Seven-year surveillance of the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant EscheIIrichi coli isolates, with a focus on ST131 clones, among healthy people in Osaka, Japan

Objectives: Escherichia coli (E. coli) is an indicator of antimicrobial resistance, and some strains of E. coli cause infectious diseases. E. coli sequence type 131 (ST131) - a global antimicrobial-resistant pandemic E. coli clone - is frequently detected in clinical specimens. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are monitored via national surveillance in clinical settings; however, monitoring information in non-clinical settings is limited. This study elucidated antimicrobial resistance trends of E. coli and dissemination of ST131 among healthy people in non-clinical settings. Methods: This study collected 517 E. coli isolates from healthy people in Osaka, Japan, between 2013 and 2019. It analysed antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates and detected the bla and mcr genes in ampicillin-resistant and colistin-resistant isolates, respectively, and the ST131 clone. Results: Antimicrobial resistance rates of the bacteria isolated from healthy people in non-clinical settings were lower than for those in clinical settings. The resistance of the isolates to cefotaxime (4.4%) and ciprofloxacin (13.5%) gradually increased during the study period. In 23 cefotaxime-resistant isolates, the most frequent bla genes belonged to the bla CTX-M-9 group, followed by bla(CTX-M-1) goup, bla(TEM) and bla(CMY-2). One mcr-1-harbouring colistin-resistant isolate was detected in 2016. The incidence of the E. coli O25b-ST131 clone was approximately 5% until 2015 and 10% after 2016. Conclusion: Both ciprofloxacin resistance and O25b-ST131 clone frequency increased during the study period. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria gradually spread in healthy people in non-clinical settings; one reason behind this spread was dissemination of global antimicrobial-resistant pandemic clones. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd and International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that the antimicrobial resistance rates of E. coli isolated from healthy individuals in non-clinical settings were relatively low, but the rates of ciprofloxacin resistance and O25b-ST131 clone frequency increased during the study period.