Serogroups, antibiotic resistance profiles and virulence factors, of non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli from ovine and caprine

Serogroups, antibiotic resistance profiles and virulence factors, of non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli from ovine and caprine | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Serogroups, antibiotic resistance profiles and virulence factors, of non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli from ovine and caprine Jody Howard, Oriel Thekisoe, Tsepo Ramatla, Kgaugelo E. Lekota This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7004708/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are important zoonotic pathogens linked to foodborne illnesses and outbreaks globally, yet little is known about their prevalence and resistance profiles in small ruminants and their surrounding environment in South Africa. This study investigated the presence and antimicrobial resistance of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in small ruminants and their environments from 207 analyzed samples, comprising of faecal samples from sheep (114), goats (n = 58) as well as manure (n = 27) and water (n = 8). The presence of E. coli was detected using the uidA gene PCR assay, while STEC was identified using PCR assays targeting the stx genes, followed by confirmation via disk diffusion method. A total of 112 confirmed E. coli isolates were identified, with the following distribution: 57 isolates originated from sheep, 46 from goats, and 8 from manure, while no isolates were detected in water. Out of 112 confirmed E. coli isolates, PCR screening identified 26 STEC isolates, all positive for stx1 (100%) and 7.1% for stx2 genes. Serogroup analysis revealed O128 (23%) as the most common, followed by O26 (11.5%), O121 (7.6%), and O103 (3.8%), with no detection of high-risk serogroups O157, O113 or O145. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed high resistance against ampicillin (88.5%), erythromycin (53.8%), streptomycin (23.1%), ceftriaxone (15.3%), meropenem (11.5%) and gentamycin (3.8%). Only 11.5% of the STEC strains exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR). Genotypic profiling revealed bla SHV (92.3%) as the most prevalent resistance gene, followed by aadA (11.5%), ampC (11.5%) as the most commonly detected antibiotic resistance genes. These findings highlight sheep and goats as potential reservoirs of pathogenic and occasionally multidrug-resistant STEC strains, reinforcing the need for integrated surveillance through a One Health framework to mitigate zoonotic risk. Health sciences/Diseases Biological sciences/Microbiology Biological sciences/Molecular biology Non-Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O-serogroups Virulence factors Antibiotic resistance Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Introduction Escherichia coli is a gram-negative, non-sporulating, flagellated, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacterium belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . It is a formidable enteric pathogen that constitutes a substantial burden on global health, being a leading etiologic agent of foodborne diseases 5 . Based on their virulence potential, E. coli isolates can be dichotomized into two distinct categories: pathogenic strains, which harbour specific virulence factors, and non-pathogenic strains, which lack these factors 6 . Furthermore, phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses have led to the identification of six distinct classes of pathogenic diarrheagenic E. coli , namely: Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), Entero-aggregative E. coli (EAEC), Entero-hemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)/Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Entero-invasive E. coli (EIEC), Entero-toxigenic E. coli (ETEC), and Diffuse-adhering E. coli (DAEC), each exhibiting unique virulence factors and pathogenic mechanisms 7 , 8 . Current taxonomic frameworks consolidate E. coli O157 and six non-O157 serotypes (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) into a unified category, denoted as the top seven Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotypes, in recognition of their shared virulence characteristics 9 – 12 . STEC is distinguished by its ability to produce either Stx1, Stx2, or both toxins, with multiple subtypes of Stx1 and Stx2 having been identified in E. coli strains 13 – 15 , 16 . The emergence of STEC as a significant enteric foodborne zoonotic pathogen has profound implications for global public health 12 . The top seven STEC (O157, O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) serotypes are recognized as significant human pathogens, capable of inducing a spectrum of severe illnesses, including hemorrhagic colitis, and permanent disability 17 , 18 . Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) refers to E. coli strains that produce Shiga toxin, usually acquired through a bacteriophage carrying the stx gene 18 . In addition, STEC isolates can be lysogenized by one or more Stx-converting bacteriophages, which may possess various stx-sub-allele combinations, thus enhancing the genetic diversity of STEC 19 , 12 . Studies have identified Shiga toxin, intimin, and E-hlyA as critical virulence factors produced by STEC, which are responsible for inducing severe damage to multiple organs and contributing to the pathogenesis of STEC infections 20 , 21 . The commensal nature of E. coli in human and animal gastrointestinal tracts has created an environment conducive to the development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. The selective pressure imposed by the extensive use of antimicrobial agents in clinical and agricultural settings has accelerated this process 22 , 23 . Studies employing molecular epidemiological techniques have identified the presence of antibiotic resistance genes as a critical factor contributing to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in STEC strains. These genes confer resistance to a range of antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones, trimethoprim, and aminoglycosides 24 , 25 . An important consideration in the assessment of STEC pathogenicity is the high prevalence of antibiotic resistance among these strains, which may serve to augment their virulence potential. A review of existing literature reveals a scarcity of studies documenting antimicrobial-resistant STEC isolates from sheep, goats, manure, and water in South Africa. To address this knowledge gap, this study aimed to investigate the distribution of virulence factors, O-serogroups, antibiotic resistance genes, and antibiotic resistance patterns among STEC strains isolated from these sources. Materials and methods Ethical consideration Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Ethics Committee (NWU-00771-24-A5) of North-West University (NWU). All methods in this study were approved by the scientific committee of the Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology of the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management of NWU. All experimental procedures were conducted by qualified personnel in strict adherence to the university's ethical standards and regulations. Study area and sample collection A total of 207 samples were collected at two different farms from sheep (n = 114), goats (n = 58), manure (n = 27), and water (n = 8) based on accessibility at Matlwang village [communal farming area] and SK & AM Le Roux Landgoed [commercial farm]. Fresh faecal samples were aseptically collected directly from the rectum of the sheep and goats and placed in sterile collection tubes, labelled according to animal type, farm number, age and gender. Due to availability and lack of information regarding animal age, faecal samples at Matlwang village were randomly collected, with sheep being more prominent than goats. Furthermore, manure was sampled close to animal kraals at the various farms and labelled accordingly. Both faecal and manure samples were placed on ice in cooler boxes. Water was collected from drinking troughs in animal kraals as well as nearby boreholes in sterile 1L bottles. Sample processing and isolation of E. coli Upon arrival at the microbiology laboratory, samples were immediately processed and placed in enrichment broth. Five grams of the faecal and manure samples were placed in sterile test tubes containing 20 mL buffered peptone water, vortexed to homogenise and placed in a shaking incubator at 37°C for 24 hours. Thereafter, serial dilutions for each sample were performed, and 100 µL of a dilution series was directly plated on eosin-of methylene blue (EMB) agar by making use of the spread plate method. After incubation, presumptive E. coli colonies (metallic green) were selected and cultured on EMB until pure colonies were identified and isolated. A total of 1L of the water samples were filtered on a 0.45µm filter membrane and placed on EMB agar. Plates were then incubated and grown for 24 hours at 37°C. Presumptive E. coli isolates were then purified further through subculturing. Bacterial genomic DNA extraction We isolated the genomic DNA (gDNA) from overnight cultured 112 presumptive E. coli isolates. The gDNA was extracted and purified utilizing Quick-DNA Microbe Mini-prep commercial kit following the manufacturer's guidelines (ZYMO Research, USA). The gDNA concentration and purity were evaluated using a NanoDrop Lite 1000 spectrophotometer (Thermo-Fisher Scientific, USA), and it was subsequently stored at -80°C for further analysis. Identification of Escherichia coli using uidA PCR assay PCR analysis was performed on presumptive E. coli isolates to confirm their identities. The uidA gene, encoding β -D-glucuronidase, was targeted as a housekeeping gene marker, following the protocol described by Ramatla et al. 26 . The primers used were: UidA-F: AAAACGGCAAGAAAAAGCAG and UidA-R: ACGCGTGGTTACAGTCTTGCG, these primers yielded a 147 bp amplicon. The dimensions of the PCR amplicons were ascertained utilizing molecular weight markers of 100 bp and 1 kb DNA (PROMEGA, Madison, WI, USA) to ensure consistency. Five microliters of the PCR products were loaded onto 1% agarose gels, subjected to electrophoresis for 45 min at 80 volts, and stained with ethidium bromide to verify product size and estimate yield. The positive control was E. coli ATCC 25922, while the negative control was nuclease-free water Detection of virulent genes and O-serogroups The genes selected for conventional PCR of specific virulence genes: Shiga toxin-producing E. coli STEC ( Stx1 , Stx2 ), intimin ( eaeA ), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) lt , enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) a afII , and enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) vir . The PCR conditions were carried out as described by Ramatla et al. 26 . Table 1 displays the virulence genes and O-serogroups that were screened in this study. The multiplex PCR technique was used to detect the stx1 , stx2 and eae genes. To detect the presence of E. coli -O serogroups, three different genes were screened: rfbE (O157), wzy (O113), and wzx1 (O145). The reaction was carried out in a total volume of 25 μL consisting of 12.5 μL of 2X DreamTaq Green Master Mix (New England Biolabs, USA), 8.5 μL of RNase-nuclease free PCR water, 1 μL of each primer and 2 μL of template DNA. PCR reaction was performed using a 12.5 µL reaction mixture consisting of 6.25µl OneTaq Quick-Load mastermix, 4.2µL nuclease free water, 0.5µL forward primer, 0.5 reverse primer and 1 µL DNA template. The PCR conditions were performed as described and optimized by Omolajaiye et al. 27 , Wolde et al. 28 , and Ranjbar and Sami 29 with slight modifications. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing The antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates were determined using the disk diffusion method, as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) in the M100 guidelines 30 . A total of 6 different antibiotic disks from 5 different antibiotic classes were used. The following antibiotics, commonly used in human medicine and veterinary practice, were tested: carbapenem: Meropenem (MEM), β -lactam: Ampicillin (AMP), aminoglycoside: streptomycin (S) and gentamycin (CN), macrolide: erythromycin (E), and Cephalosporins: ceftriaxone (CRO), (ThermoFisher Scientific™, South Africa). The antibiotic susceptibility discs were arranged several centimetres apart on the plates and subsequently incubated at 37°C for 24 hours in a non-inverted orientation. The results were observed and recorded according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines 30 . Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was utilized in the antimicrobial susceptibility test for quality control. Isolates were classified as multidrug-resistant (MDR) if they demonstrated resistance to three or more antibiotic classes 31-33 . Detection of antibiotic resistance genes The genomic DNA extracted from E. coli isolates was examined for the presence of the β -lactam ( bla SHV , bla oxa, bla CTX-M, bla TEM, and ampC ), aminoglycoside ( aadA ), carbapenemases ( bla KPC and bla VIM ), macrolides ( msrA and ermA ) and Integrase class 1 ( Intl 1) antibiotic resistance gene ( Table 2 ). For PCR reaction, 2 μL of the template DNA, 8.5 μL of nuclease-free water, 1 μL of each oligonucleotide primer, and 12.5 μL of 2X DreamTaq Green Master mix (0.4 mM dCTP, 0.4 mM dATP, 0.4 mM dTTP, 0.4 mM dGTP, 4 mM MgCl2 and a loading buffer) (ThermoFisher Scientific, South Africa). The amplification program consisted of the following steps: 94°C for 5 min, followed by 35 cycles of amplification divided into 1 min of denaturation at 94°C, 1 min of primer annealing at the temperature according to Table 2 , and 1 min of primer extension at 72°C, followed by a 10 min final extension step at 72°C. Results Identification of E. coli using PCR From the 207 collected samples ( Fig. 1 ), PCR-based analysis identified 112 confirmed E. coli isolates, originating from sheep (60), goats (46), and manure (6) sources. Interestingly, none of the E. coli isolates were found in the water samples tested. All the isolates were screened for the virulence genes. Of which, 26 (23.2%) were positive for stx1 , 8 (7.1%) were positive for stx2 , 3 (2.6%) were positive for eaeA , and 1 (0.8%) were positive for aafII genes. The virulence genes lt and aafII were not detected in the isolates. A significant proportion (30.7%) of the isolates harboured both stx1 / stx2 genes, 7.6% harboured stx1/eaeA , while 3.8% of the isolates possessed a mix of stx1 / stx2/aafII genes (Table 3). Isolate VGF3 was categorized as extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) as it possessed more than two virulence genes. There were no STEC strains detected in the water. The prevalence of STEC was notably high in ruminant samples, with sheep exhibiting the highest incidence (53.8%), whereas goat samples showed a significantly lower incidence (46.1%), as shown in Table 3. Fig. 2 presents the