Whole genome sequencing analysis of enteropathogenic from human and companion animals in Korea.

IMPORTANCE

This study is essential for comprehending the zoonotic transmission, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic diversity of enteropathogenic (EPEC).

OBJECTIVE

To improve our understanding of EPEC, this study focused on analyzing and comparing the genomic characteristics of EPEC isolates from humans and companion animals in Korea.

METHODS

The whole genome of 26 EPEC isolates from patients with diarrhea and 20 EPEC isolates from companion animals in Korea were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq X (Illumina, USA) and Oxford Nanopore MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies, UK) platforms.

RESULTS

Most isolates were atypical EPEC, and did not harbor the gene. The most prevalent virulence genes were found to be (humans: 61.5%; companion animals: 60.0%) followed by (humans: 46.2%; companion animals: 60.0%). Although pan-genome analyses showed no apparent correlation among the origin of the strains, virulence profiles, and antimicrobial resistance profiles, isolates included in clade A obtained from both humans and companion animals exhibited high similarity. Additionally, all the isolates included in clade A encoded the gene and did not encode the gene. The two isolates from companion animals harbored an incomplete bundle-forming pilus region encoding and . Moreover, the type IV secretion system-associated genes and were found in the -encoding isolates from humans.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Whole-genome sequencing enabled a more accurate analysis of the phylogenetic structure of EPEC and provided better insights into the understanding of EPEC epidemiology and pathogenicity.