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Aim: The purpose of this work was to identify and genetically characterize enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) O80:H2 from diarrhoeic and septicaemic calves in Belgium and to comparing them with human EHEC after whole genome sequencing. Methods and Results: Ten EHEC and 21 EPEC O80 identified by PCR between 2009 and 2018 from faeces, intestinal content and a kidney of diarrhoeic or septicaemic calves were genome sequenced and compared to 19 human EHEC identified between 2008 and 2019. They all belonged to the O80:H2 serotype and ST301, harboured the eaeξ gene, and 23 of the 29 EHEC contained the stx2d gene. Phylogenetically, they were distributed in two major sub‐lineages: one comprised a majority of bovine EPEC whereas the second one comprised a majority of stx2d bovine and human EHEC. Conclusions: Not only EPEC but also EHEC O80:H2 are present in diarrhoeic and septicaemic calves in Belgium and are genetically related to human EHEC. Significance and Impact of the Study: These findings support the need to assess cattle as potential source of contamination of humans by EHEC O80:H2 and to understand the evolution of bovine and human EHEC and EPEC O80:H2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA) among a ( S. aureus) collection ( n = 430) isolated from milk of cows suffering from mastitis in Belgium and to compare their genotypic as well as phenotypic characteristics. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis ( PFGE) and PCR-based typing techniques ( MLST, spa, SCC mec, and agr typing) have been applied and supplemented by capsule serotyping, biofilm production quantification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Nineteen MRSA were isolated. Seven distinct ApaI PFGE patterns were observed. All isolates, except one, were identified as ST398 strains. Three spa types (t011, t567 and t108) and two SCC mec types ( IV and V) were identified. All isolates belonged to agr type I and capsule type 5 and were Panton-Valentine leukocidin ( PVL) negative. All isolates produced biofilm in TSBglc, whereas the majority did not in milk serum. Twelve resistance patterns were observed, with almost two-thirds of the isolates being resistant to at least six antibiotics, including penicillin and tetracycline. Our study confirms that the emerging ST398 LA- MRSA clone has attained Belgian cattle. With regard to genotypic and phenotypic typing, the 19 MRSA isolated in this study form a homogenous group and do not differ much from one another, neither from what has been previously described. Significance and Impact of the Study This study confirms the presence of ST398 MRSA in milk from bovine mastitis in Belgium. Moreover, the isolated MRSA strains were described for genotypic and phenotypic characteristics potentially implicated in virulence. This study highlights that Belgian bovine could be a reservoir of MRSA for human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of fimbrial adhesin F18 is frequently found in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) strains responsible for diarrhoea and oedema disease of weaned pigs. The F18 adhesin occurs in two antigenic variants: F18ab is characteristic of VTEC while F18ac is more typical for ETEC. F18 encoding plasmids of 17 phenotypically characterized porcine E. coli isolates (10 ETEC, 6 VTEC and 1 ETEC/VTEC) were tested with a DNA probe for F18 fimbrial adhesin and with replicon probes for the RepFIa, RepFIb and for the RepFIc family of basic replicons. In all the cases, the F18 probe hybridized to only one plasmid band of size higher than 42 MDa. All F18 plasmids were determined to be unireplicon plasmids belonging to the RepFIc replicon family of the F incompatibility complex. There was no difference between F18ac plasmids of ETEC and F18ab plasmids of VTEC strains in terms of replicon type or subtype. However, the size of F18ab plasmids of the VTEC strains varied between 42 and 98 MDa, in contrast to F18ac plasmids of ETEC strains (constantly approximately 98 MDa). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]