comprehensive distribution of O-serogroups in the STEC strains extracted from faecal samples of sheep and goats. The predominant serogroups identified in the STEC strains from faecal samples were O128 (23%), O26 (11.5%), O121 (7.6%), and O103 (3.8%). None of the isolates harboured the O157, O113 and O145 serogroups. There was only one isolate (MSX1) that showed the presence of more than one non-O157 STEC serogroup. Antibiotic resistance profile of the E. coli Table 4 illustrates the trend of antibiotic resistance in STEC bacteria derived from faecal samples of sheep and goats. The STEC bacteria being studied exhibit the highest resistance to ampicillin (88.5%), erythromycin (53.8%), streptomycin (23.1%), ceftriaxone (15.3%), Meropenem (11.5%) and gentamycin (3.8%). A total of 25 (96.1%) of the 26 STEC isolates showed resistance to at least one class of antibiotic (Table 4). Fig. 3 displays the overall distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in the STEC strains that were recovered from faecal samples of sheep and goats. Our study revealed that the most prevalent antibiotic resistance genes were bla SHV (92.3%), followed by aadA (11.5%), ampC (11.5%), and Methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) (7.7%). Antibiotic resistance genes including bla oxa , bla CTX-M , bla TEM , bla KPC , bla VIM , and ermA were not detected in this study. Coexistence of phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance of STEC Notably, three isolates exhibited co-occurrence of ampicillin resistance and the ampC gene, whereas another three isolates displayed streptomycin resistance in conjunction with the aadA gene. Multidrug resistance Among the 26 isolates, 3 (11.5%) displayed multidrug resistance (MDR) as they presented resistance to three or more antimicrobial classes, with resistance prevalence against three and five classes of antibiotics at 3.8% and 7.6%, respectively. MDR was observed in 11.5% of isolates from goats. Discussion This study highlights the detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in small ruminants, a growing concern for zoonotic disease transmission within One Health contexts. Through bacteriological screening and molecular confirmation, 112 E. coli isolates were identified, of which 23.2% carried virulence genes associated with STEC. This rate, while moderate, suggests a substantial potential reservoir in livestock populations. The current study observed a relatively low rate of STEC, which contrasts with the findings of Persad et al. 39 in Trinidad, Tobago, Malahlela et al. 40 and Ramatla et al. 26 , both in South Africa, who reported rates of 45% in goats, 80.2% in goats and 100% (sheep and goats), respectively. However, the STEC occurrence in this study was significantly higher than rates reported by Jacob et al. 41 in United States and Gupta et al. 42 in Bangladesh, which were 14.5% and 13.8%, respectively. The variation in virulent gene recovery rates may be due to differences in sample type/size, season, agroecological zones, and sample processing techniques. Notably, the stx1 gene exhibited a higher frequency of detection in the present study, surpassing that of the stx2 and eaeA genes. This observation agrees with the results obtained by Malahlela et al. 40 . However, it was different from the study conducted by Jacob et al. 41 and Yihunie et al. 43 , where the stx2 gene was detected more compared to the stx1 and eaeA genes. The current results also differ from the results obtained in Iran, where all of the STEC isolates obtained from sheep and goats were eaeA negative 44 . This finding highlights the importance of characterizing stx1 subtypes in farm animals, exploring their geographical distribution, and assessing their clinical significance in animals and humans. Moreover, a comprehensive characterization of the stx1 subtypes present in sheep and goats is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the genetic diversity and clinical significance of these isolates The findings of this study revealed a significantly lower prevalence of aafII compared to previous investigations conducted in South Africa and Turkey. Ramatla et al. 34 and Türkyılmaz et al. 45 specifically reported a total absence of aafII gene in their studies, underscoring a significant divergence from the current research. These differences may be due to country-specific variations or methodological differences between studies, such as sampling schemes, culture media, and agar plates. The zoonotic potential of STEC lacking It and vir genes should not be overlooked. All the STEC isolates derived from sheep and goats in this study were prone to serotyping through PCR. Among 26 stx -positive samples screened, none belonged to the O157 serogroup. The absence of the O157 serogroup among the stx-positive isolates is in agreement with the previous findings in Germany, Spain and Chile, where they failed to recover any O157 serogroups from sheep and goats 46 – 48 . In contrast to our findings, several studies have reported the presence of the O157 serogroup among STEC isolates obtained from sheep and goats in Sweden 49 , Italy 50 , and Trinidad and Tobago 39 . The noted low prevalence or absence of O157 STEC in sheep and goat faeces suggests that the risk of human O157 infection from these animals is likely minimal. In the present study, we detected only four non-O157 STEC serogroups (O128, O26, O121, and O103) in sheep and goat’s faeces. Among all these four non-O157 STEC serogroups, O128 and O26 recorded high prevalence. High prevalence of O26 serogroup has been reported previously from Iran 51 , Nigeria 52 , USA 53 . Various E. coli serogroups, including O157 and non-O157 strains that either contain or lack the genes for Shiga toxin, are significant for public and animal health 53 . Although STEC O103 strains were detected in lower numbers in this study, they have frequently been associated with foodborne outbreaks 54 . The agricultural use of antibiotics has sparked concern, as it may facilitate the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes to pathogenic bacteria of clinical relevance 55 . Diarrheagenic bacterial pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to antimicrobials worldwide, especially in less developed areas 37 . The extensive emergence of antibiotic resistance primarily results from the improper use and excessive application of antimicrobial agents, which has expedited the selection and spread of resistant bacterial strains 37 , 56 – 58 . A diverse array of antimicrobial resistance patterns was observed among STEC isolates in the current study. Our STEC strains showed multidrug resistance, confirmed by both disk diffusion and the presence of specific antibiotic resistance genes. The STEC isolates showed a higher susceptibility to ampicillin, erythromycin, streptomycin, and ceftriaxone, which was in line with the findings of previous studies conducted in South Africa 37 , Netherlands 59 , and Pakistan 60 from sheep and goat samples. Contrary to our findings, a previous study conducted in Pakistan reported that none of the isolates exhibited resistance to any antibiotics 61 . The extensive application of antibiotics in livestock production is likely a principal factor in the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), due to the documented correlation between agricultural antibiotic use and the emergence of AMR, as evidenced by numerous studies 61 . The presence of diverse antibiotic-resistant phenotypes was detected among STEC isolates recovered from sheep and goats. The resistance profiles of STEC isolates from sheep and goats were evaluated against six antibiotics frequently utilized in South African agriculture, offering significant insights into the antimicrobial resistance landscape in these species. In this study, we detected 88.5% isolates of sheep and goats as resistant to ampicillin. These results are higher than previous studies from Algeria, where 69.7% of the strains were resistant to ampicillin 62 . The observed discrepancies may be attributed to temporal variations, underscoring the significance of considering time as a variable. Approximately 23.1% of the isolates from cultured sheep and goat specimens exhibited resistance to streptomycin. Our findings also agree with Ndegwa et al. 63 's finding in goats, who reported a higher prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in streptomycin (39%). Given that streptomycin has been available and utilized in food animals for an extended period, it is unsurprising that resistance to this antibiotic is most commonly observed in such animals 63 . Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that only 11.5% of STEC isolates harboured a multidrug-resistant phenotype, characterized by resistance to three or more antibiotics representing different mechanistic classes. Comparable observations regarding multidrug resistance have been documented in various global regions 37 , 64 – 66 . The bla SHV gene was highly prevalent (92.3%) in STEC isolates, while aadA and a mpC genes were detected at lower frequencies (11.5% each). In contrast, bla SHV genes were less (43.8%) common in isolates from sheep and goats’ population in South Africa 37 , in Türkiye (3.2%) 67 . The variability in antibiotic resistance rates may be partially ascribed to disparities in animal husbandry practices and antibiotic application in livestock. Consequently, enhanced monitoring and specific preventive strategies are essential to limit the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Conclusion Our study identified a wide range of O-serogroups, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance patterns, and resistance genes in STEC strains from sheep and goats. The STEC strains from this study displayed high levels of resistance traits against the ampicillin and erythromycin antibiotic groups and MDR to different classes of antibiotics. This is particularly concerning, as E. coli is a common human gut bacterium that can cause severe gastrointestinal infections. This study revealed STEC isolates carrying a combination of virulent genes, including stx1/stx2/aafII , and stx1/eaeA , highlighting their potential to cause severe infections. The high detection rate of bla SHV , aadA , ampC and stx1 genes in STEC isolates represents a serious public health threat due to the potential for antibiotic resistance and severe disease. This underscores the imperative for enhanced surveillance and proactive interventions to safeguard the population against the potential risks posed by these pathogens. Declarations Funding This research was funded by NRF Incentive grant for rated researchers (GUN: CSUR23030681021) made available to K.E.L. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Data availability All data generated and analyzed in this study are presented within the manuscript. Authors’ contributions KEL, TR, OT: Conceived and designed the experiment. TR, JH: performed the experiments: TR, JH: analysed the data: TR, JH: wrote the manuscript: KEL, TR, OT: supervised the study. All authors read and approved of the final manuscript. References Ranjbar, R., Masoudimanesh, M., Dehkordi, F. S., Jonaidi-Jafari, N. & Rahimi, E. Shiga (Vero)-toxin producing Escherichia coli isolated from the hospital foods; virulence factors, o-serogroups and antimicrobial resistance properties. Antimicrob. Resist. Infect. Control . 6 , 4 (2017). Malabadi, R. B., Sadiya, M. R., Kolkar, K. P. & Chalannavar, R. K. Pathogenic Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) food borne outbreak: Detection methods and controlling measures. Magna Scientia Adv. Res. Rev. 10 , 052–085 (2024). Tarek, A., El-Mahdy, T. S., Abdelrahman, A. A. & Abdalla, S. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance. Records Pharm. Biomedical Sci. 8 (2), 87–95 (2024). Ramatla, T. et al. The Global Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance and Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Chickens: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2011–2024). Antibiotics 14 (6), 568 (2025). Aklilu, E., Harun, A., Singh, K. K., Ibrahim, S. & Kamaruzzaman, N. F. Phylogenetically Diverse Escherichia coli Strains from Chicken Coharbor Multiple Carbapenemase-Encoding Genes ( bla NDM -bla OXA ‐bla IMP ). Biomed Res Int . 5596502 (2021). (2021). Pakbin, B., Brück, W. M. & Rossen, J. W. Virulence factors of enteric pathogenic Escherichia coli : A review. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 22 (18), 9922 (2021). Lawal, H. et al. Livestock and environment as potential sources and reservoirs for multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli in Malaysia: A Systematic Review. Veterinary Integr. Sciences 22 (2) (2024). Khuntia, H. et al. High Prevalence of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Strains in Hospitalized Diarrheal Patients: A Preliminary Study from a Cholera-Endemic Area, India Frontiers in Microbiology . 16,1470783 (2025). (2022). Monaghan, A. et al. Serotypes and virulence profiles of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolates from bovine farms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 77 (24), 8662–8668 (2011). Shawish, R. Serotypes and virulence profiles of non-o157 shiga toxin producing E. coli isolated from beef, chicken meat and its products. Assiut Veterinary Med. J. 61 (147), 171–178 (2015). Gökmen, M. et al. Prevalence and molecular characterization of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in animal source foods and green leafy vegetables. Food Sci. Technol. Int. 30 (1), 30–36 (2024). Kalalah, A. A., Koenig, S. S., Bono, J. L., Bosilevac, J. M. & Eppinger, M. Pathogenomes and virulence profiles of representative big six non-O157 serogroup Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli . Front. Microbiol. 15 , 1364026 (2024). Wang, G., Clark, C. G. & Rodgers, F. G. Detection in Escherichia coli of the genes encoding the major virulence factors, the genes defining the O157: H7 serotype, and components of the type 2 Shiga toxin family by multiplex PCR. J. Clin. Microbiol. 40 (10), 3613–3619 (2002). Fan, R. et al. High prevalence of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in beef cattle detected by combining four selective agars. BMC Microbiol. 19 , 1–9 (2019). Thilakarathna, S. H., Parsons, B. & Chui, L. The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates. Toxins 17 (6), 267 (2025). Da Marques, W. et al. Whole-Genome Sequence Reveals Genetic Determinants of the Colonization of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O22: H8 Isolates in Cattle. Curr. Microbiol. 82 (5), 1–12 (2025). Bitzan, M. & Lapeyraque, A. L. Postinfectious Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. In: (eds Schaefer, F. & Greenbaum, L. A.) Pediatric Kidney Disease. Springer , Cham. (2017). Joseph, A., Cointe, A., Mariani, K. P., Rafat, C. & Hertig, A. Shiga toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome: A narrative review. Toxins 12 (2), 67 (2020). Rusconi, B. et al. Whole genome sequencing for genomics-guided investigations of Escherichia coli O157: H7 outbreaks. Front. Microbiol. 