Uncovering the genetic arsenal of a multidrug-resistant Escherichiacoli MB641 strain from infected orthopaedic implants in a hospital setting.

Healthcare facilities are significant sources of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which can colonize hospital patients or evolve there due to mutations or gene transfer. In this study, we are reporting a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate E. coli MB641 serotype H9, recovered from an infected orthopaedic implant sample collected from a tertiary care hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan. The appearance of colonies on BHI agar was round, smooth, slightly raised, and off-white. Genome sequencing of the strain MB641 revealed a 93 % resemblance to the Enterobacteriaceae family. The strain had three plasmids in all (IncR, Col440I, and ColMG828), and the sequencing results revealed that it was resistant to several drugs. Additionally, many heavy metals and drug-resistant genes were found in abundance in the genome. Based on the whole genome sequencing, multi-locus sequencing typing (MLST), and biochemical analysis, we conclude that this strain is an Escherichia coli representing a unique sequence type (ST1000) within the family Enterobacteriaceae. The strain is deposited in the GenBank under accession number JABWTM000000000.1.