Urinary tract infection and sepsis causing potential of multidrug-resistant Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli isolated from plant-origin foods

• Published in: International journal of food microbiology 2023-02, Vol.386, p.110048, Article 110048
• Main Authors: Priyanka, Priyanka, Meena, Prem Raj, Raj, Dharma, Rana, Anuj, Dhanokar, Akshay, Duggirala, K Siddaardha, Singh, Arvind Pratap
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antimicrobial resistance; Escherichia coli Infections; Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli; Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli - genetics; Food safety; Humans; Phylogeny; Plant-origin foods; Sepsis; Urinary Tract Infections; Uropathogenic Escherichia coli; Virulence Factors - genetics
• ISSN: 0168-1605; 1879-3460
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.110048

The dissemination of Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) in food is a critical concern for human health and food safety. The present study is the first to systematically examine the diverse plant-origin foods such as cucumber, carrot, tomato, radish, chilli, fenugreek, coriander, peppermint, spring onion, cabbage, and spinach for the presence of ExPEC or specific putative ExPEC pathotypes with an in-depth assessment of their phylogenetics, virulence, and drug resistance. A total of 77 (15.9 %) ExPEC isolates were recovered from 1780 samples of the diverse plant-origin foods of distinct environments. Specific putative ExPEC pathotypes such as Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC, 23.3 %) and Septicemia-associated E. coli (SEPEC, 24.6 %) were identified among ExPEC isolates. The Clermont revisited new phylotyping method revealed the varied distribution (1–27 %) of specific putative ExPEC pathotypes in the different phylogenetic lineages such as A, D/E, B1, and Clade 1, etc. All putative ExPEC pathotypes possess multiple genes (4.3–92.8 %) or phenotypes (3.3–100 %) associated with their virulence. In-vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing of all putative ExPEC pathotypes demonstrated the presence of 100 % multidrug resistance with moderate to high (52–100 %) resistance to drugs used as last-resorts (chloramphenicol, colistin) or frontline (nitrofurantoin, sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, gentamicin) in ExPEC-associated infections in humans. Overall, the present findings significantly contribute to our better understanding of the presence of ExPEC in the non-clinical niche, such as plant-origin foods with a possible consequence on human health and food safety. •77 (15 %) putative ExPEC pathotypes were found in plant-origin foods.•All putative ExPEC pathotypes possess 10–30 virulence-related determinants.•All putative ExPEC pathotypes exhibited 100 % multidrug resistance.•The presence of ExPEC in plant-origin foods can pose a human health issue.