7 , 985 (2016). Alharbi, M. G. et al. The big six: Hidden emerging foodborne bacterial pathogens. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 7 , 356 (2022). Ouarroud, B., El Maadoudi, M., Barakat, A. & Hasni, S. Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (STEC); Virulence Factors, Pathologies Caused and Foods at Risk. International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Systems for Sustainable Development . Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland: 330–341 (2023). Zhao, S. et al. Comparison of the prevalences and antimicrobial resistances of Escherichia coli isolates from different retail meats in the United States, 2002 to 2008. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 78 (6), 1701–1707 (2012). Kaushik, P., Anjay, A., Kumari, S., Dayal, S. & Kumar, S. Antimicrobial resistance and molecular characterisation of E. coli from poultry in Eastern India. Vet. Ital. 54 (3), 197–204 (2018). Dehkordi, F. S., Yazdani, F., Mozafari, J. & Valizadeh, Y. Virulence factors, serogroups and antimicrobial resistance properties of Escherichia coli strains in fermented dairy products. BMC Res. Notes . 7 , 1–8 (2014). Wang, J. et al. Biofilm formation, virulence gene profiles, and antimicrobial resistance of nine serogroups of non-O157 Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli . Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 13 (6), 316–324 (2016). Ramatla, T. et al. Molecular detection of Shiga toxin and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli isolates from sheep and goats. Mol. Biol. Rep. 51 (1), 57 (2024). Omolajaiye, S. A., Afolabi, K. O. & Iweriebor, B. C. Pathotyping and antibiotic resistance profiling of Escherichia coli isolates from children with acute diarrhea in amatole district municipality of Eastern Cape, South Africa. Biomed. Res. 18 , 1–10 (2020). Wolde, A., Deneke, Y., Sisay, T. & Mathewos, M. M. Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance of Pathogenic Escherichia coli Strains in Children from Wolaita Sodo, Southern Ethiopia. J Trop. Med 9166209 (2022). Ranjbar, R. & Sami, M. Genetic investigation of beta-lactam associated antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli strains isolated from water sources. Open. Microbiol. J. 11 , 203 (2017). CLSI (Ed.). Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk and Dilution Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria Isolated from Animals, 6th ed.; CLSI Document VET01-S; CLSI: Pittsburgh PA, USA (2023). Medugu, N. et al. Egah, R. Whole genome sequencing reveals virulence–mobile element linkages and phylogenetic diversity in multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli from Nigeria. Front. Microbiol. 16 , 1579175 (2025). Rana, M. L. et al. Preliminary survey of biofilm forming, antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli in fishes from land based aquaculture systems and open water bodies in Bangladesh. Sci. Rep. 15 (1), 7811 (2025). de Wet, L., Matle, I., Thekisoe, O., Lekota, K. E. & Ramatla, T. Uncovering antibiotic resistance: extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa from dipteran flies in residential dumping and livestock environments. Front. Microbiol. 16 , 1586811 (2025). Ramatla, T. et al. Molecular detection of integrons, colistin and β-lactamase resistant genes in Salmonella enterica serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium isolated from chickens and rats inhabiting poultry farms. Microorganisms 10 (2), 313 (2022). Remya, P., Shanthi, M. & Sekar, U. Prevalence of blaKPC and its occurrence with other beta-lactamases in Klebsiella pneumoniae . J. Lab. Physicians . 10 (04), 387–391 (2018). Sheikh, F. A. et al. Detection of metallo-beta lactamases among carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Jundishapur J. microbiology 7 (11) (2014). Ramatla, T. et al. Antibiotic resistance and virulence profiles of Proteus mirabilis isolated from broiler chickens at abattoir in South Africa. Veterinary Med. Sci. 10 (2), e1371 (2024). Pyatov, V., Vrtková, I. & Knoll, A. Detection of selected antibiotic resistance genes using multiplex PCR assay in mastitis pathogens in the Czech Republic. Acta Vet. Brno . 86 (2), 167–174 (2017). Persad, A. K., Rajashekara, G. & LeJeune, J. T. Shiga toxin ( stx ) encoding genes in sheep and goats reared in Trinidad and Tobago. Plos one . 17 (11), e0277564 (2022). Malahlela, M. N. et al. Occurrence, serotypes and virulence characteristics of Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli isolates from goats on communal rangeland in South Africa. Toxins 14 (5), 353 (2022). Jacob, M. E. et al. Evidence of Non-O157 Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia coli in the Feces of Meat Goats at a US Slaughter Plant. J. Food. Prot. 76 (9), 1626–1629 (2013). Gupta, M. D., Sen, A., Shaha, M., Dutta, A. & Das, A. Occurrence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli carrying antimicrobial resistance genes in sheep on smallholdings in Bangladesh. Veterinary Med. Sci. 8 (6), 2616–2622 (2022). Yihunie, F. B., Belete, M. A., Fentahun, G. & Dubie, T. Molecular detection and antibiogram of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) from raw milk in and around Bahir Dar town dairy farms. Ethiopia Heliyon , 10 (7) (2024). Zaheri, H. et al. Public health aspects of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains in sheep and goats of Bakhtiari pastoral tribe, Iran. Trop. Anim. Health Prod. 52 , 2721–2724 (2020). Türkyılmaz, S., Eskiizmirliler, S., Tunaligil, S. & Bozdogan, B. Identification, characterization and molecular epidemiology of Escherichia coli isolated from lamb and goat kids with diarrhoea. Acta Vet. Brno . 82 (4), 357–362 (2014). Schilling, A. K. et al. Zoonotic agents in small ruminants kept on city farms in southern Germany. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 78 (11), 3785–3793 (2012). Cortés, C. et al. Serotypes, virulence genes and intimin types of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli and enteropathogenic E. coli isolated from healthy dairy goats in Spain. Vet. Microbiol. 110 (1–2), 67–76 (2005). Pavez-Muñoz, E. et al. Antimicrobial usage factors and resistance profiles of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in backyard production systems from Central Chile. Front. Veterinary Sci. 7 , 595149 (2021). Söderlund, R., Hedenström, I., Nilsson, A., Eriksson, E. & Aspán, A. Genetically similar strains of Escherichia coli O157: H7 isolated from sheep, cattle and human patients. BMC Vet. Res. 8 , 1–4 (2012). Franco, A. et al. Prevalence and concentration of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157: H7 in adult sheep at slaughter from Italy. Zoonoses Public. Health . 56 (5), 215–220 (2009). Ranjbar, R., Masoudimanesh, M., Dehkordi, F. S., Jonaidi-Jafari, N. & Rahimi, E. Shiga (Vero)-toxin producing Escherichia coli isolated from the hospital foods; virulence factors, o-serogroups and antimicrobial resistance properties. Antimicrob. Resist. Infect. Control . 7 , 1–11 (2018). Mamza, S. A., Egwu, G. O. & Mshelia, G. D. Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from chickens in Maiduguri (Arid zone), Nigeria. Veterinarski Arhiv . 80 (2), 283–297 (2010). Ndegwa, E., Alahmde, A., Kim, C., Kaseloo, P. & O’Brien, D. Age related differences in phylogenetic diversity, prevalence of Shiga toxins, Intimin, Hemolysin genes and select serogroups of Escherichia. coli from pastured meat goats detected in a longitudinal cohort study. BMC Vet. Res. 16 , 1–15 (2020). Zhang, Y., Liao, Y. T. & Wu, V. C. Whole-Genome Analysis of a Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O103: H2 Strain Isolated from Cattle Feces. Microbiol. Resource Announcements . 9 (45), 10–1128 (2020). Enciso-Martínez, Y. et al. Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance of aEPEC/STEC Escherichia coli Pathotypes with Serotype Links to Shigella boydii 16 Isolated from Irrigation Water. Pathogens 14 (6), 549 (2025). Shao, L., Adebisi, Y. A. & Adeola, Q. A. Antibiotic use and misuse in maritime settings: Challenges and implications for global antimicrobial resistance response. Curr. Infect. Dis. Rep. 27 (1), 11 (2025). Zhou, Y., Zhang, A., van Klinken, R. D., Jones, D. & Wang, J. Consumers’ perspectives on antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in food animals: a systematic review. npj Sci. Food . 9 (1), 29 (2025). Kapatsa, T. et al. K. Behavioral and Socio-Economic Determinants of Antimicrobial Resistance in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review. Infection Drug Resistance 855–873 (2025). van Hoek, A. H. et al. Virulence and antimicrobial resistance of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli from dairy goat and sheep farms in The Netherlands. J. Appl. Microbiol. 134 (6), lxad119 (2023). Irshad, H. et al. Occurrence and Molecular Characterization of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates Recovered from Cattle and Goat Meat Obtained from Retail Meat Shops in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan Veterinary Journal 40 (3) (2020). Shikha, D. et al. Characterization of shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) and Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) from domestic animals for virulence and colonisation factors and their antimicrobial resistance. J. Entomol. Zool. Stud . 9(2),670–677 (2021). Boukli-Hacene, F. et al. Sheep and goats as reservoirs of colistin-resistant E. coli : first detection of ETEC ST10 and E. coli ST6396 mcr-1 positive strains in North Africa. J. Appl. Microbiol. 135 , lxae227 (2024). Ndegwa, E., Almehmadi, H., Chyer, K., Kaseloo, P. & Ako, A. A. Longitudinal shedding patterns and characterization of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in pastured goats using a cohort study. Antibiotics 8 (3), 136 (2019). Fayemi, O. E., Akanni, G. B., Elegbeleye, J. A., Aboaba, O. O. & Njage, P. M. Prevalence, characterization and antibiotic resistance of Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli serogroups isolated from fresh beef and locally processed ready-to-eat meat products in Lagos, Nigeria. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 347 , 109191 (2021). Nada, H. G., El-Tahan, A. S., El-Didamony, G. & Askora, A. Detection of multidrug-resistant Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in some food products and cattle faeces in Al-Sharkia, Egypt: one health menace. BMC Microbiol. 23 (1), 127 (2023). Fneish, F. H., Domiati, S. A. & Abd El Galil, K. H. Identification of mcr-2 and mcr-3 Genes in Colistin-Resistant E. coli O157: H7 Isolated from Raw Meat Samples in Beirut, Lebanon. Int. J. Microbiol. 1 , 8079270 (2025). Koskeroglu, K. & Ucar, Y. Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli in sheep and slaughterhouse environment in Kayseri, Türkiye: A special focus on β-lactamase genes. Brazilian J. Microbiology 1–12 (2025). Tables Table 2: List of antibiotic resistance genes primers used in this study. Pathotype & O-serogroup Primer Sequence of primers (5–3’) Amplification length (bp) Annealing temp (°C) Reference lt lt-F GCACACGGAGCTCCTCAGTCTCC 218 56 27 Lt-R TTCATCCTTTCAATGGCTTT aafII aafIIF CACAGGCAACTGAAATAAGTCTGG 378 56 27 aafIIR ATTCCCATGATGTCAAGCACTTC vir virF AGCTCAGGCAATGAAACTTTGAC 822 61 27 virR TGGGCTTGATATTCCGATAAGTC eaeA EAE1 TCAATGCAGTTCCGTTATCAGTT 450 55 27 EAE2 GTAAAGTCCGTTACCCCAACCTG stx1 EVT1 CAACACTGGATGATCTCAG 349 55 28 EVT2 CCCCCTCAACTGCTAATA stx2 EVS1 ATCAGTCGTCACTCACTGGT 110 55 28 EVS2 CTGCTGTCACAGTGACAAA O157 O157F CGGACATCCATGTGATATGG 259 58 29 O157R TTGCCTATGTACAGCTAATCC 0113 O103F TTGGAGCGTTAACTGGACCT 321 58 29 O103R GCTCCCGAGCACGTATAAG 0145 O145F CCATCAACAGATTTAGGAGTG 609 58 29 O145R TTTCTACCGCGAATCTATC O103 O103F TTGGAGCGTTAACTGGACCT 321 58 29 O103R GCTCCCGAGCACGTATAAG O128 O128F GCTTTCTGCCGATATTTGGC 289 58 29 O128R CCGACGGACTGATGCCGGTGATT O121 O121F TGGCTAGTGGCATTCTGATG 322 58 29 O121R TGATACTTTAGCCGCCCTTG O26 O26F CAGAATGGTTATGCTACTGT 423 58 29 O26R CTTACATTTGTTTTCGGCATC Table 3: Results of E. coli pathotypes from confirmed STEC isolates. Sample ID stx1 stx2 eaeA It vir aafII VGF1 + − − − − − MSX1 + − − − − − VGF2 + − − − − − MSX2 + − − − − − VGF3 + + + − − + MSX3 + + − − − − VSF4 + − − − − − VGM5 + − − − − − VGM6 + − − − − − VGM7 + − − − − − VGM8 + + − − − − VGF10 + − − − − − MSX9 + − + − − − MSX10 + − − − − − MSX11 + + − − − − VSM11 + + − − − − MGX12 + − − − − − VGM14 + − − − − − MSX13 + − − − − − MSX17 + + − − − − VGF15 + + − − − − VGF16 + − − − − − MSX19 + + − − − − MSX20 + − − − − − MSX22 + − + − − − VSF20 + − − − − − Table 4: Results of antibiotic resistance in STEC isolates. Sample ID MEM CRO E S AMP CN Pattern of AR MDR MAR index VGF1 R R R R R R MEM, CRO, E, S, AMP, CN + 1 MSX1 S S R S S S − − VGF2 I S S I R S AMP − 0.2 MSX2 S S S I R S AMP − 0.2 VGF3 R R I S R S MEM, CRO, AMP + 0.5 MSX3 S S R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 VSF4 S S S S R S AMP − 0.2 VGM5 S S S S R I AMP − 0.2 VGM6 S S R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 VGM7 S S R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 VGM8 S S S S R S AMP − 0.2 VGF10 R R R R R S MEM, CRO, E, S, AMP, CN + 1 MSX9 S S R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 MSX10 S S R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 MSX11 S S R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 VSM11 S S R R R S S, AMP, CN − 0.5 MGX12 S R R R S S CRO, E, S − 0.5 VGM14 S I R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 MSX13 S S R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 MSX17 S S I S R S AMP − 0.2 VGF15 S S S R R S AMP, CN − 0.3 VGF16 S S R S R S E, AMP − 0.3 MSX19 S S S S S I − − MSX20 S S S R R S AMP, CN − 0.3 MSX22 S S I R R S AMP, CN − 0.3 VSF20 S I R R R S S, AMP, CN − 0.5 AR: antibiotic resistance; MEM: meropenem; AMP: ampicillin; S: streptomycin; CN: gentamycin; E: erythromycin; and CRO: ceftriaxone; R: Resistant; I: Intermediate; S: Susceptible. