The persistence and transmission of
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
- 2Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
- 3Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
- 4Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
- 5Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand; Corresponding author.
Abstract
Since Thailand banned colistin sulfate in pig farms in 2017, this study investigated the presence and genomic background of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli following its long-term withdrawal. Between 2024 and 2025, 266 samples were collected across 11 small-scale pig farms in Songkhla Province: pig feces (177), pen swabs (36), soil (20), farmer feces (12), wastewater (11), and drinking water (10). E. coli isolates were identified through biochemical tests and confirmed by using M-PCR. Out of 266 samples, 91.73% were resistant to colistin. Sixty-two unique colistin-resistant E. coli isolates were chosen for whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis. The genome sizes ranged from 4.54 to 5.55 Mbp. MLST identified 29 sequence types with ST101, ST10, ST48, ST9378 predominating. Notably, 93.5% of the isolates carried mcr genes, predominantly mcr-1 and mcr-3 . Almost half of the number genome ( n = 62) harbored 2 or more distinct mcr alleles. Plasmids such as Col(pHAD28), IncFIA(HI1), and IncFIB(K) were found in various sources, including pig feces, wastewater, and farmer feces. The presence of virulence genes, alongside high levels detected genes in encoding resistance, highlights the significant public health threat posed by colistin-resistant E. coli . Based on 2513 cgMLST genes, MST analysis revealed five distinct genetic clusters, indicating possible transmission within the farm environment. These findings underscore the role of farm environments as reservoirs for ARGs and highlight the need for enhanced surveillance, ongoing monitoring, stricter antibiotic policies, and infection control measures to prevent the spread of resistant E. coli isolates and can further reduce resistance risks.
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BibTeX
@article{chumtong2026persistence,
title = {{The persistence and transmission of}},
author = {Sanicha Chumtong and Komwit Surachat and Rattanaruji Pomwised and Arnon Chukamnerd and Sakaoporn Prachantasena and Ratchakul Wiriyaprom and Saowakon Indoung and Sarunyou Chusri and Ruttayaporn Ngasaman},
journal = {One Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101613},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101613},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The persistence and transmission of
AU - Sanicha Chumtong
AU - Komwit Surachat
AU - Rattanaruji Pomwised
AU - Arnon Chukamnerd
AU - Sakaoporn Prachantasena
AU - Ratchakul Wiriyaprom
AU - Saowakon Indoung
AU - Sarunyou Chusri
AU - Ruttayaporn Ngasaman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/17
JO - One Health
DO - 10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101613
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101613
AB - Since Thailand banned colistin sulfate in pig farms in 2017, this study investigated the presence and genomic background of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli following its long-term withdrawal. Between 2024 and 2025, 266 samples were collected across 11 small-scale pig farms in Songkhla Province: pig feces (177), pen swabs (36), soil (20), farmer feces (12), wastewater (11), and drinking water (10). E. coli isolates were identified through biochemical tests and confirmed by using M-PCR. Out of 266 samples, 91.73% were resistant to colistin. Sixty-two unique colistin-resistant E. coli isolates were chosen for whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis. The genome sizes ranged from 4.54 to 5.55 Mbp. MLST identified 29 sequence types with ST101, ST10, ST48, ST9378 predominating. Notably, 93.5% of the isolates carried mcr genes, predominantly mcr-1 and mcr-3 . Almost half of the number genome ( n = 62) harbored 2 or more distinct mcr alleles. Plasmids such as Col(pHAD28), IncFIA(HI1), and IncFIB(K) were found in various sources, including pig feces, wastewater, and farmer feces. The presence of virulence genes, alongside high levels detected genes in encoding resistance, highlights the significant public health threat posed by colistin-resistant E. coli . Based on 2513 cgMLST genes, MST analysis revealed five distinct genetic clusters, indicating possible transmission within the farm environment. These findings underscore the role of farm environments as reservoirs for ARGs and highlight the need for enhanced surveillance, ongoing monitoring, stricter antibiotic policies, and infection control measures to prevent the spread of resistant E. coli isolates and can further reduce resistance risks.
SN - 2352-7714
ER -