Enterococcus spp.

One Health investigation of Enterococcus spp.

Enterococcus serves as a critical example of a One Health pathogen due to its ability to inhabit the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals and persist in environmental reservoirs including soil, fresh water and marine water. This broad distribution highlights the potential for it to be readily shared cross humans, animals and the environment. Of significant concern is Enterococcus's propensity for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), both through intrinsic mechanisms and acquisition of resistance genes that are encoded on mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and the potential for movement of such elements between hosts and the environment. Therefore, a comprehensive study assessing the genetic diversity and clinically relevant AMR of enterococci across sectors is needed.

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Project Aims

Specific Aim: Snapshot of Enterococcus spp. from One Health samples already being collected as a part of the AusPathoGen Escherichia coli One Health project.

1. Isolate and sequence Enterococcus spp. from food, livestock, wastewater, humans, companion animals and wildlife – using the samples collected as a part of the E. coli project (where approval has been granted from the data custodian).
2. To assess and compare the antimicrobial resistance patterns and genetic diversity of Enterococcus spp. across One Health interfaces.
3. Determine the relative frequency of cross-sectoral prevalence of Enterococcus spp. and genomic transmission events.
4. Identify occurrences of mobile genetic elements and those encoding AMR genes that confer resistance to clinically relevant drugs.

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