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 18 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Jul, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 15 Jul, 2025 Editor invited by journal 15 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 11 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7004708","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":488762272,"identity":"3ceac26b-d638-4b25-86e6-8245f89fd63e","order_by":0,"name":"Jody Howard","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North-West University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jody","middleName":"","lastName":"Howard","suffix":""},{"id":488762273,"identity":"4eb58e8c-3052-4803-a46f-a96d79ad1fcd","order_by":1,"name":"Oriel Thekisoe","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North-West University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Oriel","middleName":"","lastName":"Thekisoe","suffix":""},{"id":488762274,"identity":"9e20318b-bdcd-47d5-abf4-87ff1f2d4f8a","order_by":2,"name":"Tsepo Ramatla","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAzklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYPACCwZ+otXygMkECQbJBgbGBtK0GBwgVou99OGnG37+kJA3Pn7G/AFDjR2DfPsBArbwpZnd7EmQMNx2JsewgeFYMgNjTwIBLTwMZjd4EiQYt93gAWphO8DAzEBQC/u3m38SJOw3zwBp+XeAgY3/ASEtPGa3gbYkbpAAamFsO8DAI0HIljM8Zbdl0iSSZ5xJK5yR2JfMIyFBwBb2HvZtN9/Y2Nj2tx/e8OHDNzs5+X4CtqCCBFhEjYJRMApGwSigDAAAGuU7gjop1JgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Central University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tsepo","middleName":"","lastName":"Ramatla","suffix":""},{"id":488762276,"identity":"5c68c6f5-28cd-4975-949c-d3323d9833d7","order_by":3,"name":"Kgaugelo E. Lekota","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"North-West University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kgaugelo","middleName":"E.","lastName":"Lekota","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-29 20:23:06","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7004708/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7004708/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44661-8","type":"published","date":"2026-03-24T16:11:58+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":87319670,"identity":"993d488c-d0c8-457b-8232-67e8dcdc41d6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-22 16:23:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":42331,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSamples collected from farms in Potchefstroom (Matlwang village) and Ventersdorp (SK \u0026amp; AM Le Roux Landgoed).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7004708/v1/3a2a2cbdb6a2841e2b32c102.jpg"},{"id":87319684,"identity":"8cb6edff-27ed-4537-83a9-343c320f7477","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-22 16:23:15","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":37829,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe distribution of O-serogroups in the STEC isolates from faecal samples of sheep and goats.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7004708/v1/0ee79a4b0a3b9eba70ef43d4.jpg"},{"id":87319647,"identity":"6dbd25ce-71ba-4e01-9ece-dc24fb712b94","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-22 16:23:13","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":55081,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in STEC isolates from faecal samples of sheep and goats.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7004708/v1/e1f6725972a577c6649172f0.jpg"},{"id":105755791,"identity":"661aaa15-21df-48a0-bf06-64f6e1dae59b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-30 16:30:38","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1475010,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7004708/v1/e25ad615-d67f-4e78-98e3-05e829cb45dd.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Serogroups, antibiotic resistance profiles and virulence factors, of non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli from ovine and caprine","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e is a gram-negative, non-sporulating, flagellated, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacterium belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. It is a formidable enteric pathogen that constitutes a substantial burden on global health, being a leading etiologic agent of foodborne diseases\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Based on their virulence potential, \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates can be dichotomized into two distinct categories: pathogenic strains, which harbour specific virulence factors, and non-pathogenic strains, which lack these factors\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Furthermore, phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses have led to the identification of six distinct classes of pathogenic diarrheagenic \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e, namely: Enteropathogenic \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (EPEC), Entero-aggregative \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (EAEC), Entero-hemorrhagic \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (EHEC)/Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC), Entero-invasive \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (EIEC), Entero-toxigenic \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (ETEC), and Diffuse-adhering \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (DAEC), each exhibiting unique virulence factors and pathogenic mechanisms\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCurrent taxonomic frameworks consolidate \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e O157 and six non-O157 serotypes (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) into a unified category, denoted as the top seven Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC) serotypes, in recognition of their shared virulence characteristics\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR10 CR11\" citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. STEC is distinguished by its ability to produce either Stx1, Stx2, or both toxins, with multiple subtypes of \u003cem\u003eStx1\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eStx2\u003c/em\u003e having been identified in \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e strains\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR14\" citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The emergence of STEC as a significant enteric foodborne zoonotic pathogen has profound implications for global public health\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The top seven STEC (O157, O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) serotypes are recognized as significant human pathogens, capable of inducing a spectrum of severe illnesses, including hemorrhagic colitis, and permanent disability\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC) refers to \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e strains that produce Shiga toxin, usually acquired through a bacteriophage carrying the \u003cem\u003estx\u003c/em\u003e gene\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. In addition, STEC isolates can be lysogenized by one or more Stx-converting bacteriophages, which may possess various stx-sub-allele combinations, thus enhancing the genetic diversity of STEC\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Studies have identified Shiga toxin, intimin, and E-hlyA as critical virulence factors produced by STEC, which are responsible for inducing severe damage to multiple organs and contributing to the pathogenesis of STEC infections\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe commensal nature of \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e in human and animal gastrointestinal tracts has created an environment conducive to the development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. The selective pressure imposed by the extensive use of antimicrobial agents in clinical and agricultural settings has accelerated this process\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Studies employing molecular epidemiological techniques have identified the presence of antibiotic resistance genes as a critical factor contributing to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in STEC strains. These genes confer resistance to a range of antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones, trimethoprim, and aminoglycosides\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. An important consideration in the assessment of STEC pathogenicity is the high prevalence of antibiotic resistance among these strains, which may serve to augment their virulence potential. A review of existing literature reveals a scarcity of studies documenting antimicrobial-resistant STEC isolates from sheep, goats, manure, and water in South Africa. To address this knowledge gap, this study aimed to investigate the distribution of virulence factors, O-serogroups, antibiotic resistance genes, and antibiotic resistance patterns among STEC strains isolated from these sources.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical consideration\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Ethics Committee (NWU-00771-24-A5) of North-West University (NWU). All methods in this study were approved by the scientific committee of the Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology of the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management of NWU. All experimental procedures were conducted by qualified personnel in strict adherence to the university's ethical standards and regulations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudy area and\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003esample collection\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA total of 207 samples were collected at two different farms from sheep (n = 114), goats (n = 58), manure (n = 27), and water (n = 8) based on accessibility at Matlwang village [communal farming area] and SK \u0026amp; AM Le Roux Landgoed [commercial farm]. Fresh faecal samples were aseptically collected directly from the rectum of the sheep and goats and placed in sterile collection tubes, labelled according to animal type, farm number, age and gender. Due to availability and lack of information regarding animal age, faecal samples at Matlwang village were randomly collected, with sheep being more prominent than goats. Furthermore, manure was sampled close to animal kraals at the various farms and labelled accordingly. Both faecal and manure samples were placed on ice in cooler boxes. Water was collected from drinking troughs in animal kraals as well as nearby boreholes in sterile 1L bottles.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSample processing and isolation of \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUpon arrival at the microbiology laboratory, samples were immediately processed and placed in enrichment broth. Five grams of the faecal and manure samples were placed in sterile test tubes containing 20 mL buffered peptone water, vortexed to homogenise and placed in a shaking incubator at 37°C for 24 hours. Thereafter, serial dilutions for each sample were performed, and 100 µL of a\u0026nbsp;\u003cimg width=\"33\" height=\"21\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" alt=\"image\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;dilution series was directly plated on eosin-of methylene blue (EMB) agar by making use of the spread plate method. After incubation, presumptive \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e colonies (metallic green) were selected and cultured on EMB until pure colonies were identified and isolated. A total of 1L of the water samples were filtered on a 0.45µm filter membrane and placed on EMB agar. Plates were then incubated and grown for 24 hours at 37°C. Presumptive \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eisolates were then purified further through subculturing.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBacterial genomic DNA extraction\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe isolated the genomic DNA (gDNA) from overnight cultured 112 presumptive \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates. The gDNA was extracted and purified utilizing Quick-DNA Microbe Mini-prep commercial kit following the manufacturer's guidelines (ZYMO Research, USA). The gDNA concentration and purity were evaluated using a NanoDrop Lite 1000 spectrophotometer (Thermo-Fisher Scientific, USA), and it was subsequently stored at -80°C for further analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIdentification of \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e using \u003cem\u003euidA\u003c/em\u003e PCR assay\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePCR analysis was performed on presumptive \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates to confirm their identities. The \u003cem\u003euidA\u003c/em\u003e gene, encoding \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e-D-glucuronidase, was targeted as a housekeeping gene marker, following the protocol described by Ramatla et al.\u003csup\u003e26\u003c/sup\u003e. The primers used were: UidA-F: AAAACGGCAAGAAAAAGCAG and UidA-R: ACGCGTGGTTACAGTCTTGCG, these primers yielded a 147 bp amplicon. The dimensions of the PCR amplicons were ascertained utilizing molecular weight markers of 100 bp and 1 kb DNA (PROMEGA, Madison, WI, USA) to ensure consistency. Five microliters of the PCR products were loaded onto 1% agarose gels, subjected to electrophoresis for 45 min at 80 volts, and stained with ethidium bromide to verify product size and estimate yield. The positive control was \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eATCC 25922, while the negative control was nuclease-free water\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetection of\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003evirulent genes and O-serogroups\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe genes selected for conventional PCR of specific virulence genes: Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e STEC (\u003cem\u003eStx1\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eStx2\u003c/em\u003e), intimin (\u003cem\u003eeaeA\u003c/em\u003e), enterotoxigenic \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (ETEC) \u003cem\u003elt\u003c/em\u003e, enteroaggregative \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (EAEC) a\u003cem\u003eafII\u003c/em\u003e, and enteroinvasive \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (EIEC) \u003cem\u003evir\u003c/em\u003e. The PCR conditions were carried out as\u0026nbsp;described by Ramatla et al.\u003csup\u003e26\u003c/sup\u003e. \u003cstrong\u003eTable 1\u003c/strong\u003e displays the virulence genes and O-serogroups that were screened in this study. The multiplex PCR technique was used to detect the \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;stx2\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eeae\u003c/em\u003e genes. To detect the presence of \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e-O serogroups, three different genes were screened: \u003cem\u003erfbE\u003c/em\u003e (O157), \u003cem\u003ewzy\u003c/em\u003e (O113), and \u003cem\u003ewzx1\u003c/em\u003e(O145). The reaction was carried out in a total volume of 25 μL consisting of 12.5 μL of 2X DreamTaq Green Master Mix (New England Biolabs, USA), 8.5 μL of RNase-nuclease free PCR water, 1 μL of each primer and 2 μL of template DNA. PCR reaction was performed using a 12.5 µL reaction mixture consisting of 6.25µl OneTaq Quick-Load mastermix, 4.2µL nuclease free water, 0.5µL forward primer, 0.5 reverse primer and 1 µL DNA template. The PCR conditions were performed as described and optimized by Omolajaiye et al.\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e, Wolde et al.\u003csup\u003e28\u003c/sup\u003e, and Ranjbar and Sami\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e with slight modifications.