Characterization of an Escherichia coli Isolate Coharboring the Virulence Gene astA and Tigecycline Resistance Gene tet(X4) from a Dead Piglet.

tet(X4) is the critical resistance gene for tigecycline degradation that has been continually reported in recent years. In particular, pathogenic bacteria carrying tet(X4) are a severe threat to human health. However, information describing Escherichia coli coharboring tet(X4) with virulence genes is limited. Here, we isolated an E. coli strain coharboring tet(X4) and the heat-stable toxin gene astA from a dead piglet. The strain named 812A1-131 belongs to ST10. The genome was sequenced using the Nanopore and Illumina platforms. The virulence genes astA and tet(X4) are located on the chromosome and in the IncHI1-type plasmid p812A1-tetX4-193K, respectively. The plasmid could be conjugatively transferred to recipient E. coli J53 with high frequency. In vivo experiments showed that strain 812A1-131 is pathogenic to Galleria mellonella and could colonize the intestines of mice. In summary, pathogenic E. coli could receive a plasmid harboring the tet(X4) gene, which can increase the difficulty of treatment. The prevalence and transmission mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria coharboring the tet(X4) gene need more attention.

Citation

Jianmei Wang, Yuting Huang, Chunjiu Guan, Jie Li, Hua Yang, Guoping Zhao, Canying Liu, Jiangang Ma, Biao Tang. Characterization of an Escherichia coli Isolate Coharboring the Virulence Gene astA and Tigecycline Resistance Gene tet(X4) from a Dead Piglet. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland). 2023 Jul 03;12(7)

PMID: 37513750

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