No Genomic Signatures Were Found in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Camels With or Without Clinical Endometritis

Clinical endometritis is a leading cause of infertility in she-camels. We commonly isolate <i>E. coli</i> from camel uteri with and without endometritis during our routine diagnosis of conception failure. From an epidemiological standpoint, it is critical to know if certain <i>E. c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Haitham Elbir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Veterinary Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/5/457
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849718949055299584
author Haitham Elbir
author_facet Haitham Elbir
author_sort Haitham Elbir
collection DOAJ
description Clinical endometritis is a leading cause of infertility in she-camels. We commonly isolate <i>E. coli</i> from camel uteri with and without endometritis during our routine diagnosis of conception failure. From an epidemiological standpoint, it is critical to know if certain <i>E. coli</i> genotypes and virulence factors are specifically associated with endometritis. Thus, we aimed to compare the abundance of virulence elements and genotypes in uterine <i>E. coli</i> from camels with and without endometritis and understand their evolution. For this investigation, we retrieved data from the genomes of 28 <i>E. coli</i> isolates from humans, cats, dogs, horses, cows, and birds and 14 sequenced genomes of camel uterine <i>E. coli</i> isolates. We found no specific <i>E. coli</i> genotype or virulence factor associated with endometritis. Instead, multiple genotypes and high genomic diversity were observed. Moreover, horizontal gene transfer driven by genomic islands and plasmids contributed to the genetic diversity of the isolates, resulting in the acquisition of virulence genes, metabolic characteristics, and antibiotic resistance determinants to trimethoprim, sulfonamide, streptomycin, and tetracycline. Additionally, the phylogenetic position of the <i>E. coli</i> isolates from camel uteri suggests that they originated from intestinal strains. In conclusion, there was no evidence of <i>E. coli</i> specialization, and <i>E. coli</i> alone may not be able to develop endometritis, as other factors are required. Also, we elucidated the mechanism behind the diversity of the gene repertoire of <i>E. coli</i> isolated from camel uteri. These findings provide insight into the evolutionary origins of <i>E. coli</i> isolates from camel uteri.
format Article
id doaj-art-2df2d5e68ad84ef9acd745329dc48720
institution DOAJ
issn 2306-7381
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Veterinary Sciences
spelling doaj-art-2df2d5e68ad84ef9acd745329dc487202025-08-20T03:12:15ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812025-05-0112545710.3390/vetsci12050457No Genomic Signatures Were Found in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Camels With or Without Clinical EndometritisHaitham Elbir0Camel Research Center, King Faisal University, 400 Al-Hasa, Hofuf 31982, Saudi ArabiaClinical endometritis is a leading cause of infertility in she-camels. We commonly isolate <i>E. coli</i> from camel uteri with and without endometritis during our routine diagnosis of conception failure. From an epidemiological standpoint, it is critical to know if certain <i>E. coli</i> genotypes and virulence factors are specifically associated with endometritis. Thus, we aimed to compare the abundance of virulence elements and genotypes in uterine <i>E. coli</i> from camels with and without endometritis and understand their evolution. For this investigation, we retrieved data from the genomes of 28 <i>E. coli</i> isolates from humans, cats, dogs, horses, cows, and birds and 14 sequenced genomes of camel uterine <i>E. coli</i> isolates. We found no specific <i>E. coli</i> genotype or virulence factor associated with endometritis. Instead, multiple genotypes and high genomic diversity were observed. Moreover, horizontal gene transfer driven by genomic islands and plasmids contributed to the genetic diversity of the isolates, resulting in the acquisition of virulence genes, metabolic characteristics, and antibiotic resistance determinants to trimethoprim, sulfonamide, streptomycin, and tetracycline. Additionally, the phylogenetic position of the <i>E. coli</i> isolates from camel uteri suggests that they originated from intestinal strains. In conclusion, there was no evidence of <i>E. coli</i> specialization, and <i>E. coli</i> alone may not be able to develop endometritis, as other factors are required. Also, we elucidated the mechanism behind the diversity of the gene repertoire of <i>E. coli</i> isolated from camel uteri. These findings provide insight into the evolutionary origins of <i>E. coli</i> isolates from camel uteri.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/5/457she-camelendometritis infectionevolution virulence<i>Escherichia coli</i> genome
spellingShingle Haitham Elbir
No Genomic Signatures Were Found in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Camels With or Without Clinical Endometritis
Veterinary Sciences
she-camel
endometritis infection
evolution virulence
<i>Escherichia coli</i> genome
title No Genomic Signatures Were Found in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Camels With or Without Clinical Endometritis
title_full No Genomic Signatures Were Found in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Camels With or Without Clinical Endometritis
title_fullStr No Genomic Signatures Were Found in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Camels With or Without Clinical Endometritis
title_full_unstemmed No Genomic Signatures Were Found in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Camels With or Without Clinical Endometritis
title_short No Genomic Signatures Were Found in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Camels With or Without Clinical Endometritis
title_sort no genomic signatures were found in i escherichia coli i isolates from camels with or without clinical endometritis
topic she-camel
endometritis infection
evolution virulence
<i>Escherichia coli</i> genome
url https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/12/5/457
work_keys_str_mv AT haithamelbir nogenomicsignatureswerefoundiniescherichiacoliiisolatesfromcamelswithorwithoutclinicalendometritis