Circulation of clonal populations of fluoroquinolone-resistant CTX-M-15-producing Escherichia coli ST410 in humans and animals in Germany

• Fluoroquinolone-resistant CTX-M-15-producing Escherichia coli from human and animal populations were studied.
• ST410 is the most frequent sequence type, harbouring five different clades.
• Two clades (B and C) harbour chromosomally inserted CTX-M-15.
• ST410 clones circulate in animals, humans and the environment in Germany.

Multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli encoding CTX-M-type extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are isolated in increasing numbers from humans, companion animals and livestock, raising concern regarding the exchange and spread of isolates in these populations. In this study, whole-genome sequencing of CTX-M-15-producing E. coli isolates recently sampled from humans, companion animals, livestock and farm environments was performed. In total, 26 different sequence types (STs) were detected, of which ST410 was the most frequent and was the only ST present in all populations studied. Five clades (designated A–E) were detected within the ST410 isolates. In particular, isolates of clade B were present in all four populations and had core genomes that differed by less than 70 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Isolates of clades B and C were also clonally marked, exhibiting identical chromosomal insertions of blaCTX-M-15 at distinct loci. These data provide strong evidence for the clonal dissemination of specific clades of CTX-M-15-producing E. coli ST410 in human and animal populations.