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAntimicrobial susceptibility testing\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates were determined using the disk diffusion method, as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) in the M100 guidelines\u003csup\u003e30\u003c/sup\u003e. A total of 6 different antibiotic disks from 5 different antibiotic classes were used. The following antibiotics, commonly used in human medicine and veterinary practice, were tested: carbapenem: Meropenem (MEM), \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e-lactam: Ampicillin (AMP), aminoglycoside: streptomycin (S) and gentamycin (CN), macrolide: erythromycin (E), and Cephalosporins: ceftriaxone (CRO),\u0026nbsp;(ThermoFisher Scientific™, South Africa). The antibiotic susceptibility discs were arranged several centimetres apart on the plates and subsequently incubated at 37°C for 24 hours in a non-inverted orientation. The results were observed and recorded according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines\u003csup\u003e30\u003c/sup\u003e. \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eATCC 25922 was utilized in the antimicrobial susceptibility test for quality control. Isolates were classified as multidrug-resistant (MDR) if they demonstrated resistance to three or more antibiotic classes\u003csup\u003e31-33\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetection of antibiotic resistance genes\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe genomic DNA extracted from\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;E. coli\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eisolates was examined for the presence of the \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e-lactam (\u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eSHV\u003c/sub\u003e, \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003eoxa, \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eCTX-M,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eTEM,\u003c/sub\u003e and\u003cem\u003eampC\u003c/em\u003e), aminoglycoside (\u003cem\u003eaadA\u003c/em\u003e),\u0026nbsp;carbapenemases (\u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eKPC\u003c/sub\u003e and \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eVIM\u003c/sub\u003e), macrolides (\u003cem\u003emsrA\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eermA\u003c/em\u003e) and Integrase class 1 (\u003cem\u003eIntl\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e1) antibiotic resistance gene (\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2\u003c/strong\u003e). For PCR reaction, 2 μL of the template DNA, 8.5 μL of nuclease-free water, 1 μL of each oligonucleotide primer, and 12.5 μL of 2X DreamTaq Green Master mix (0.4 mM dCTP, 0.4 mM dATP, 0.4 mM dTTP, 0.4 mM dGTP, 4 mM MgCl2 and a loading buffer) (ThermoFisher Scientific, South Africa). The amplification program consisted of the following steps: 94°C for 5 min, followed by 35 cycles of amplification divided into 1 min of denaturation at 94°C, 1 min of primer annealing at the temperature according to \u003cstrong\u003eTable 2\u003c/strong\u003e, and 1 min of primer extension at 72°C, followed by a 10 min final extension step at 72°C.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIdentification of \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e using PCR\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the 207\u0026nbsp;collected samples (\u003cstrong\u003eFig. 1\u003c/strong\u003e), PCR-based analysis identified 112 confirmed E. coli isolates, originating from sheep (60), goats (46), and manure (6) sources. Interestingly, none of the \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates were found in the water samples tested. All the isolates were screened for the virulence genes. Of which, 26 (23.2%) were positive for \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e, 8 (7.1%) were positive for \u003cem\u003estx2\u003c/em\u003e, 3 (2.6%) were positive for \u003cem\u003eeaeA\u003c/em\u003e, and 1 (0.8%) were positive for \u003cem\u003eaafII\u003c/em\u003e genes. The virulence genes \u003cem\u003elt\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eaafII\u003c/em\u003e were not detected in the isolates. A significant proportion (30.7%) of the isolates harboured both \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e/\u003cem\u003estx2\u003c/em\u003e genes, 7.6% harboured \u003cem\u003estx1/eaeA\u003c/em\u003e, while 3.8% of the isolates possessed a mix of \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e/\u003cem\u003estx2/aafII\u003c/em\u003e genes (Table 3). Isolate VGF3 was categorized as extraintestinal pathogenic \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (ExPEC) as it possessed more than two virulence genes. There were no STEC strains detected in the water. The prevalence of STEC was notably high in ruminant samples, with sheep exhibiting the highest incidence (53.8%), whereas goat samples showed a significantly lower incidence (46.1%), as shown in Table 3.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFig. 2\u003c/strong\u003e presents the comprehensive distribution of O-serogroups in the STEC strains extracted from faecal samples of sheep and goats. The predominant serogroups identified in the STEC strains from faecal samples were O128 (23%), O26 (11.5%), O121 (7.6%), and O103 (3.8%). None of the isolates harboured the O157, O113 and O145 serogroups. There was only one isolate (MSX1) that showed the presence of more than one non-O157 STEC serogroup.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAntibiotic resistance profile of the \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4\u003c/strong\u003e illustrates the trend of antibiotic resistance in STEC bacteria derived from\u0026nbsp;faecal samples of sheep and goats. The STEC bacteria being studied exhibit the highest resistance to ampicillin (88.5%),\u0026nbsp;erythromycin (53.8%), streptomycin (23.1%), ceftriaxone (15.3%), Meropenem (11.5%) and gentamycin (3.8%).\u0026nbsp;A total of 25 (96.1%) of the 26 STEC isolates showed resistance to at least one class of antibiotic (Table 4).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFig. 3\u003c/strong\u003e displays the overall distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in the STEC strains that were recovered\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;faecal samples of sheep and goats.\u0026nbsp;Our study revealed that the most prevalent antibiotic resistance genes were \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eSHV\u003c/sub\u003e (92.3%), followed by \u003cem\u003eaadA\u003c/em\u003e (11.5%), \u003cem\u003eampC\u003c/em\u003e (11.5%), and Methionine sulfoxide reductase A\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;(MsrA)\u003c/em\u003e (7.7%). Antibiotic resistance genes including \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eoxa\u003c/sub\u003e, \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eCTX-M\u003c/sub\u003e, \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eTEM\u003c/sub\u003e, \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eKPC\u003c/sub\u003e, \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eVIM\u003c/sub\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eermA\u003c/em\u003e were not detected in this study.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCoexistence of phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance of STEC\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotably, three isolates exhibited co-occurrence of ampicillin resistance and the \u003cem\u003eampC\u003c/em\u003e gene, whereas another three isolates displayed streptomycin resistance in conjunction with the \u003cem\u003eaadA\u003c/em\u003e gene.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMultidrug resistance\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the 26 isolates, 3 (11.5%) displayed multidrug resistance (MDR) as they presented resistance to three or more antimicrobial classes, with resistance prevalence against three and five classes of antibiotics at 3.8% and 7.6%, respectively. MDR was observed in 11.5% of isolates from goats.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study highlights the detection of Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC) in small ruminants, a growing concern for zoonotic disease transmission within One Health contexts. Through bacteriological screening and molecular confirmation, 112 \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates were identified, of which 23.2% carried virulence genes associated with STEC. This rate, while moderate, suggests a substantial potential reservoir in livestock populations. The current study observed a relatively low rate of STEC, which contrasts with the findings of Persad et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e in Trinidad, Tobago, Malahlela et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e and Ramatla et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, both in South Africa, who reported rates of 45% in goats, 80.2% in goats and 100% (sheep and goats), respectively. However, the STEC occurrence in this study was significantly higher than rates reported by Jacob et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e in United States and Gupta et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e in Bangladesh, which were 14.5% and 13.8%, respectively. The variation in virulent gene recovery rates may be due to differences in sample type/size, season, agroecological zones, and sample processing techniques. Notably, the \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e gene exhibited a higher frequency of detection in the present study, surpassing that of the \u003cem\u003estx2\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eeaeA\u003c/em\u003e genes. This observation agrees with the results obtained by Malahlela et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. However, it was different from the study conducted by Jacob et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e and Yihunie et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, where the \u003cem\u003estx2\u003c/em\u003e gene was detected more compared to the \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eeaeA\u003c/em\u003e genes. The current results also differ from the results obtained in Iran, where all of the STEC isolates obtained from sheep and goats were \u003cem\u003eeaeA\u003c/em\u003e negative\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. This finding highlights the importance of characterizing \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e subtypes in farm animals, exploring their geographical distribution, and assessing their clinical significance in animals and humans. Moreover, a comprehensive characterization of the \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e subtypes present in sheep and goats is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the genetic diversity and clinical significance of these isolates\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe findings of this study revealed a significantly lower prevalence of \u003cem\u003eaafII\u003c/em\u003e compared to previous investigations conducted in South Africa and Turkey. Ramatla et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e and T\u0026uuml;rkyılmaz et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e specifically reported a total absence of \u003cem\u003eaafII\u003c/em\u003e gene in their studies, underscoring a significant divergence from the current research. These differences may be due to country-specific variations or methodological differences between studies, such as sampling schemes, culture media, and agar plates. The zoonotic potential of STEC lacking \u003cem\u003eIt\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003evir\u003c/em\u003e genes should not be overlooked.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll the STEC isolates derived from sheep and goats in this study were prone to serotyping through PCR. Among 26 \u003cem\u003estx\u003c/em\u003e-positive samples screened, none belonged to the O157 serogroup. The absence of the O157 serogroup among the stx-positive isolates is in agreement with the previous findings in Germany, Spain and Chile, where they failed to recover any O157 serogroups from sheep and goats\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR47\" citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. In contrast to our findings, several studies have reported the presence of the O157 serogroup among STEC isolates obtained from sheep and goats in Sweden\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, Italy\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, and Trinidad and Tobago\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The noted low prevalence or absence of O157 STEC in sheep and goat faeces suggests that the risk of human O157 infection from these animals is likely minimal. In the present study, we detected only four non-O157 STEC serogroups (O128, O26, O121, and O103) in sheep and goat\u0026rsquo;s faeces. Among all these four non-O157 STEC serogroups, O128 and O26 recorded high prevalence. High prevalence of O26 serogroup has been reported previously from Iran\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, Nigeria\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, USA\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Various \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e serogroups, including O157 and non-O157 strains that either contain or lack the genes for Shiga toxin, are significant for public and animal health\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Although STEC O103 strains were detected in lower numbers in this study, they have frequently been associated with foodborne outbreaks\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e54\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe agricultural use of antibiotics has sparked concern, as it may facilitate the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes to pathogenic bacteria of clinical relevance\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Diarrheagenic bacterial pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to antimicrobials worldwide, especially in less developed areas\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The extensive emergence of antibiotic resistance primarily results from the improper use and excessive application of antimicrobial agents, which has expedited the selection and spread of resistant bacterial strains\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR57\" citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e56\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e58\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. A diverse array of antimicrobial resistance patterns was observed among STEC isolates in the current study. Our STEC strains showed multidrug resistance, confirmed by both disk diffusion and the presence of specific antibiotic resistance genes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe STEC isolates showed a higher susceptibility to ampicillin, erythromycin, streptomycin, and ceftriaxone, which was in line with the findings of previous studies conducted in South Africa\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, Netherlands\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, and Pakistan\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e60\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e from sheep and goat samples. Contrary to our findings, a previous study conducted in Pakistan reported that none of the isolates exhibited resistance to any antibiotics\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e61\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The extensive application of antibiotics in livestock production is likely a principal factor in the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), due to the documented correlation between agricultural antibiotic use and the emergence of AMR, as evidenced by numerous studies\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e61\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe presence of diverse antibiotic-resistant phenotypes was detected among STEC isolates recovered from sheep and goats. The resistance profiles of STEC isolates from sheep and goats were evaluated against six antibiotics frequently utilized in South African agriculture, offering significant insights into the antimicrobial resistance landscape in these species. In this study, we detected 88.5% isolates of sheep and goats as resistant to ampicillin. These results are higher than previous studies from Algeria, where 69.7% of the strains were resistant to ampicillin\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e62\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The observed discrepancies may be attributed to temporal variations, underscoring the significance of considering time as a variable. Approximately 23.1% of the isolates from cultured sheep and goat specimens exhibited resistance to streptomycin. Our findings also agree with Ndegwa et al.