and its products. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of mastitis, its common causative agents, antimicrobial sensitivity of mastitis causing organisms, and contaminants of processed milk products: yoghurt and ghee. Seventy-one milk, fourteen yoghurt, and three ghee samples were collected from nine farms. Of the 71 cows tested, 54 (76.1%) had mastitis. The mastitis cases from Keshunga were 32 (59.3%) and Kashongi contributed 22 (40.7%) of the cases. The common mastitis causative agents wereStaphylococcusspp. (30.8%),Streptococcusspp. (12.3%),Corynebacteriumspp.(15.4%), andE. coli(7.7%). Some of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline and penicillin. Prevalent contaminants of yoghurt wereStaphylococcusspp. (8.3%),Streptococcusspp. (8.3%),Corynebacteriumspp. (8.3%), andE. coli(8.3%), whereas all ghee containedStreptococcusspp. (100%). Prevalence of mastitis, antimicrobial resistance, and contamination of milk products are high in the study area. Targeted programs to prevent and control mastitis as well as antibiotic resistance are recommended.

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Genomic surveillance of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. in hospital sink drains and patients

Microbial Genomics ◽

10.1099/mgen.0.000391 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Bede Constantinides ◽

Kevin K. Chau ◽

T. Phuong Quan ◽

Gillian Rodger ◽

Monique I. Andersson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Whole Genome Sequencing ◽

Genome Sequencing ◽

Type Species ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Content Type ◽

E Coli ◽

Link Type ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. are important human pathogens that cause a wide spectrum of clinical disease. In healthcare settings, sinks and other wastewater sites have been shown to be reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli and Klebsiella spp., particularly in the context of outbreaks of resistant strains amongst patients. Without focusing exclusively on resistance markers or a clinical outbreak, we demonstrate that many hospital sink drains are abundantly and persistently colonized with diverse populations of E. coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella oxytoca , including both antimicrobial-resistant and susceptible strains. Using whole-genome sequencing of 439 isolates, we show that environmental bacterial populations are largely structured by ward and sink, with only a handful of lineages, such as E. coli ST635, being widely distributed, suggesting different prevailing ecologies, which may vary as a result of different inputs and selection pressures. Whole-genome sequencing of 46 contemporaneous patient isolates identified one (2 %; 95 % CI 0.05–11 %) E. coli urine infection-associated isolate with high similarity to a prior sink isolate, suggesting that sinks may contribute to up to 10 % of infections caused by these organisms in patients on the ward over the same timeframe. Using metagenomics from 20 sink-timepoints, we show that sinks also harbour many clinically relevant antimicrobial resistance genes including bla CTX-M, bla SHV and mcr, and may act as niches for the exchange and amplification of these genes. Our study reinforces the potential role of sinks in contributing to Enterobacterales infection and antimicrobial resistance in hospital patients, something that could be amenable to intervention. This article contains data hosted by Microreact.

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Dynamics of antimicrobial resistance in intestinal Escherichia coli from children in community settings in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

Nature Microbiology ◽

10.1038/s41564-018-0217-4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (9) ◽

pp. 1063-1073 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Danielle J. Ingle ◽

Myron M. Levine ◽

Karen L. Kotloff ◽

Kathryn E. Holt ◽

Roy M. Robins-Browne

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

South Asia ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Community Settings ◽

Sub Saharan

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Antimicrobial resistance prevalence in commensal Escherichia coli from broilers, fattening turkeys, fattening pigs and veal calves in European countries and association with antimicrobial usage at country level

Journal of Medical Microbiology ◽

10.1099/jmm.0.001176 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 69 (4) ◽

pp. 537-547 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Daniela Ceccarelli ◽

Ayla Hesp ◽

Jeanet van der Goot ◽

Philip Joosten ◽

Steven Sarrazin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Type Species ◽

European Countries ◽

Content Type ◽

E Coli ◽

Veal Calves ◽

Link Type ◽

Country Level ◽

Fattening Pigs

The aim of this article is to report on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal Escherichia coli from livestock from several European countries. The relationships with antimicrobial usage (AMU) at country level and harmonized indicators to cover the most relevant AMR aspects for human health in animal production were also investigated. E. coli were isolated in faeces from broilers and fattening pigs (from nine countries), and fattening turkeys and veal calves (from three countries) and screened against a fixed antimicrobial panel. AMU data were collected at farm and average treatment incidences stratified by antimicrobial class, country and livestock species were calculated. Associations between AMR and AMU at country level were analysed. Independent of animal species, the highest resistance was observed for ampicillin, sulphamethoxazole, tetracycline and trimethoprim. E. coli from broilers showed the highest resistance level for (fluoro)quinolones, and multidrug resistance peaked in broilers and fattening turkeys. Colistin resistance was observed at very low levels with the exception of fattening turkeys. High resistance to third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins was detected in broilers and fattening turkeys. The lowest levels of resistance were for meropenem, azithromycin and tigecycline (<1 %). Significant correlations between resistance and usage at country level were detected in broilers for polymyxins and aminoglycosides, and in fattening pigs for cephalosporins, amphenicols, fluoroquinolones and polymyxins. None of the correlations observed between AMR and AMU were statistically significant for fattening turkey and veal calves. The strength of the analysis performed here is the correlation of aggregated data from the same farms at country level for both AMU and AMR within antimicrobial classes.

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