WGS of intrauterine E. coli from cows with early postpartum uterine infection reveals a non-uterine specific genotype and virulence factors

• Published in: mBio 2024-06, Vol.15 (6), p.e0102724
• Main Authors: Garzon, Adriana, Basbas, Carl, Schlesener, Cory, Silva-Del-Rio, Noelia, Karle, Betsy M, Lima, Fabio S, Weimer, Bart C, Pereira, Richard V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibiotic resistance; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - microbiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; Escherichia coli - classification; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - isolation & purification; Escherichia coli - pathogenicity; Escherichia coli Infections - microbiology; Escherichia coli Infections - veterinary; Female; Genome, Bacterial; Genome-Wide Association Study; Genomics and Proteomics; Genotype; mutation; Postpartum Period; Research Article; Uterine Diseases - genetics; Uterine Diseases - microbiology; Uterine Diseases - veterinary; uterine infection; Uterus - microbiology; Virulence Factors - genetics; Whole Genome Sequencing
• ISSN: 2150-7511; 2150-7511
• DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01027-24

has been attributed to playing a major role in a cascade of events that affect the prevalence and severity of uterine disease in cattle. The objectives of this project were to (i) define the association between the prevalence of specific antimicrobial resistance and virulence factor genes in with the clinical status related to uterine infection, (ii) identify the genetic relationship between isolates from cows with diarrhea, with mastitis, and with and without metritis, and (iii) determine the association between the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance identified on the isolated from postpartum cattle. Bacterial isolates ( = 148) were obtained from a larger cross-sectional study. Cows were categorized into one of three clinical groups before enrollment: metritis, cows with purulent discharge, and control cows. For genomic comparison, public genomes ( = 130) from cows with diarrhea, mastitis, and metritis were included in a genome-wide association study, to evaluate differences between the drug classes or the virulence factor category among clinical groups. A distinct genotype associated with metritis could not be identified. Instead, a high genetic diversity among the isolates from uterine sources was present. A virulence factor previously associated with metritis ( H) using PCR was not associated with metritis. There was moderate accuracy for whole-genome sequencing to predict phenotypic resistance, which varied depending on the antimicrobial tested. Findings from this study contradict the traditional pathotype classification and the unique intrauterine genotype associated with metritis in dairy cows.IMPORTANCEMetritis is a common infectious disease in dairy cattle and the second most common reason for treating a cow with antimicrobials. The pathophysiology of the disease is complex and is not completely understood. Specific endometrial pathogenic have been reported to be adapted to the endometrium and sometimes lead to uterine disease. Unfortunately, the specific genomic details of the endometrial-adapted isolates have not been investigated using enough genomes to represent the genomic diversity of this organism to identify specific virulence genes that are consistently associated with disease development and severity. Results from this study provide key microbial ecological advances by elucidating and challenging accepted concepts for the role of Intrauterine in metritis in dairy cattle, especially contradicting the existence of a unique i