Surveillance of antimicrobial resistant Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 in England, 2016-2020

Objectives: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 are zoonotic pathogens and transmission to humans occurs via contaminated food or contact with infected animals. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency, and distribution across the phylogeny, of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants in STEC O157:H7 isolated from human cases in England.

Methods: Short-read whole-genome sequencing data from 1473 isolates of STEC O157:H7 from all seven sub-lineages (Ia-Ic, IIa-IIc and I/II) were mapped to genes known to confer phenotypic resistance to 10 different classes of antibiotic. Long-read sequencing was used to determine the location and genomic architecture of the AMR determinants within phylogenetic clusters exhibiting multidrug resistance.

Results: Overall, 216/1473 (14.7%) isolates had at least one AMR determinant, although the proportion of isolates exhibiting AMR varied by sub-lineage. The highest proportion of AMR determinants were detected in sub-lineages Ib (28/64, 43.7%), I/II (18/51, 35.3%) and IIc (122/440, 27.7%). In all sub-lineages, the most commonly detected AMR determinants conferred resistance to the aminoglycosides, tetracyclines and sulphonamides, while AMR determinants conferring resistance to fluroquinolones, macrolides and third-generation cephalosporins were rarely detected. Long-read sequencing analysis showed that the AMR determinants were co-located on the chromosome in sub-lineages Ib and lineage I/II, whereas those associated with sub-lineage IIc were encoded on the chromosome and/or large plasmids.

Conclusions: AMR genes were unevenly distributed across the different sub-lineages of STEC O157:H7 and between different clades within the same sub-lineage. Long-read sequencing facilitates tracking the transmission of AMR at the pathogen and mobile genetic element level.