Occurrence and characterization of rmtB-harbouring Salmonella and Escherichia coli isolates from a pig farm in the UK.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize and elucidate the spread of amikacin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates from environmental samples on a pig farm in the UK, following the previous identification of index Salmonella isolates harbouring the rmtB gene, a 16S rRNA methylase. METHODS: Environmental samples were collected during two visits to a pig farm in the UK. Isolates were recovered using selective media (amikacin 128 mg/L) followed by real-time PCR and WGS to analyse rmtB-carrying Salmonella and Escherichia coli isolates. RESULTS: Salmonella and E. coli isolates harbouring the rmtB gene were detected at both farm visits. All Salmonella isolates were found to be monophasic S. enterica serovar Typhimurium variant Copenhagen of ST34. rmtB-harbouring E. coli isolates were found to be one of three STs: ST4089, ST1684 and ST34. Long-read sequencing identified the rmtB gene to be chromosomally located in Salmonella isolates and on IncFII-type plasmids in E. coli isolates. The results showed the rmtB gene to be flanked by IS26 elements and several resistance genes. CONCLUSIONS: We report on the occurrence of rmtB-harbouring Enterobacteriaceae on a pig farm in the UK. rmtB confers resistance to multiple aminoglycosides and this work highlights the need for surveillance to assess dissemination and risk.

Antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli in the UK: comparison of single vs. pooled samples from healthy pigs.

This study compared the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Escherichia coli detected from single samples vs. pooled samples at herd level. The national monitoring dataset included isolates from one sample per pig holding, whereas the research study included isolates from pooled samples of 10 pigs per holding. In both datasets, caecal samples were collected from healthy pigs randomly selected at slaughterhouses and plated on non-selective and antibiotic selective media. Resistance against a panel of nine antibiotics was compared between datasets by generalized linear mixed effects models (GLMMs) and by bootstrapped generalized linear model (GLM) to account for pooling. The highest proportion of resistant E. coli was observed against tetracycline and ampicillin in both datasets. In non-selective media, single and pooled samples showed similar results, but the bootstrapped GLM detected significantly lower resistance to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid in the national dataset. In selective media, a significantly greater proportion of resistant isolates was observed in the research dataset for ceftazidime (OR: 0.05, 95%CI = 0.01-0.42) and nalidixic acid (OR: 0.15, 95%CI = 0.05-0.51). The results suggest that one sample per holding provides similar information on AMR at herd level as pooled samples for most of the tested antibiotics, although less resistance to ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, and nalidixic acid was detected.

Multicentre evaluation of a selective isolation protocol for detection of mcr-positive E. coli and Salmonella spp. in food-producing animals and meat.

This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of a screening protocol to detect and isolate mcr-positive Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. from animal caecal content and meat samples. We used a multicentre approach involving 12 laboratories from nine European countries. All participants applied the same methodology combining a multiplex PCR performed on DNA extracted from a pre-enrichment step, followed by a selective culture step on three commercially available chromogenic agar plates. The test panel was composed of two negative samples and four samples artificially contaminated with E. coli and Salmonella spp. respectively harbouring mcr-1 or mcr-3 and mcr-4 or mcr-5 genes. PCR screening resulted in a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 83%. Sensitivity of each agar medium to detect mcr-positive colistin-resistant E. coli or Salmonella spp. strains was 86% for CHROMID® Colistin R, 75% for CHROMagarTM COL-APSE and 70% for COLISTIGRAM. This combined method was effective to detect and isolate most of the E. coli or Salmonella spp. strains harbouring different mcr genes from food-producing animals and food products and might thus be used as a harmonized protocol for the screening of mcr genes in food-producing animals and food products in Europe.

Reconciling the Potentially Irreconcilable? Genotypic and Phenotypic Amoxicillin-Clavulanate Resistance in Escherichia coli.

Resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate, a widely used beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination antibiotic, is rising globally, and yet susceptibility testing remains challenging. To test whether whole-genome sequencing (WGS) could provide a more reliable assessment of susceptibility than traditional methods, we predicted resistance from WGS for 976 Escherichia coli bloodstream infection isolates from Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, comparing against phenotypes from the BD Phoenix (calibrated against EUCAST guidelines). A total of 339/976 (35%) isolates were amoxicillin-clavulanate resistant. Predictions based solely on beta-lactamase presence/absence performed poorly (sensitivity, 23% [78/339]) but improved when genetic features associated with penicillinase hyperproduction (e.g., promoter mutations and copy number estimates) were considered (sensitivity, 82% [277/339]; P < 0.0001). Most discrepancies occurred in isolates with MICs within ±1 doubling dilution of the breakpoint. We investigated two potential causes: the phenotypic reference and the binary resistant/susceptible classification. We performed reference standard, replicated phenotyping in a random stratified subsample of 261/976 (27%) isolates using agar dilution, following both EUCAST and CLSI guidelines, which use different clavulanate concentrations. As well as disagreeing with each other, neither agar dilution phenotype aligned perfectly with genetic features. A random-effects model investigating associations between genetic features and MICs showed that some genetic features had small, variable and additive effects, resulting in variable resistance classification. Using model fixed-effects to predict MICs for the non-agar dilution isolates, predicted MICs were in essential agreement (±1 doubling dilution) with observed (BD Phoenix) MICs for 691/715 (97%) isolates. This suggests amoxicillin-clavulanate resistance in E. coli is quantitative, rather than qualitative, explaining the poorly reproducible binary (resistant/susceptible) phenotypes and suboptimal concordance between different phenotypic methods and with WGS-based predictions.

Determining antimicrobial susceptibility in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium through whole genome sequencing: a comparison against multiple phenotypic susceptibility testing methods.

BACKGROUND: UK public health organisations perform routine antimicrobial susceptibility tests (ASTs) to characterise the potential for antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella enterica serovars. Genetic determinants of these resistance mechanisms are detectable by whole genome sequencing (WGS), however the viability of WGS-based genotyping as an alternative resistance screening tool remains uncertain. We compared WGS-based genotyping, disk diffusion and agar dilution to the broth microdilution reference AST for 102 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) isolates across 11 antimicrobial compounds. RESULTS: Genotyping concordance, interpreted using epidemiological cut-offs (ECOFFs), was 89.8% (1007/1122) with 0.83 sensitivity and 0.96 specificity. For seven antimicrobials interpreted using Salmonella clinical breakpoints, genotyping produced 0.84 sensitivity and 0.88 specificity. Although less accurate than disk diffusion (0.94 sensitivity, 0.93 specificity) and agar dilution (0.83 sensitivity, 0.98 specificity), genotyping performance improved to 0.89 sensitivity and 0.97 specificity when two antimicrobials with relatively high very major error rates were excluded (streptomycin and sulfamethoxazole). CONCLUSIONS: An 89.8% concordance from WGS-based AST predictions using ECOFF interpretations suggest that WGS would serve as an effective screening tool for the tracking of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in S. Typhimurium. For use as a standalone clinical diagnostic screen, further work is required to reduce the error rates for specific antimicrobials.

Use of whole genome sequencing of commensal Escherichia coli in pigs for antimicrobial resistance surveillance, United Kingdom, 2018.

BackgroundSurveillance of commensal Escherichia coli, a possible reservoir of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, is important as they pose a risk to human and animal health. Most surveillance activities rely on phenotypic characterisation, but whole genome sequencing (WGS) presents an alternative.AimIn this retrospective study, we tested 515 E. coli isolated from pigs to evaluate the use of WGS to predict resistance phenotype.MethodsMinimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for nine antimicrobials of clinical and veterinary importance. Deviation from wild-type, fully-susceptible MIC was assessed using European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) epidemiological cut-off (ECOFF) values. Presence of AMR genes and mutations were determined using APHA SeqFinder. Statistical two-by-two table analysis and Cohen's kappa (k) test were applied to assess genotype and phenotype concordance.ResultsOverall, correlation of WGS with susceptibility to the nine antimicrobials was 98.9% for test specificity, and 97.5% for the positive predictive value of a test. The overall kappa score (k = 0.914) indicated AMR gene presence was highly predictive of reduced susceptibility and showed excellent correlation with MIC. However, there was variation for each antimicrobial; five showed excellent correlation; four very good and one moderate. Suggested ECOFF adjustments increased concordance between genotypic data and kappa values for four antimicrobials.ConclusionWGS is a powerful tool for accurately predicting AMR that can be used for national surveillance purposes. Additionally, it can detect resistance genes from a wider panel of antimicrobials whose phenotypes are currently not monitored but may be of importance in the future.

Occurrence and characterization of mcr-1-harbouring Escherichia coli isolated from pigs in Great Britain from 2013 to 2015.

