Abstract
Escherichia coil serotype 025b:H4 is involved in human urinary tract infections. In this study, we sequenced and analyzed E. coil 025b:H4 isolated from a patient suffering from recurring UTI infections in an intensive care unit at Hera General Hospital in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. We aimed to determine the virulence genes for pathogenesis and drug resistance of this isolate compared to other E. coil strains. We sequenced and analyzed the E. call 025b:H4 Saudi strain clinical isolate using next generation sequencing. Using the ERGO genome analysis platform, we performed annotations and identified virulence and antibiotic resistance determinants of this clinical isolate. The E. coil 025b:H4 genome was assembled into four contigs representing a total chromosome size of 5.28 Mb, and three contigs were identified, including a 130.9 kb (virulence plasmid) contig bearing the bla-CTX gene and 32 kb and 29 kb contigs. In comparing this genome to other uropathogenic E. call genomes, we identified unique drug resistance and pathogenicity factors. In this work, whole-genome sequencing and targeted comparative analysis of a clinical isolate of uropathogenic Escherichia call 025b:H4 was performed. This strain encodes virulence genes linked with extraintestinal pathogenic E. coil (ExPEC) that are expressed constitutively in E. coil ST131. We identified the genes responsible for pathogenesis and drug resistance and performed comparative analyses of the virulence and antibiotic resistance determinants with those of other E. coil UPEC isolates. This is the first report of genome sequencing and analysis of a UPEC strain from Saudi Arabia.