Extraintestinal pathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> in Saudi Arabia: A review of antimicrobial resistance and molecular epidemiology

Abstract

Extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is commonly associated with causing urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Over the past two decades, the antimicrobial resistance of ExPEC has increasingly been reported [1]. Given that Saudi Arabia annually hosts mass religious events, such as Hajj, this review investigated several aspects of antimicrobial resistance of ExPEC in this country including the current prevalence of resistance and molecular epidemiology of ExPEC isolates. Generally, the overall prevalence of antibiotic resistance of ExPEC in Saudi Arabia is on increase. The current emergence of colistin resistance in ExPEC represents a major challenge to public health. Local molecular epidemiological studies have shown the dominance of E. coli sequence type 131 (E. coli ST131) over other major ExPEC STs. This is an important observation given that this clone has been associated with high multidrug resistance and extended-spectrum β-lactamases carriage. To reduce the burden of this resistance in the future, it would be crucial to avoid uncontrolled use of antibiotics in either clinical settings or animal food industry.&#x0D; Keywords: Extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli, Antimicrobial resistance, ST131, Saudi Arabia, Colistin resistance, Extended-spectrum β-lactamases

Establishing a marine monitoring programme to assess antibiotic resistance: a case study from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region

“…They are frequently recovered from food and human intestinal samples and have strong associations with uropathogenic and diarrhoeal disease. Recently a clinical molecular epidemiological review of ST prevalence in extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) isolates from Saudi Arabia found ST131 to be the dominant form observed (Alqasim, 2020). ST10, ST38 and ST155 isolates are also found commonly in the gut of humans and animals (Matamoros et al ., 2017, Chattaway et al ,.…”

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of multi-drug resistant Enterobacterales isolated from King Fahad Hospital of the University, AlKhobar, Saudi Arabia

“…In another study from India targeting MDR E. coli , a range of major clusters was identified with multiple identical clones [ 27 ]. A local study in the western region of Saudi Arabia investigated the clonal relatedness among 211 extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing E. coli cohorts using ERIC-PCR and a more advanced genotyping tool, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) where 32 sequence types (STs) were identified (ST131, ST38, and a novel ST8162 clone) [ 28 ].…”

Establishing a marine monitoring programme to assess antibiotic resistance: A case study from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region

“…They are frequently recovered from food and human intestinal samples and have strong associations with uropathogenic and diarrhoeal disease. Recently a clinical molecular epidemiological review of ST prevalence in extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) isolates from Saudi Arabia found ST131 to be the dominant form observed ( Alqasim, 2020 ). ST10, ST38 and ST155 isolates are also found commonly in the gut of humans and animals ( Matamoros et al., 2017 , Chattaway et al., 2014 , Castellenos et al., 2017 ).…”