Agriculturally Sourced Multidrug-Resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> for Use as Control Strains

Bacteriological control strains with known characteristics ensure consistency and reproducibility of assay performance across different laboratories and are an important cornerstone of quality control in the microbiology laboratory. Ideally, control strains should be representative of the assay targ...

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Main Authors: James E. Wells, Lisa M. Durso, Abasiofiok M. Ibekwe, Jonathan G. Frye, Manan Sharma, Clinton F. Williams, Md Shamimuzzaman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Pathogens
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/417
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author James E. Wells
Lisa M. Durso
Abasiofiok M. Ibekwe
Jonathan G. Frye
Manan Sharma
Clinton F. Williams
Md Shamimuzzaman
author_facet James E. Wells
Lisa M. Durso
Abasiofiok M. Ibekwe
Jonathan G. Frye
Manan Sharma
Clinton F. Williams
Md Shamimuzzaman
author_sort James E. Wells
collection DOAJ
description Bacteriological control strains with known characteristics ensure consistency and reproducibility of assay performance across different laboratories and are an important cornerstone of quality control in the microbiology laboratory. Ideally, control strains should be representative of the assay target and be widely available from reputable sources. However, for work involving antibiotic resistance most controls come from human and veterinary clinical sources and are not optimized for work in agriculturally impacted environments or not widely available. The objective of this work was to identify and make widely available two <i>E. coli</i> isolates sourced from agricultural production settings that could be used as external controls supporting method development, research and environmental monitoring for extended spectrum β-lactamase producing (ESBL) and tetracycline resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i>. Previously collected <i>E. coli</i> suspects were screened based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing data, then confirmed as <i>E. coli</i> and characterized both phenotypically and genotypically. The positive control strain, ARS-C301 was ESBL positive and contained the CTX-M-55 and <i>tet</i>(A) genes, and the negative control strain, ARS-C101 was negative for both targets. Here we introduce two agriculturally sourced, fully characterized, and genetically sequenced control strains for use as laboratory controls in research involving extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing (ESBL) and tetracycline-resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> isolated from the environment, available via publicly accessible culture collections, and commercially as a quantitative pellet.
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spelling doaj-art-aca421f633704f018ab48b8df94fea7b2025-08-20T01:56:38ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-04-0114541710.3390/pathogens14050417Agriculturally Sourced Multidrug-Resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> for Use as Control StrainsJames E. Wells0Lisa M. Durso1Abasiofiok M. Ibekwe2Jonathan G. Frye3Manan Sharma4Clinton F. Williams5Md Shamimuzzaman6USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Meat Safety and Quality, Clay Center, NE 68933, USAUSDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Agroecoystem Management Research, Lincoln, NE 68583, USAUSDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Agricultural Water Efficiency and Salinity Research Unit, Riverside, CA 92507, USAUSDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit, Athens, GA 30605, USAEnvironmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Beltsville, MD 20705, USAUSDA ARS U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, Water Management and Conservation Research Unit, Maricopa, AZ 85377, USAUSDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Agroecoystem Management Research, Lincoln, NE 68583, USABacteriological control strains with known characteristics ensure consistency and reproducibility of assay performance across different laboratories and are an important cornerstone of quality control in the microbiology laboratory. Ideally, control strains should be representative of the assay target and be widely available from reputable sources. However, for work involving antibiotic resistance most controls come from human and veterinary clinical sources and are not optimized for work in agriculturally impacted environments or not widely available. The objective of this work was to identify and make widely available two <i>E. coli</i> isolates sourced from agricultural production settings that could be used as external controls supporting method development, research and environmental monitoring for extended spectrum β-lactamase producing (ESBL) and tetracycline resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i>. Previously collected <i>E. coli</i> suspects were screened based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing data, then confirmed as <i>E. coli</i> and characterized both phenotypically and genotypically. The positive control strain, ARS-C301 was ESBL positive and contained the CTX-M-55 and <i>tet</i>(A) genes, and the negative control strain, ARS-C101 was negative for both targets. Here we introduce two agriculturally sourced, fully characterized, and genetically sequenced control strains for use as laboratory controls in research involving extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing (ESBL) and tetracycline-resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> isolated from the environment, available via publicly accessible culture collections, and commercially as a quantitative pellet.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/417antibiotic resistance<i>Escherichia coli</i>agricultureextended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)CTX-Mtetracycline
spellingShingle James E. Wells
Lisa M. Durso
Abasiofiok M. Ibekwe
Jonathan G. Frye
Manan Sharma
Clinton F. Williams
Md Shamimuzzaman
Agriculturally Sourced Multidrug-Resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> for Use as Control Strains
Pathogens
antibiotic resistance
<i>Escherichia coli</i>
agriculture
extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)
CTX-M
tetracycline
title Agriculturally Sourced Multidrug-Resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> for Use as Control Strains
title_full Agriculturally Sourced Multidrug-Resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> for Use as Control Strains
title_fullStr Agriculturally Sourced Multidrug-Resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> for Use as Control Strains
title_full_unstemmed Agriculturally Sourced Multidrug-Resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> for Use as Control Strains
title_short Agriculturally Sourced Multidrug-Resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> for Use as Control Strains
title_sort agriculturally sourced multidrug resistant i escherichia coli i for use as control strains
topic antibiotic resistance
<i>Escherichia coli</i>
agriculture
extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)
CTX-M
tetracycline
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/417
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