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e's finding in goats, who reported a higher prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in streptomycin (39%). Given that streptomycin has been available and utilized in food animals for an extended period, it is unsurprising that resistance to this antibiotic is most commonly observed in such animals\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAntimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that only 11.5% of STEC isolates harboured a multidrug-resistant phenotype, characterized by resistance to three or more antibiotics representing different mechanistic classes. Comparable observations regarding multidrug resistance have been documented in various global regions\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR65\" citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e64\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e66\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eSHV\u003c/sub\u003e gene was highly prevalent (92.3%) in STEC isolates, while \u003cem\u003eaadA\u003c/em\u003e and a\u003cem\u003empC\u003c/em\u003e genes were detected at lower frequencies (11.5% each). In contrast, \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eSHV\u003c/sub\u003e genes were less (43.8%) common in isolates from sheep and goats\u0026rsquo; population in South Africa\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e, in T\u0026uuml;rkiye (3.2%)\u003csup\u003e67\u003c/sup\u003e. The variability in antibiotic resistance rates may be partially ascribed to disparities in animal husbandry practices and antibiotic application in livestock. Consequently, enhanced monitoring and specific preventive strategies are essential to limit the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eOur study identified a wide range of O-serogroups, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance patterns, and resistance genes in STEC strains from sheep and goats. The STEC strains from this study displayed high levels of resistance traits against the ampicillin and erythromycin antibiotic groups and MDR to different classes of antibiotics. This is particularly concerning, as \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e is a common human gut bacterium that can cause severe gastrointestinal infections. This study revealed STEC isolates carrying a combination of virulent genes, including \u003cem\u003estx1/stx2/aafII\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003estx1/eaeA\u003c/em\u003e, highlighting their potential to cause severe infections. The high detection rate of \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eSHV\u003c/sub\u003e, \u003cem\u003eaadA\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eampC\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e genes in STEC isolates represents a serious public health threat due to the potential for antibiotic resistance and severe disease. This underscores the imperative for enhanced surveillance and proactive interventions to safeguard the population against the potential risks posed by these pathogens.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research was funded by NRF Incentive grant for rated researchers (GUN: CSUR23030681021) made available to K.E.L.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data generated and analyzed in this study are presented within the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKEL, TR, OT: Conceived and designed the experiment. TR, JH: performed the experiments: TR, JH: analysed the data: TR, JH: wrote the manuscript: KEL, TR, OT: supervised the study. All authors read and approved of the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRanjbar, R., Masoudimanesh, M., Dehkordi, F. S., Jonaidi-Jafari, N. \u0026amp; Rahimi, E. Shiga (Vero)-toxin producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e isolated from the hospital foods; virulence factors, o-serogroups and antimicrobial resistance properties. \u003cem\u003eAntimicrob. Resist. Infect. Control\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e6\u003c/b\u003e, 4 (2017).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMalabadi, R. B., Sadiya, M. R., Kolkar, K. P. \u0026amp; Chalannavar, R. K. Pathogenic \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e) food borne outbreak: Detection methods and controlling measures. \u003cem\u003eMagna Scientia Adv. Res. Rev.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e10\u003c/b\u003e, 052\u0026ndash;085 (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTarek, A., El-Mahdy, T. S., Abdelrahman, A. A. \u0026amp; Abdalla, S. Uropathogenic \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance. \u003cem\u003eRecords Pharm. Biomedical Sci.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e8\u003c/b\u003e (2), 87\u0026ndash;95 (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRamatla, T. et al. The Global Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance and Shiga Toxin-Producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in Chickens: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2011\u0026ndash;2024). \u003cem\u003eAntibiotics\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e14\u003c/b\u003e (6), 568 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAklilu, E., Harun, A., Singh, K. K., Ibrahim, S. \u0026amp; Kamaruzzaman, N. F. Phylogenetically Diverse \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e Strains from Chicken Coharbor Multiple Carbapenemase-Encoding Genes (\u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eNDM\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cem\u003e-bla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eOXA\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cem\u003e‐bla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eIMP\u003c/sub\u003e). \u003cem\u003eBiomed Res Int\u003c/em\u003e. 5596502 (2021). (2021).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePakbin, B., Br\u0026uuml;ck, W. M. \u0026amp; Rossen, J. W. Virulence factors of enteric pathogenic \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e: A review. \u003cem\u003eInt. J. Mol. Sci.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e22\u003c/b\u003e (18), 9922 (2021).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLawal, H. et al. Livestock and environment as potential sources and reservoirs for multi-drug resistant \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in Malaysia: A Systematic Review. \u003cem\u003eVeterinary Integr. Sciences\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e22\u003c/b\u003e(2) (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKhuntia, H. et al. High Prevalence of Enterotoxigenic \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e Strains in Hospitalized Diarrheal Patients: A Preliminary Study from a Cholera-Endemic Area, India \u003cem\u003eFrontiers in Microbiology\u003c/em\u003e. 16,1470783 (2025). (2022).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMonaghan, A. et al. Serotypes and virulence profiles of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates from bovine farms. \u003cem\u003eAppl. Environ. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e77\u003c/b\u003e (24), 8662\u0026ndash;8668 (2011).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShawish, R. Serotypes and virulence profiles of non-o157 shiga toxin producing \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolated from beef, chicken meat and its products. \u003cem\u003eAssiut Veterinary Med. J.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e61\u003c/b\u003e (147), 171\u0026ndash;178 (2015).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eG\u0026ouml;kmen, M. et al. Prevalence and molecular characterization of shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in animal source foods and green leafy vegetables. \u003cem\u003eFood Sci. Technol. Int.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e30\u003c/b\u003e (1), 30\u0026ndash;36 (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKalalah, A. A., Koenig, S. S., Bono, J. L., Bosilevac, J. M. \u0026amp; Eppinger, M. Pathogenomes and virulence profiles of representative big six non-O157 serogroup Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eFront. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e15\u003c/b\u003e, 1364026 (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWang, G., Clark, C. G. \u0026amp; Rodgers, F. G. Detection in \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e of the genes encoding the major virulence factors, the genes defining the O157: H7 serotype, and components of the type 2 Shiga toxin family by multiplex PCR. \u003cem\u003eJ. Clin. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e40\u003c/b\u003e (10), 3613\u0026ndash;3619 (2002).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFan, R. et al. High prevalence of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in beef cattle detected by combining four selective agars. \u003cem\u003eBMC Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e19\u003c/b\u003e, 1\u0026ndash;9 (2019).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThilakarathna, S. H., Parsons, B. \u0026amp; Chui, L. The Effect of Mitomycin C on Induction of Shiga Toxin Production in Clinical STEC Isolates. \u003cem\u003eToxins\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e17\u003c/b\u003e (6), 267 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDa Marques, W. et al. Whole-Genome Sequence Reveals Genetic Determinants of the Colonization of Shiga Toxin-Producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e O22: H8 Isolates in Cattle. \u003cem\u003eCurr. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e82\u003c/b\u003e (5), 1\u0026ndash;12 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBitzan, M. \u0026amp; Lapeyraque, A. L. Postinfectious Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. In: (eds Schaefer, F. \u0026amp; Greenbaum, L. A.) Pediatric Kidney Disease. \u003cem\u003eSpringer\u003c/em\u003e, Cham. (2017).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoseph, A., Cointe, A., Mariani, K. P., Rafat, C. \u0026amp; Hertig, A. Shiga toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome: A narrative review. \u003cem\u003eToxins\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e12\u003c/b\u003e (2), 67 (2020).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRusconi, B. et al. Whole genome sequencing for genomics-guided investigations of \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e O157: H7 outbreaks. \u003cem\u003eFront. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e7\u003c/b\u003e, 985 (2016).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlharbi, M. G. et al. The big six: Hidden emerging foodborne bacterial pathogens. \u003cem\u003eTrop. Med. Infect. Dis.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e7\u003c/b\u003e, 356 (2022).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOuarroud, B., El Maadoudi, M., Barakat, A. \u0026amp; Hasni, S. Shiga Toxin-Producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia Coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC); Virulence Factors, Pathologies Caused and Foods at Risk. \u003cem\u003eInternational Conference on Advanced Intelligent Systems for Sustainable Development\u003c/em\u003e. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland: 330\u0026ndash;341 (2023).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZhao, S. et al. Comparison of the prevalences and antimicrobial resistances of \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates from different retail meats in the United States, 2002 to 2008. \u003cem\u003eAppl. Environ. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e78\u003c/b\u003e (6), 1701\u0026ndash;1707 (2012).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKaushik, P., Anjay, A., Kumari, S., Dayal, S. \u0026amp; Kumar, S. Antimicrobial resistance and molecular characterisation of \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e from poultry in Eastern India. \u003cem\u003eVet. Ital.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e54\u003c/b\u003e (3), 197\u0026ndash;204 (2018).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDehkordi, F. S., Yazdani, F., Mozafari, J. \u0026amp; Valizadeh, Y. Virulence factors, serogroups and antimicrobial resistance properties of \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e strains in fermented dairy products. \u003cem\u003eBMC Res. Notes\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e7\u003c/b\u003e, 1\u0026ndash;8 (2014).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWang, J. et al. Biofilm formation, virulence gene profiles, and antimicrobial resistance of nine serogroups of non-O157 Shiga toxin\u0026ndash;producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eFoodborne Pathog. Dis.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e13\u003c/b\u003e (6), 316\u0026ndash;324 (2016).