A New Blend of Phenotypic and Genotypic Application as a Zoonosis Escherichia coli Transmission Detector

Aims: Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative bacteria classified into non-pathogenic and pathogenic serotypes. This study aimed to blend phenotypic and genotypic techniques to identify Escherichia coli isolated from patients and dogs. Materials Methods: 80 samples were collected from humans and dogs with UTI or diarrhea cultured on MacConkey, EMB, and nutrient agars. The suspected E. coli bacteria was confirmed using a PCR-based molecular method. Two bacterial identification techniques were applied to detect the zoonotic transmission possibility; a phenotypic analyzer using Antibiotic Susceptibility test Patterns and molecular genotypic technique depending on the presence of four exact genes in each isolate. Findings: All the isolated E. coli were multi-drug and strongly resistant (100%) to Amoxicillin+clavulanic acid, Oxacillin, and Vancomycin. Meanwhile, they were highly susceptible to imipenem (100%). The ASP5 (i) was the dominant pattern among human and animal isolates and the most common shared pattern among the four groups of samples. The results showed that 31 of 50 (62%) isolates have similar ASPs; however, only 16 (53.3%) shared the same phylogenetic groups. Furthermore, the molecular genetic group C is highly prevalent in dog isolates, whereas group E was the commonest among human isolates. Conclusion: Both methods would be more accurate and better explain bacterial transmission and acquiring new antibiotic-resistance genes.