article · Gut Pathogens
Examination of raw beef, raw milk, and diarrheic samples from cattle and humans in Egypt revealed the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). The pathogen was detected in 6.5 percent of food samples and 11 percent of diarrheic cases, with O26 and O111 identified as the predominant serovars. Over half of the recovered STEC isolates demonstrated multidrug resistance, with the highest resistance rates observed against nalidixic acid and ampicillin. Carbapenemase-producing and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing strains were identified across both food and clinical samples, marking the first reported detection of carbapenemase-producing STEC in Egyptian milk and diarrheic cattle. Genetic fingerprinting revealed clusters of identical isolates across human and food samples, demonstrating shared resistance and virulence traits and pointing to potential cross-species transmission between cattle food products and humans.
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli can cause severe human illnesses such as hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. The detection of multidrug-resistant and carbapenemase-producing strains in the food supply and livestock highlights a direct threat to public health. Because these strains compromise standard antibiotic treatments, understanding their transmission between animals, food products, and patients is vital for managing food safety and antimicrobial resistance.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercialisation pathway, representing early-stage epidemiological surveillance rather than product development. However, the identified genetic markers and resistance profiles could inform developers of veterinary and food-safety diagnostic assays or surveillance programmes seeking target genes for rapid detection of high-risk bacterial strains in dairy and meat processing facilities.
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Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a pathotype of E. coli that causes enteric and systemic diseases ranging from diarrhoea to severe hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) STEC from cattle sources has increased public health risk and limited treatment options. The prevalence of STEC was investigated in 200 raw food samples (milk and beef samples) and 200 diarrheic samples (cattle and human samples) in a matched region. The presence of stx genes (stx1 and stx2), carbapenemase-encoding genes (bla<sub>VIM</sub>, bla<sub>NDM-1</sub>, and bla<sub>IMP</sub>), and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-encoding genes (bla<sub>TEM</sub> group, bla<sub>CTX-M1</sub> group, and bla<sub>OXA-1</sub> group) was screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antibiogram and Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR were also conducted. STEC isolates were identified in 6.5% (13/200) of food samples [6% (6/100) of milk and 7% (7/100) of beef samples] and in 11% (22/200) of diarrheic cases [12% (12/100) of cattle and 10% (10/100) of human samples]. We found that O26 (4.5%, 18/400) and O111 (1.5%, 6/400) were the most prevalent STEC serovars and were found more commonly in diarrheic samples. STEC strains with both stx genes, stx2 only, and stx1 only genotypes were present in 62.9% (22/35), 20% (7/35), and 17.1% (6/35) of isolates, respectively. Carbapenemase-producing STEC (CP STEC) isolates were found in 1.8% (7/400) of samples [0.5% (1/200) of foods and 3% (6/200) of diarrheic cases]. The bla<sub>VIM</sub> gene was detected in all CP STEC isolates, and one human isolate carried the bla<sub>NDM-1</sub> gene. ESBL-producing STEC strains were detected in 4.3% (17/400) of samples [1.5% (3/200) of food samples and 7% (14/200) of diarrheic cases]. The bla<sub>TEM</sub>, bla<sub>CTX-M1</sub>, and bla<sub>OXA-1</sub> genes were detected in 42.9% (15/35), 28.6% (10/35), and 2.9% (1/35) of STEC isolates, respectively. Approximately half (51.4%, 18/35) of STEC isolates were MDR STEC; all CP STEC and ESBL-producing STEC were also MDR STEC. The highest antimicrobial resistance rates were found against nalidixic acid (51.4%) and ampicillin (48.6%), whereas the lowest rates were reported against gentamicin (5.7%) and ciprofloxacin (11.4%). MDR STEC strains were 5.3 times more likely to be found in diarrheic cases than in foods (P = 0.009, 95% CI 1.5-18.7). ERIC-PCR was used for genotyping STEC isolates into 27 different ERIC-types (ETs) with a discrimination index of 0.979. Five ETs showed clusters of 2-4 identical isolates that shared the same virulence and antibiotic resistance genetic profile. Human isolates matched food isolates in two of these ET clusters (the O26 CP STEC cluster and the O111 STEC cluster), highlighting the potential cross-species zoonotic transmission of these pathogens and/or their genes in the study region. This is the first detection of CP STEC in milk and diarrheic cattle in Egypt.
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DOI: 10.1186/s13099-021-00402-y
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