Objectives: To determine the occurrence of mcr-1 -harbouring Escherichia coli in archived pig material originating in Great Britain (GB) from 2013 to 2015 and characterize mcr-1 plasmids. Methods: Enrichment and selective culture of 387 archived porcine caecal contents and recovery from archive of 1109 E. coli isolates to identify colistin-resistant bacteria by testing for the presence of mcr-1 by PCR and RT-PCR. mcr-1 -harbouring E. coli were characterized by WGS and compared with other available mcr-1 WGS. Results: Using selective isolation following enrichment, the occurrence of mcr-1 E. coli in caeca from healthy pigs at slaughter from unique farms in GB was 0.6% (95% CI 0%-1.5%) in 2015. mcr-1 E. coli were also detected in isolates from two porcine veterinary diagnostic submissions in 2015. All isolates prior to 2015 were negative. WGS analysis of the four mcr-1 -positive E. coli indicated no other antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes were linked to mcr-1 -plasmid-bearing contigs, despite all harbouring multiple AMR genes. The sequence similarity between mcr-1 -plasmid-bearing contigs identified and those found in GB, Chinese and South African human isolates and Danish, French and Estonian livestock-associated isolates was 90%-99%. Conclusions: mcr-1- harbouring plasmids were diverse, implying transposable elements are involved in mcr-1 transmission in GB. The low number of mcr-1 -positive E. coli isolates identified suggested mcr-1 is currently uncommon in E. coli from pigs within GB. The high sequence similarity between mcr-1 plasmid draft genomes identified in pig E. coli and plasmids found in human and livestock-associated isolates globally requires further investigation to understand the full implications.

mcr-1 and mcr-2 variant genes identified in Moraxella species isolated from pigs in Great Britain from 2014 to 2015.

Objectives: To determine the occurrence of mcr-1 and mcr-2 genes in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from healthy pigs in Great Britain. Methods: Gram-negative bacteria (n = 657) isolated from pigs between 2014 and 2015 were examined by WGS. Results: Variants of mcr-1 and mcr-2 were identified in Moraxella spp. isolated from pooled caecal contents of healthy pigs at slaughter collected from six farms in Great Britain. Other bacteria, including Escherichia coli from the same farms, were not detected harbouring mcr-1 or mcr-2. A Moraxella porci-like isolate, MSG13-C03, harboured MCR-1.10 with 98.7% identity to MCR-1, and a Moraxella pluranimalium-like isolate, MSG47-C17, harboured an MCR-2.2 variant with 87.9% identity to MCR-2, from E. coli; the isolates had colistin MICs of 1-2 mg/L. No intact insertion elements were identified in either MSG13-C03 or MSG47-C17, although MSG13-C03 harboured the conserved nucleotides abutting the ISApl1 composite transposon found in E. coli plasmids and the intervening ∼2.6 kb fragment showed 97% identity. Six Moraxella osloensis isolates were positive for phosphoethanolamine transferase (EptA). They shared 62%-64.5% identity to MCR-1 and MCR-2, with colistin MICs from 2 to 4 mg/L. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that MCR and EptA have evolved from a common ancestor. In addition to mcr, the ß-lactamase gene, blaBRO-1, was found in both isolates, whilst the tetracycline resistance gene, tetL, was found in MSG47-C17. Conclusions: Our results add further evidence for the mobilization of the mcr-pap2 unit from Moraxella via composite transposons leading to its global dissemination. The presence of mcr-pap2 from recent Moraxella isolates indicates they may comprise a reservoir for mcr.

Microevolution of Monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium during Epidemic, United Kingdom, 2005-2010.

Microevolution associated with emergence and expansion of new epidemic clones of bacterial pathogens holds the key to epidemiologic success. To determine microevolution associated with monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium during an epidemic, we performed comparative whole-genome sequencing and phylogenomic analysis of isolates from the United Kingdom and Italy during 2005-2012. These isolates formed a single clade distinct from recent monophasic epidemic clones previously described from North America and Spain. The UK monophasic epidemic clones showed a novel genomic island encoding resistance to heavy metals and a composite transposon encoding antimicrobial drug resistance genes not present in other Salmonella Typhimurium isolates, which may have contributed to epidemiologic success. A remarkable amount of genotypic variation accumulated during clonal expansion that occurred during the epidemic, including multiple independent acquisitions of a novel prophage carrying the sopE gene and multiple deletion events affecting the phase II flagellin locus. This high level of microevolution may affect antigenicity, pathogenicity, and transmission.