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRamatla, T. et al. Molecular detection of Shiga toxin and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates from sheep and goats. \u003cem\u003eMol. Biol. Rep.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e51\u003c/b\u003e (1), 57 (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOmolajaiye, S. A., Afolabi, K. O. \u0026amp; Iweriebor, B. C. Pathotyping and antibiotic resistance profiling of \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates from children with acute diarrhea in amatole district municipality of Eastern Cape, South Africa. \u003cem\u003eBiomed. Res.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e18\u003c/b\u003e, 1\u0026ndash;10 (2020).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWolde, A., Deneke, Y., Sisay, T. \u0026amp; Mathewos, M. M. Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance of Pathogenic \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e Strains in Children from Wolaita Sodo, Southern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eJ Trop. Med\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e9166209\u003c/b\u003e (2022).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRanjbar, R. \u0026amp; Sami, M. Genetic investigation of beta-lactam associated antibiotic resistance among \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e strains isolated from water sources. \u003cem\u003eOpen. Microbiol. J.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e11\u003c/b\u003e, 203 (2017).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCLSI (Ed.). Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk and Dilution Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria Isolated from Animals, 6th ed.; CLSI Document VET01-S; CLSI: Pittsburgh PA, USA (2023).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMedugu, N. et al. Egah, R. Whole genome sequencing reveals virulence\u0026ndash;mobile element linkages and phylogenetic diversity in multidrug-resistant \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e from Nigeria. \u003cem\u003eFront. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e16\u003c/b\u003e, 1579175 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRana, M. L. et al. Preliminary survey of biofilm forming, antibiotic resistant \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in fishes from land based aquaculture systems and open water bodies in Bangladesh. \u003cem\u003eSci. Rep.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e15\u003c/b\u003e (1), 7811 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ede Wet, L., Matle, I., Thekisoe, O., Lekota, K. E. \u0026amp; Ramatla, T. Uncovering antibiotic resistance: extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing \u003cem\u003ePseudomonas aeruginosa\u003c/em\u003e from dipteran flies in residential dumping and livestock environments. \u003cem\u003eFront. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e16\u003c/b\u003e, 1586811 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRamatla, T. et al. Molecular detection of integrons, colistin and β-lactamase resistant genes in \u003cem\u003eSalmonella enterica\u003c/em\u003e serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium isolated from chickens and rats inhabiting poultry farms. \u003cem\u003eMicroorganisms\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e10\u003c/b\u003e (2), 313 (2022).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRemya, P., Shanthi, M. \u0026amp; Sekar, U. Prevalence of blaKPC and its occurrence with other beta-lactamases in \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eJ. Lab. Physicians\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e10\u003c/b\u003e (04), 387\u0026ndash;391 (2018).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSheikh, F. A. et al. Detection of metallo-beta lactamases among carbapenem-resistant \u003cem\u003ePseudomonas aeruginosa\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eJundishapur J. microbiology\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e7\u003c/b\u003e(11) (2014).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRamatla, T. et al. Antibiotic resistance and virulence profiles of \u003cem\u003eProteus mirabilis\u003c/em\u003e isolated from broiler chickens at abattoir in South Africa. \u003cem\u003eVeterinary Med. Sci.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e10\u003c/b\u003e (2), e1371 (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePyatov, V., Vrtkov\u0026aacute;, I. \u0026amp; Knoll, A. Detection of selected antibiotic resistance genes using multiplex PCR assay in mastitis pathogens in the Czech Republic. \u003cem\u003eActa Vet. Brno\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e86\u003c/b\u003e (2), 167\u0026ndash;174 (2017).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePersad, A. K., Rajashekara, G. \u0026amp; LeJeune, J. T. Shiga toxin (\u003cem\u003estx\u003c/em\u003e) encoding genes in sheep and goats reared in Trinidad and Tobago. \u003cem\u003ePlos one\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e17\u003c/b\u003e (11), e0277564 (2022).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMalahlela, M. N. et al. Occurrence, serotypes and virulence characteristics of Shiga-toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates from goats on communal rangeland in South Africa. \u003cem\u003eToxins\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e14\u003c/b\u003e (5), 353 (2022).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJacob, M. E. et al. Evidence of Non-O157 Shiga Toxin Producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in the Feces of Meat Goats at a US Slaughter Plant. \u003cem\u003eJ. Food. Prot.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e76\u003c/b\u003e (9), 1626\u0026ndash;1629 (2013).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGupta, M. D., Sen, A., Shaha, M., Dutta, A. \u0026amp; Das, A. Occurrence of Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e carrying antimicrobial resistance genes in sheep on smallholdings in Bangladesh. \u003cem\u003eVeterinary Med. Sci.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e8\u003c/b\u003e (6), 2616\u0026ndash;2622 (2022).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYihunie, F. B., Belete, M. A., Fentahun, G. \u0026amp; Dubie, T. Molecular detection and antibiogram of Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC) from raw milk in and around Bahir Dar town dairy farms. \u003cem\u003eEthiopia Heliyon\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cb\u003e10\u003c/b\u003e(7) (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZaheri, H. et al. Public health aspects of Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC) strains in sheep and goats of Bakhtiari pastoral tribe, Iran. \u003cem\u003eTrop. Anim. Health Prod.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e52\u003c/b\u003e, 2721\u0026ndash;2724 (2020).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eT\u0026uuml;rkyılmaz, S., Eskiizmirliler, S., Tunaligil, S. \u0026amp; Bozdogan, B. Identification, characterization and molecular epidemiology of \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e isolated from lamb and goat kids with diarrhoea. \u003cem\u003eActa Vet. Brno\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e82\u003c/b\u003e (4), 357\u0026ndash;362 (2014).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSchilling, A. K. et al. Zoonotic agents in small ruminants kept on city farms in southern Germany. \u003cem\u003eAppl. Environ. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e78\u003c/b\u003e (11), 3785\u0026ndash;3793 (2012).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCort\u0026eacute;s, C. et al. Serotypes, virulence genes and intimin types of verotoxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e and enteropathogenic \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolated from healthy dairy goats in Spain. \u003cem\u003eVet. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e110\u003c/b\u003e (1\u0026ndash;2), 67\u0026ndash;76 (2005).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePavez-Mu\u0026ntilde;oz, E. et al. Antimicrobial usage factors and resistance profiles of Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in backyard production systems from Central Chile. \u003cem\u003eFront. Veterinary Sci.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e7\u003c/b\u003e, 595149 (2021).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eS\u0026ouml;derlund, R., Hedenstr\u0026ouml;m, I., Nilsson, A., Eriksson, E. \u0026amp; Asp\u0026aacute;n, A. Genetically similar strains of \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e O157: H7 isolated from sheep, cattle and human patients. \u003cem\u003eBMC Vet. Res.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e8\u003c/b\u003e, 1\u0026ndash;4 (2012).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFranco, A. et al. Prevalence and concentration of verotoxigenic \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e O157: H7 in adult sheep at slaughter from Italy. \u003cem\u003eZoonoses Public. Health\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e56\u003c/b\u003e (5), 215\u0026ndash;220 (2009).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRanjbar, R., Masoudimanesh, M., Dehkordi, F. S., Jonaidi-Jafari, N. \u0026amp; Rahimi, E. Shiga (Vero)-toxin producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e isolated from the hospital foods; virulence factors, o-serogroups and antimicrobial resistance properties. \u003cem\u003eAntimicrob. Resist. Infect. Control\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e7\u003c/b\u003e, 1\u0026ndash;11 (2018).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMamza, S. A., Egwu, G. O. \u0026amp; Mshelia, G. D. Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of beta-lactamase-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e isolated from chickens in Maiduguri (Arid zone), Nigeria. \u003cem\u003eVeterinarski Arhiv\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e80\u003c/b\u003e (2), 283\u0026ndash;297 (2010).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNdegwa, E., Alahmde, A., Kim, C., Kaseloo, P. \u0026amp; O\u0026rsquo;Brien, D. Age related differences in phylogenetic diversity, prevalence of Shiga toxins, Intimin, Hemolysin genes and select serogroups of \u003cem\u003eEscherichia. coli\u003c/em\u003e from pastured meat goats detected in a longitudinal cohort study. \u003cem\u003eBMC Vet. Res.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e16\u003c/b\u003e, 1\u0026ndash;15 (2020).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZhang, Y., Liao, Y. T. \u0026amp; Wu, V. C. Whole-Genome Analysis of a Shiga Toxin-Producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e O103: H2 Strain Isolated from Cattle Feces. \u003cem\u003eMicrobiol. Resource Announcements\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e9\u003c/b\u003e (45), 10\u0026ndash;1128 (2020).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEnciso-Mart\u0026iacute;nez, Y. et al. Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance of aEPEC/STEC \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e Pathotypes with Serotype Links to \u003cem\u003eShigella boydii\u003c/em\u003e 16 Isolated from Irrigation Water. \u003cem\u003ePathogens\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e14\u003c/b\u003e (6), 549 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShao, L., Adebisi, Y. A. \u0026amp; Adeola, Q. A. Antibiotic use and misuse in maritime settings: Challenges and implications for global antimicrobial resistance response. \u003cem\u003eCurr. Infect. Dis. Rep.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e27\u003c/b\u003e (1), 11 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZhou, Y., Zhang, A., van Klinken, R. D., Jones, D. \u0026amp; Wang, J. Consumers\u0026rsquo; perspectives on antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in food animals: a systematic review. \u003cem\u003enpj Sci. Food\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cb\u003e9\u003c/b\u003e (1), 29 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKapatsa, T. et al. K. Behavioral and Socio-Economic Determinants of Antimicrobial Resistance in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review. \u003cem\u003eInfection Drug Resistance\u003c/em\u003e 855\u0026ndash;873 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003evan Hoek, A. H. et al. Virulence and antimicrobial resistance of Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e from dairy goat and sheep farms in The Netherlands. \u003cem\u003eJ. Appl. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e134\u003c/b\u003e (6), lxad119 (2023).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIrshad, H. et al. Occurrence and Molecular Characterization of Shiga Toxin-Producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e Isolates Recovered from Cattle and Goat Meat Obtained from Retail Meat Shops in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. \u003cem\u003ePakistan Veterinary Journal\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e40\u003c/b\u003e(3) (2020).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShikha, D. et al. Characterization of shiga-toxin producing \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC) and Enteropathogenic E. \u003cem\u003ecoli\u003c/em\u003e (EPEC) from domestic animals for virulence and colonisation factors and their antimicrobial resistance. \u003cem\u003eJ. Entomol. Zool. Stud\u003c/em\u003e. 9(2),670\u0026ndash;677 (2021).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoukli-Hacene, F. et al. Sheep and goats as reservoirs of colistin-resistant \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e: first detection of ETEC ST10 and \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e ST6396 \u003cem\u003emcr-1\u003c/em\u003e positive strains in North Africa. \u003cem\u003eJ. Appl. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e135\u003c/b\u003e, lxae227 (2024).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNdegwa, E., Almehmadi, H., Chyer, K., Kaseloo, P. \u0026amp; Ako, A. A. Longitudinal shedding patterns and characterization of antibiotic-resistant \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e in pastured goats using a cohort study. \u003cem\u003eAntibiotics\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e8\u003c/b\u003e (3), 136 (2019).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFayemi, O. E., Akanni, G. B., Elegbeleye, J. A., Aboaba, O. O. \u0026amp; Njage, P. M. Prevalence, characterization and antibiotic resistance of Shiga toxigenic \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e serogroups isolated from fresh beef and locally processed ready-to-eat meat products in Lagos, Nigeria. \u003cem\u003eInt. J. Food Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e347\u003c/b\u003e, 109191 (2021).