Multidrug-resistant avian pathogenic Escherichia coli ST162 among trafficked psittacine birds

The acquisition of virulence determinants has led to the emergence of certain lineages of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC), with implications for both human and veterinary medicine. Avian Pathogenic E. coli (APEC) is a specific subpathotype of the broader ExPEC category. This study documents the occurrence of ExPEC/APEC ST162 among seven psittacine birds confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade and housed in a rehabilitation center, and describes temporal phylogenetic patterns compatible with possible within-center circulation, through a descriptive genomic surveillance approach. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to characterize the virulome and resistome of all isolates and to comparative phylogenomic analysis of avian ST162 genomes with publicly available ST162 genomes from humans, including uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC). The first ST162 isolate was detected in a single bird early during the rehabilitation period. All isolates display similar virulence profiles. Strikingly, three out of seven ExPEC/APEC ST162 were classified as multidrug-resistant, carrying genes and/or mutations conferring resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics. Phylogenomic analysis clustered five psittacine isolates within a clade (52-1753 SNP differences) predominantly composed of human ExPEC ST162, underscoring their One Health significance at the human-animal interface. These results underscore the importance of animal-based genomic surveillance in wildlife rehabilitation centers and highlight the illegal wildlife trade as a potential pathway for the dissemination of ExPEC lineages of epidemiologic and public health relevance.