Colistin resistance in Salmonella and Escherichia coli isolates from a pig farm in Great Britain.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characterize colistin-resistant bacteria isolated from pigs on a farm in Great Britain following identification of a plasmid-borne colistin resistance mechanism in Escherichia coli from China. METHODS: Phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing was undertaken by broth dilution and WGS was performed to detect the presence of genes encoding resistance and virulence. Transferable colistin resistance was investigated by conjugation. RESULTS: Two E. coli and one Salmonella Typhimurium variant Copenhagen were shown to be MDR, including resistance to colistin, with one E. coli and the Salmonella carrying the mcr-1 gene; all three harboured chromosomal mutations in genes conferring colistin resistance and both E. coli harboured ß-lactamase resistance. The Salmonella mcr-1 plasmid was highly similar to pHNSHP45, from China, while the E. coli mcr-1 plasmid only had the ISApII and mcr-1 genes in common. The frequency of mcr-1 plasmid transfer by conjugation to recipient Enterobacteriaceae from Salmonella was low, lying between 10(-7) and 10(-9) cfu/recipient cfu. We were unable to demonstrate mcr-1 plasmid transfer from the E. coli. Plasmid profiling indicated transfer of multiple plasmids from the Salmonella resulting in some MDR transconjugants. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of the mcr-1 gene in Enterobacteriaceae from pigs confirms its presence in livestock in Great Britain. The results suggest dissemination of resistance through different horizontally transferable elements. The in vitro transfer of multiple plasmids carrying colistin and other resistances from the Salmonella isolate underlines the potential for wider dissemination and recombination.

Sequence analysis of a CTX-M-1 IncI1 plasmid found in Salmonella 4,5,12:i:-, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae on a UK pig farm.

OBJECTIVES: In 2009, CTX-M Enterobacteriaceae and Salmonella isolates were recovered from a UK pig farm, prompting studies into the dissemination of the resistance and to establish any relationships between the isolates. METHODS: PFGE was used to elucidate clonal relationships between isolates whilst plasmid profiling, restriction analysis, sequencing and PCR were used to characterize the CTX-M-harbouring plasmids. RESULTS: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella 4,5,12:i:- and Bovismorbificans resistant to cefotaxime (n = 65) were recovered and 63 were shown by PCR to harbour a group 1 CTX-M gene. The harbouring hosts were diverse, but the group 1 CTX-M plasmids were common. Three sequenced CTX-M plasmids from E. coli, K. pneumoniae and Salmonella enterica serotype 4,5,12:i:- were identical except for seven mutations and highly similar to IncI1 plasmid ColIb-P9. Two antimicrobial resistance regions were identified: one inserted upstream of yacABC harbouring ISCR2 transposases, sul2 and floR; and the other inserted within shfB of the pilV shufflon harbouring the ISEcp1 transposase followed by blaCTX-M-1. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that an ST108 IncI1 plasmid encoding a blaCTX-M-1 gene had disseminated across multiple genera on this farm, an example of horizontal gene transfer of the blaCTX-M-1 gene.

A novel virulence strategy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa mediated by an autotransporter with arginine-specific aminopeptidase activity.

The opportunistic human pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is a major cause of infections in chronic wounds, burns and the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. The P. aeruginosa genome encodes at least three proteins exhibiting the characteristic three domain structure of autotransporters, but much remains to be understood about the functions of these three proteins and their role in pathogenicity. Autotransporters are the largest family of secreted proteins in Gram-negative bacteria, and those characterised are virulence factors. Here, we demonstrate that the PA0328 autotransporter is a cell-surface tethered, arginine-specific aminopeptidase, and have defined its active site by site directed mutagenesis. Hence, we have assigned PA0328 with the name AaaA, for arginine-specific autotransporter of P. aeruginosa. We show that AaaA provides a fitness advantage in environments where the sole source of nitrogen is peptides with an aminoterminal arginine, and that this could be important for establishing an infection, as the lack of AaaA led to attenuation in a mouse chronic wound infection which correlated with lower levels of the cytokines TNFα, IL-1α, KC and COX-2. Consequently AaaA is an important virulence factor playing a significant role in the successful establishment of P. aeruginosa infections.

Molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistance in Brachyspira species isolated from UK chickens: Identification of novel variants of pleuromutilin and beta-lactam resistance genes.

