Absence of co-localization between pathovar-associated virulence factors and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (blaCTX-M) genes on a single plasmid

•No plasmid co-localization was found between VFs and blaCTX-M genes on a single plasmid.•A possible association of IncF to the VFs or CTX-M type was highlighted.•Two distinct IncF replicon types (IncFII and FIB) can be carried by two different plasmids in a single cell.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) were reported in virulent food-borne Escherichia coli clones, and numerous genes encoding ESBLs and virulence factors (VFs) are plasmid-mediated. We investigated the plasmidic co-localization of ESBL genes and pathovar-associated VF genes isolated in 18 E. coli isolates from faecal samples of diseased cattle. From the rare ESBL-producing E. coli among the various pathovars, no plasmid co-localization was found between VF and blaCTX-M genes on a single plasmid. However, a link between replicon types and VFs was highlighted: EspP was associated with IncFIB and ToxB with IncB/O. Associations of IncF alleles to VF or CTX-M-types were also identified: CS31A was linked to the allele FIB38 and CTX-M-14 to IncFII2. Also, as illustrated here, IncFII and IncFIB were carried by two different plasmids in a single cell.