Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) reservoirs, and antibiotics resistance trends: a one-health surveillance for risk analysis from "farm-to-fork"

Abstract

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) associated infections are significant health concerns for both animals and humans. ExPEC strains are associated with various infections in humans, i.e. urinary tract infections, meningitis, septicemia, and other infections. Over the few years, several studies revealed, food animals act as a reservoir for ExPEC pathovars, but there is no information about the agricultural sector. In particular, the extensive use of antibiotics in food animals and agricultural settings could be significantly contributed to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. However, global outbreaks of food-borne illnesses from contaminated food have made a significant concern for both public health and food safety. This review focuses on the reservoirs for ExPEC and their potential circulation between animals, humans, and environment. In this, we first report that the agricultural setting could be the reservoir of ExPEC and can play a role in disseminating antimicrobial-resistant ExPEC. A thorough understanding of ExPEC ecology, reservoirs, and transmission dynamics can significantly contribute to reducing the burden of ExPEC-associated infections. Overall, the study provides the important data on the current state of knowledge for different reservoirs with dynamic, dissemination, and transmission of antimicrobial-resistance ExPEC in animals, humans, and environment in the "One-Health" context.

Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli; Food safety; One-Health; Public health; Reservoirs.