Escherichia coli ST131: a model for high-risk transmission dynamics of antimicrobial resistance

Environment

Surveillance

Transmission

Research Project: 2017-07-01 - 2020-12-31

Total sum awarded: €1 384 960

This project will connect a large number of transnational academic resources to investigate the transmission success of Escherichia coli ST131 clone. E. coli is the most common cause of urinary tract and bloodstream infections worldwide. A recent WHO report states that resistance to one of the most widely used antibiotics (fluoroquinolones [FQs]) is very widespread. In many parts of the world, FQs are now ineffective in more than half of patients. A single E. coli clone, ST131, is predominantly responsible for this global FQ-R and cephalosporin-R pandemic causing millions of antibioticresistant infections annually. It remains unclear which features of ST131 had resulted in the biggest antimicrobial resistance succes of the 2000s. We propose a combined European-Canadian consortium that will investigate the transmission dynamics of ST131. This study will explore the vertical and horizontal transmission of resistance and virulence genes and how they contributed to the transmission success of ST131 among humans, animals and different environments. The broad goal is to improve human health by better understanding managing infections due to multidrug resistant E. coli. The study will explore explanations for the high transmission rates and success of ST131. A famous quote from Stephen Hawking; “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”. ST131 adapted rapidly to environmental changes; we need to know why and how. This project will serve as a model to predict what can possibly happen in the future with the continuing emergence of multidrug resistant clones among bacteria.

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Johan Pitout, University of Calgary, Canada (Coordinator)
Neil Woodford, Public Health England, United Kingdom (Partner)
Fernando Baquero, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Spain (Partner)
Marie-Hélène Nicolas-Chanoine, Beaujon Hospital/ Paris VII University, France (Partner)
Laurent Poirel, University of Fribourg, Switzerland (Partner)
Alvaro Pascual, Fundación Púbica para la Gestión de la Investigación de Salud en Sevilla, Spain (Partner)
Jean-Yves Madec, ANSES, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, France (Observer)
Tarah Lynch, University of Calgary, Canada (Observer)

This project connected many transnational academic resources to investigate the transmission success of Escherichia coli ST131 clone. E. coli is the most common cause of urinary tract and bloodstream infections worldwide. Resistance to widely used antibiotics for the treating E. coli infections is common and widespread. A single E. coli clone, ST131, is mainly responsible for this global AMR pandemic causing millions of antibiotic-resistant infections annually. It remains unclear which features of ST131 had resulted in the biggest antimicrobial resistance succes of the 2000s. We created a combined European-Canadian consortium that investigated the transmission dynamics of ST131. This study explored transmission of resistance and virulence genes and how they contributed to the success of ST131. The project also investigated transmission of ST131 among humans, animals and different environments. This project showed that ST131 is a public health concern in Canada and Europe and provided information to better understand the spread and managing infections due to multidrug resistant E. coli. Only by understanding how antibiotic resistance evolves and spreads in bacterial populations, can we begin to overcome such resistance. A famous quote from Stephen Hawking; “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”. ST131 adapted rapidly to environmental changes; we need to know why and how. This project will serve as a model to predict what can possibly happen in the future with the continuing emergence of multidrug resistant clones among bacteria.

Call

2016 - Transmission Dynamics