Brachyspira species are Gram negative, anaerobic bacteria that colonise the gut of many animals, including poultry. In poultry, Brachyspira species can be commensal (B. innocens, B. murdochii, 'B. pulli') or pathogenic (B. pilosicoli, B. intermedia, B. alvinipulli or rarely B. hyodysenteriae), the latter causing avian intestinal spirochaetosis (AIS). Antimicrobial therapy options for treatment is limited, frequently involving administration of the pleuromutilin, tiamulin, in water. In this study 38 Brachyspira isolates from chickens in the UK, representing both commensal and pathogenic species, were whole genome sequenced to identify antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to a number of antimicrobials was also determined. We identified several new variants of blaOXA in B. pilosicoli and B. pulli isolates, and variations in tva which led to two new tva variants in B.murdochii and B.pulli. A number of isolates also harboured mutations known to encode AMR in the 16S and 23S rRNA genes. The percentage of isolates that were genotypically multi-drug resistance (MDR) was 16%, with the most common resistance profile being: tetracycline, pleuromutilin and beta-lactam, which were found in three 'B. pulli' and one B. pilosicoli. There was good correlation with the genotype and the corresponding antibiotic MIC phenotypes: pleuromutilins (tiamulin and valnemulin), macrolides (tylosin and tylvalosin), lincomycin and doxycycline. The occurrence of resistance determinants identified in this study in pathogenic Brachyspira, especially those which were MDR, is likely to impact treatment of AIS and clearance of infections on farm.

Dissemination and persistence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) along the wastewater-river continuum.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health hazard. Although clinical and agricultural environments are well-established contributors to the evolution and dissemination of AMR, research on wastewater treatment works (WwTWs) has highlighted their potential role as disseminators of AMR in freshwater environments. Using metagenomic sequencing and analysis, we investigated the changes in resistomes and associated mobile genetic elements within untreated wastewater influents and treated effluents of five WwTWs, and sediments collected from corresponding river environments in Oxfordshire, UK, across three seasonal periods within a year. Our analysis demonstrated a high diversity and abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in untreated wastewater influents, reflecting the varied anthropogenic and environmental origins of wastewater. WwTWs effectively reduced AMR in the final effluent, with an average 87 % reduction in normalised ARG abundance and an average 63 % reduction in richness. However, wastewater effluents significantly impacted the antimicrobial resistome of the receiving rivers, with an average 543 % increase in ARG abundance and a 164 % increase in richness from upstream sediments to downstream sediments. The normalised abundance of the human gut-associated bacteriophage crAssphage was highly associated with both ARG abundance and richness. We observed seasonal variation in the resistome of raw influent which was not found in the effluent-receiving sediments. We illustrate the potential of WwTWs as focal points for disseminating ARGs and resistance-selecting chemicals, contributing to the elevation of environmental AMR. Our study emphasises the need for a comprehensive understanding of the anthropogenic impacts on AMR evolution and dissemination in wastewater and river environments, informing efforts to mitigate this growing public health crisis.

Towards facilitated interpretation of shotgun metagenomics long-read sequencing data analyzed with KMA for the detection of bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance genes.

Metagenomic sequencing is a promising method that has the potential to revolutionize the world of pathogen detection and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in food-producing environments. However, the analysis of the huge amount of data obtained requires performant bioinformatics tools and databases, with intuitive and straightforward interpretation. In this study, based on long-read metagenomics data of chicken fecal samples with a spike-in mock community, we proposed confidence levels for taxonomic identification and AMR gene detection, with interpretation guidelines, to help with the analysis of the output data generated by KMA, a popular k-mer read alignment tool. Additionally, we demonstrated that the completeness and diversity of the genomes present in the reference databases are key parameters for accurate and easy interpretation of the sequencing data. Finally, we explored whether KMA, in a two-step procedure, can be used to link the detected AMR genes to their bacterial host chromosome, both detected within the same long-reads. The confidence levels were successfully tested on 28 metagenomics datasets which were obtained with sequencing of real and spiked samples from fecal (chicken, pig, and buffalo) or food (minced beef and food enzyme products) origin. The methodology proposed in this study will facilitate the analysis of metagenomics sequencing datasets for KMA users. Ultimately, this will contribute to improvements in the rapid diagnosis and surveillance of pathogens and AMR genes in food-producing environments, as prioritized by the EU.

Genomic surveillance of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from poultry in the UK from 2016 to 2020.

