Análisis de secuencias de genoma completo de Escherichia coli aisladas de vegetales y comida callejera de Ecuador

Abstract

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is a fundamental tool for the analysis and detection of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in bacterial genomes. Despite their advantages for epidemiological analysis, applying WGS in Ecuador is scarce and limited to Academia. The present study focused on in silico characterization of WGS of Escherichia coli isolated from vegetables and street food from markets in Ambato and Riobamba. The research line of this research is Microbiology and Biotechnology. For this study, paired-end read length sequences of 300 bp were used. In silico characterization was carried out through bioinformatics tools to detect ARGs, virulence, and MGE genes. Two isolates harbor the stx2 genes and various virulence factors. It was also identified that three strains carried the blaTEM and blaCMY genes, and different ADR determinants confer resistance to aminoglycosides, quinolones, tetracyclines, and sulfamethoxazole. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the evolutionary interactions of resistance genes, virulence factors, and plasmid types did not correlate with the geographic origin and source of isolation, showing high diversity. These findings highlight the need to use WGS as a surveillance tool to analyze pathogenic E. coli in food matrices, taking into account a One Health perspective.