Recent Emergence of Escherichia coli with Cephalosporin Resistance Conferred by blaCTX-M on Washington State Dairy Farms

Enterobacteriaceae-associated bla(CTX-M) genes have become globally widespread within the past 30 years. Among isolates from Washington State cattle, Escherichia coli strains carrying bla(CTX-M) (CTX-M E. coli strains) were absent from a set of 2008 isolates but present in a set of isolates from 2011. On 30 Washington State dairy farms sampled in 2012, CTX-M E. coli prevalence was significantly higher on eastern than on northwestern Washington farms, on farms with more than 3,000 adult cows, and on farms that recently received new animals. The addition of fresh bedding to calf hutches at least weekly and use of residual fly sprays were associated with lower prevalence of CTX-M E. coli. In Washington State, the occurrence of human pathogens carrying bla(CTX-M) genes preceded the emergence of bla(CTX-M)-associated E. coli in cattle, indicating that these resistance determinants and/or their bacterial hosts may have emerged in human populations prior to their dissemination to cattle populations.