Introduction: Surveillance is vital for monitoring the increasing risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria leading to failures in humans and animals to treat infections. In a One Health context, AMR bacteria from livestock and food can transfer through the food chain to humans, and vice versa, which can be characterized in detail through genomics. We investigated the critical aspects of AMR and the dynamics of AMR in poultry in the UK. Methods: In this study, we performed whole genome sequencing for genomic characterization of 761 extended-spectrum cephalosporinases (ESCs) harboring Escherichia coli isolated from poultry caeca and meat through EU harmonized monitoring of AMR in zoonotic and commensal bacteria from 2016 and 2018 and UK national monitoring in 2020. Results: The most common ESC in 2016 and 2018 was blaCTX-M-1; however, 2020 had a greater diversity of ESCs with blaCTX-M-55 dominant in chickens and blaCTX-M-15 more prevalent in turkeys. Co-resistance to sulphonamides, tetracycline, and trimethoprim was widespread, and there were several positive correlations between the sequence types (STs) and ESC genes. We identified certain AMR genotypes and STs that were frequent each year but not as successful in subsequent years, e.g., ST350 harboring blaCTX-M-1, sul2, and tetA-v4.Phylogenetic comparison of isolates prevalent in our panel with global ones from the same STs available in public databases showed that isolates from the UK generally clustered together, suggesting greater within-country than between-country transmission. Discussion: We conclude that future genomic surveillance of indicator organisms will be invaluable as it will enable detailed comparisons of AMR between and within neighboring countries, potentially identifying the most successful sequence types, plasmids, or emerging threats.

Enterobacterales plasmid sharing amongst human bloodstream infections, livestock, wastewater, and waterway niches in Oxfordshire, UK.

Plasmids enable the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in common Enterobacterales pathogens, representing a major public health challenge. However, the extent of plasmid sharing and evolution between Enterobacterales causing human infections and other niches remains unclear, including the emergence of resistance plasmids. Dense, unselected sampling is essential to developing our understanding of plasmid epidemiology and designing appropriate interventions to limit the emergence and dissemination of plasmid-associated AMR. We established a geographically and temporally restricted collection of human bloodstream infection (BSI)-associated, livestock-associated (cattle, pig, poultry, and sheep faeces, farm soils) and wastewater treatment work (WwTW)-associated (influent, effluent, waterways upstream/downstream of effluent outlets) Enterobacterales. Isolates were collected between 2008 and 2020 from sites <60 km apart in Oxfordshire, UK. Pangenome analysis of plasmid clusters revealed shared 'backbones', with phylogenies suggesting an intertwined ecology where well-conserved plasmid backbones carry diverse accessory functions, including AMR genes. Many plasmid 'backbones' were seen across species and niches, raising the possibility that plasmid movement between these followed by rapid accessory gene change could be relatively common. Overall, the signature of identical plasmid sharing is likely to be a highly transient one, implying that plasmid movement might be occurring at greater rates than previously estimated, raising a challenge for future genomic One Health studies.

A longitudinal study reveals persistence of antimicrobial resistance on livestock farms is not due to antimicrobial usage alone.

Introduction: There are concerns that antimicrobial usage (AMU) is driving an increase in multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria so treatment of microbial infections is becoming harder in humans and animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors, including usage, that affect antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on farm over time. Methods: A population of 14 cattle, sheep and pig farms within a defined area of England were sampled three times over a year to collect data on AMR in faecal Enterobacterales flora; AMU; and husbandry or management practices. Ten pooled samples were collected at each visit, with each comprising of 10 pinches of fresh faeces. Up to 14 isolates per visit were whole genome sequenced to determine presence of AMR genes. Results: Sheep farms had very low AMU in comparison to the other species and very few sheep isolates were genotypically resistant at any time point. AMR genes were detected persistently across pig farms at all visits, even on farms with low AMU, whereas AMR bacteria was consistently lower on cattle farms than pigs, even for those with comparably high AMU. MDR bacteria was also more commonly detected on pig farms than any other livestock species. Discussion: The results may be explained by a complex combination of factors on pig farms including historic AMU; co-selection of AMR bacteria; variation in amounts of antimicrobials used between visits; potential persistence in environmental reservoirs of AMR bacteria; or importation of pigs with AMR microbiota from supplying farms. Pig farms may also be at increased risk of AMR due to the greater use of oral routes of group antimicrobial treatment, which were less targeted than cattle treatments; the latter mostly administered to individual animals. Also, farms which exhibited either increasing or decreasing trends of AMR across the study did not have corresponding trends in their AMU. Therefore, our results suggest that factors other than AMU on individual farms are important for persistence of AMR bacteria on farms, which may be operating at the farm and livestock species level.