A research group from Hokkaido University Graduate School, Sapporo Medical University, Kobe University Graduate School, Tottori University, and Gifu University Graduate School has discovered that ST131, a drug-resistant Escherichia coli strain clone that poses a problem in humans, has been detected in domestic wild animals and aquatic environments such as rivers and lakes. It was revealed that they were separated.
Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli causes urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections. Among these, ST131 is an E. coli clone that is resistant to fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which are used in clinical settings to treat bacterial infections, and frequently acquires resistance to other types of antibiotics. It has spread to clinical sites around the world and is called the "international high-risk clone" or "pandemic clone." In recent years, there have been reports of carriers in healthy people, companion animals such as dogs and cats, and wild animals.
From 2016 to 2021, the research group isolated and identified feces from wild animals in Gifu Prefecture (5 strains from raccoon dogs, deer, foxes, and raccoons) and aquatic environments (11 strains from rivers in Gifu Prefecture and Lake Biwa water). ST131 was analyzed.
As a result, it was found that the domestic ST131 strain has low genetic similarity to the overseas ST131 strain obtained from public databases. Furthermore, some ST131 isolated from wild animals, rivers, and lakes were found to have high genetic similarities with ST131 isolated from humans. This suggests that some of the ST131 that is prevalent in human society is also widespread in wild animals and the surrounding natural environment.
This means that countermeasures taken only in clinical settings are insufficient to suppress drug-resistant bacteria, and that countermeasures based on the One Health Approach that crosses humans, animals, and the environment are important. It is hoped that the results of this study will provide useful scientific knowledge for countermeasures against resistant bacteria led by governments around the world, including Japan.
Paper information:【One Health】Traces of pandemic fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli clone ST131 transmitted from human society to aquatic environments and wildlife in Japan