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNada, H. G., El-Tahan, A. S., El-Didamony, G. \u0026amp; Askora, A. Detection of multidrug-resistant Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in some food products and cattle faeces in Al-Sharkia, Egypt: one health menace. \u003cem\u003eBMC Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e23\u003c/b\u003e (1), 127 (2023).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFneish, F. H., Domiati, S. A. \u0026amp; Abd El Galil, K. H. Identification of mcr-2 and mcr-3 Genes in Colistin-Resistant \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e O157: H7 Isolated from Raw Meat Samples in Beirut, Lebanon. \u003cem\u003eInt. J. Microbiol.\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e1\u003c/b\u003e, 8079270 (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKoskeroglu, K. \u0026amp; Ucar, Y. Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of extended spectrum β-lactamase producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e in sheep and slaughterhouse environment in Kayseri, T\u0026uuml;rkiye: A special focus on β-lactamase genes. \u003cem\u003eBrazilian J. Microbiology\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003e1\u0026ndash;12\u003c/b\u003e (2025).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2:\u003c/strong\u003e List of antibiotic resistance genes primers used in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"595\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePathotype \u0026amp; O-serogroup\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrimer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSequence of primers (5\u0026ndash;3\u0026rsquo;)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmplification length (bp)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnnealing temp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReference\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003elt\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003elt-F\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGCACACGGAGCTCCTCAGTCTCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e218\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLt-R\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTTCATCCTTTCAATGGCTTT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eaafII\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eaafIIF\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCACAGGCAACTGAAATAAGTCTGG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e378\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eaafIIR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eATTCCCATGATGTCAAGCACTTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003evir\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003evirF\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAGCTCAGGCAATGAAACTTTGAC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e822\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e61\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003evirR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTGGGCTTGATATTCCGATAAGTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eeaeA\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEAE1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTCAATGCAGTTCCGTTATCAGTT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e450\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEAE2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGTAAAGTCCGTTACCCCAACCTG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEVT1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCAACACTGGATGATCTCAG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e349\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e28\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEVT2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCCCCCTCAACTGCTAATA\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003estx2\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEVS1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eATCAGTCGTCACTCACTGGT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e110\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e28\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEVS2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCTGCTGTCACAGTGACAAA\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eO157\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO157F\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCGGACATCCATGTGATATGG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e259\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO157R\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTTGCCTATGTACAGCTAATCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0113\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO103F\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTTGGAGCGTTAACTGGACCT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e321\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO103R\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGCTCCCGAGCACGTATAAG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e0145\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO145F\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCCATCAACAGATTTAGGAGTG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e609\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO145R\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTTTCTACCGCGAATCTATC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eO103\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO103F\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTTGGAGCGTTAACTGGACCT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e321\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO103R\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGCTCCCGAGCACGTATAAG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eO128\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO128F\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGCTTTCTGCCGATATTTGGC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e289\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO128R\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCCGACGGACTGATGCCGGTGATT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eO121\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO121F\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTGGCTAGTGGCATTCTGATG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e322\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO121R\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTGATACTTTAGCCGCCCTTG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eO26\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO26F\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCAGAATGGTTATGCTACTGT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e423\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eO26R\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 227px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCTTACATTTGTTTTCGGCATC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3:\u003c/strong\u003e Results of\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e pathotypes from confirmed STEC isolates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"417\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSample ID\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003estx2\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eeaeA\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003evir\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eaafII\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVSF4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVSM11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMGX12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVSF20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4:\u003c/strong\u003e Results of antibiotic resistance in STEC isolates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"602\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSample ID\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMEM\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCRO\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAMP\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCN\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePattern of AR\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMDR\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMAR index\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMEM, CRO, E, S, AMP, CN\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMEM, CRO, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVSF4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMEM, CRO, E, S, AMP, CN\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e+\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVSM11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS, AMP, CN\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMGX12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCRO, E, S\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGM14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP, CN\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVGF16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eE, AMP\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP, CN\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMSX22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAMP, CN\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVSF20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 34px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS, AMP, CN\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAR: antibiotic resistance; MEM: meropenem; AMP: ampicillin; S: streptomycin; CN: gentamycin; E: erythromycin; and CRO: ceftriaxone; R: Resistant; I: Intermediate; S: Susceptible.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Non-Shiga-toxin producing E. coli, O-serogroups, Virulence factors, Antibiotic resistance","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7004708/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7004708/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eShiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC) are important zoonotic pathogens linked to foodborne illnesses and outbreaks globally, yet little is known about their prevalence and resistance profiles in small ruminants and their surrounding environment in South Africa. This study investigated the presence and antimicrobial resistance of Shiga toxin-producing \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e (STEC) in small ruminants and their environments from 207 analyzed samples, comprising of faecal samples from sheep (114), goats (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;58) as well as manure (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;27) and water (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;8). The presence of \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e was detected using the \u003cem\u003euidA\u003c/em\u003e gene PCR assay, while STEC was identified using PCR assays targeting the \u003cem\u003estx\u003c/em\u003e genes, followed by confirmation via disk diffusion method. A total of 112 confirmed \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates were identified, with the following distribution: 57 isolates originated from sheep, 46 from goats, and 8 from manure, while no isolates were detected in water. Out of 112 confirmed \u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e isolates, PCR screening identified 26 STEC isolates, all positive for \u003cem\u003estx1\u003c/em\u003e (100%) and 7.1% for \u003cem\u003estx2\u003c/em\u003e genes. Serogroup analysis revealed O128 (23%) as the most common, followed by O26 (11.5%), O121 (7.6%), and O103 (3.8%), with no detection of high-risk serogroups O157, O113 or O145. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed high resistance against ampicillin (88.5%), erythromycin (53.8%), streptomycin (23.1%), ceftriaxone (15.3%), meropenem (11.5%) and gentamycin (3.8%). Only 11.5% of the STEC strains exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR). Genotypic profiling revealed \u003cem\u003ebla\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003eSHV\u003c/sub\u003e (92.3%) as the most prevalent resistance gene, followed by \u003cem\u003eaadA\u003c/em\u003e (11.5%), \u003cem\u003eampC\u003c/em\u003e (11.5%) as the most commonly detected antibiotic resistance genes. These findings highlight sheep and goats as potential reservoirs of pathogenic and occasionally multidrug-resistant STEC strains, reinforcing the need for integrated surveillance through a One Health framework to mitigate zoonotic risk.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Serogroups, antibiotic resistance profiles and virulence factors, of non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli from ovine and caprine","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-22 16:23:07","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7004708/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-07-24T20:12:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-23T01:43:10+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"9590342075002401817424545646180004752","date":"2025-07-21T18:47:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"95624088277587834317559293151306935054","date":"2025-07-20T14:14:59+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-18T21:44:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"270178994093401162445055515614410171135","date":"2025-07-18T16:05:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"98512700020675022177930328786863180553","date":"2025-07-18T15:58:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"70190342306651015182431655089155217532","date":"2025-07-18T15:38:10+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-18T15:28:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-07-15T06:16:29+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-15T04:46:41+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-07-11T10:32:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-07-11T10:26:36+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"7bea4485-4f0c-497f-a1bd-648d46c7ab07","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 22nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":51884820,"name":"Health sciences/Diseases"},{"id":51884821,"name":"Biological sciences/Microbiology"},{"id":51884822,"name":"Biological sciences/Molecular biology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-30T16:25:20+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7004708","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44661-8","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2026-03-24 16:11:58","publishedOnDateReadable":"March 24th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-22 16:23:07","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-026-44661-8","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44661-8","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7004708","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7004708","identity":"rs-7004708","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}