International high-risk clonal lineages of CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli F-ST648 in free-roaming cats, South America

The dissemination of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli belonging to high-virulent pandemic lineages has become a global problem with serious consequences for public health worldwide. In this regard, E. coli lineages belonging to the sequence type ST648, which are mostly associated with human infections, have begun to be reported in animals. In this study, we report the identification and genomic characterization of international CTX-M-producing E. coli ST648/F lineages in free-roaming cats from an urban slum, in Brazil. Moreover, we have performed a comparative genomic analysis of worldwide reported E. coli ST648 strains, highlighting an epidemiologic linkage between human and companion animals.