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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Infectious Diseases
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1466690

Detection of Drug Resistance in Escherichia coli from Calves with Diarrhea in the Tongliao Region: An Analysis of Multidrug-Resistant Strains

Provisionally accepted
Zi Wang Zi Wang 1Miao Sun Miao Sun 1Shuang Guo Shuang Guo 2*Yongqiang Wang Yongqiang Wang 3*Linghao Meng Linghao Meng 1*Jinchuan Shi Jinchuan Shi 1*Chao Geng Chao Geng 1*Dongxu Han Dongxu Han 1*Xiaomeng Fu Xiaomeng Fu 4*Jiangdong Xue Jiangdong Xue 1Hongxia Ma Hongxia Ma 5*Kai Liu Kai Liu 1*
  • 1 Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
  • 2 Hinggan League Animal Disease Control Center, Hinggan League, China
  • 3 Zhalantun Vocational College, Hulun Buir, China
  • 4 Tongliao Vocational College, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
  • 5 College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Escherichia coli is a major pathogen responsible for calf diarrhea, which has been exacerbated by the irrational and unscientific use of antimicrobial drugs, leading to significant drug resistance. This study focused on the isolation and identification of E. coli from calf diarrhea samples in the Tongliao area of China. Isolation was conducted using selective media, Gram staining, and 16S rRNA sequencing. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of E. coli was determined through the microbroth dilution method. Additionally, the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes was detected, and multidrug-resistant strains were selected for whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The results revealed that all 40 isolated strains of E. coli exhibited resistance to sulfadiazine sodium, enrofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, with 90% of the strains being susceptible to polymyxin B. Notably, strains 11, 23, and 24 demonstrated severe resistance. The detection rates of the antibiotic resistance genes TEM-1, TEM-206, strA, strB, qacH, and blaCTX were 100%, indicating a high prevalence of these genes.Moreover, the majority of strains carried antibiotic resistance genes consistent with their resistance phenotypes. WGS of strains 11, 23, and 24 revealed genome sizes of 4,897,185 bp, 4,920,234 bp, and 4,912,320 bp, respectively. These strains carried two, one, and two plasmids, respectively. The prediction of antibiotic resistance genes showed a substantial number of these genes within the genomes, with strain 24 harboring the highest number, totaling 77 subspecies containing 88 antibiotic resistance genes. In conclusion, all 40 isolated strains of E. coli from calf diarrhea in this study were 2 multidrug-resistant, exhibiting a broad distribution of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile components. This poses a significant risk of horizontal gene transfer, highlighting the critical situation of antibiotic resistance in this region.

    Keywords: Escherichia coli, Calf diarrhea, Drug Resistance, antimicrobial resistance genes, whole genome sequencing

    Received: 18 Jul 2024; Accepted: 21 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Sun, Guo, Wang, Meng, Shi, Geng, Han, Fu, Xue, Ma and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Shuang Guo, Hinggan League Animal Disease Control Center, Hinggan League, China
    Yongqiang Wang, Zhalantun Vocational College, Hulun Buir, 162650, China
    Linghao Meng, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
    Jinchuan Shi, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
    Chao Geng, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
    Dongxu Han, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
    Xiaomeng Fu, Tongliao Vocational College, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
    Hongxia Ma, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
    Kai Liu, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

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