Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated From Urine of Healthy Bovine Have Potential as Emerging Human and Bovine Pathogens.

Silvia Giannattasio-Ferraz,Adriana Ene,André Penido Oliveira,Cid Oliveira Queiroz,Vitor Júnio Gomes,Catherine Putonti,Laura Maskeri,Edel F Barbosa-Stancioli

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.764760

Abstract

The study of livestock microbiota has immediate benefits for animal health as well as mitigating food contamination and emerging pathogens. While prior research has indicated the gastrointestinal tract of cattle as the source for many zoonoses, including Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli and antibiotic resistant bacteria, the bovine urinary tract microbiota has yet to be thoroughly investigated. Here, we describe 5 E. coli and 4 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from urine of dairy Gyr cattle. While both species are typically associated with urinary tract infections and mastitis, all of the animals sampled were healthy. The bovine urinary strains were compared to E. coli and P. aeruginosa isolates from other bovine samples as well as human urinary samples. While the bovine urinary E. coli isolates had genomic similarity to isolates from the gastrointestinal tract of cattle and other agricultural animals, the bovine urinary P. aeruginosa strains were most similar to human isolates suggesting niche adaptation rather than host adaptation. Examination of prophages harbored by these bovine isolates revealed similarity with prophages within distantly related E. coli and P. aeruginosa isolates from the human urinary tract. This suggests that related urinary phages may persist and/or be shared between mammals. Future studies of the bovine urinary microbiota are needed to ascertain if E. coli and P. aeruginosa are resident members of this niche and/or possible sources for emerging pathogens in humans.

Highlights

While the urinary tract (UT) of healthy individuals was traditionally believed to be sterile, we know that bacteria do persist within the UT of healthy humans, albeit at a lower biomass than other areas of the human body (Dong et al, 2011; Wolfe et al, 2012)
All 5 E. coli genomes are characterized by the H34 flagellar antigen and are representatives of the phylotype B1, and all 4 P. aeruginosa genomes belong to the O5 serotype
Isolation of strains from the bovine UT, including our prior work investigating other bacterial taxa (Giannattasio-Ferraz et al, 2020a,b,c,d,e, 2021a) and our study presented here, is a further step toward understanding the healthy bovine UT microbiota

Summary

Introduction

While the urinary tract (UT) of healthy individuals was traditionally believed to be sterile, we know that bacteria do persist within the UT of healthy humans, albeit at a lower biomass than other areas of the human body (Dong et al, 2011; Wolfe et al, 2012). Through our prior efforts, we have isolated several different bacterial taxa from the UT of healthy cattle (Giannattasio-Ferraz et al, 2020a,b,c,d,e, 2021a). A common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in mammals is Escherichia coli (Wooley and Blue, 1976; Yeruham et al, 2006; Foxman, 2014; Moreno et al, 2018). Klebsiella spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are common causes of UTIs, and it is believed that these uropathogens are frequently introduced from the vaginal tract (Yeruham et al, 2006). Prior microbiome surveys have found both E. coli and P. aeruginosa within the vagina of healthy cows (Padula and Macmillan, 2006; Laguardia-Nascimento et al, 2015; Giannattasio-Ferraz et al, 2019). Increasing levels of antibiotic resistance within dairy animals is of paramount concern for livestock quality of life, potential spread to humans, and economic impact (Sharma et al, 2017)

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Conclusion