Next Article in Journal
Comparative Genomics of Two Newly Sequenced Rodent-Derived and One Previously Reported Tick-Derived Borrelia garinii Strains from South Korea Reveals Plasmid Variation and Virulence Gene Diversity
Previous Article in Journal
Molecular Survey of Hemopathogens in Dogs, Including Blood Donors, from Central-Western Brazil
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Pathogens
Volume 14
Issue 11
10.3390/pathogens14111181
pathogens-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Bovine Clinical E. coli Mastitis in Italian Dairy Herds Is Not Associated with a Specific Pathotype

by
Giulia Laterza
1,2,
Gabriele Meroni
1,*,
Alessio Soggiu
1,
Piera Anna Martino
1,
Valerio Massimo Sora
1,
Francesca Zaghen
1,2,
Luigi Bonizzi
1,
Luciana Colombo
3 and
Alfonso Zecconi
1
1
Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy
2
Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 22, 20133 Milan, Italy
3
Associazione Regionale Allevatori della Lombardia, Via Kennedy 30, 26013 Crema, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Pathogens 2025, 14(11), 1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14111181
Submission received: 27 October 2025 / Revised: 7 November 2025 / Accepted: 13 November 2025 / Published: 18 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Bacterial Pathogens)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Background: Escherichia coli is a cause of severe clinical bovine mastitis; however, it is not yet fully understood what makes mastitis-associated bacteria different from commensal strains at the genetic level. The goal of this study was to compare the genomic features, sequence types, virulence, and antibiotic resistance profiles of E. coli isolated from healthy cows and cows with clinical mastitis in Northern Italy. Methods: Between 2023 and 2024, 46 E. coli isolates, 23 from healthy animals and 23 from mastitis cases were recovered. Standard phenotypic approaches and Oxford Nanopore sequencing were used to investigate the genomic landscape of the strains. Results: Phylogroups A and B1 were the most common in both groups. MLST showed several types, with ST10 (19.6%), ST58 (13.0%), and ST69 (8.7%) being the most common. There was no lineage that was uniquely able to describe the isolates as Mammary Pathogenic Escherichia coli (MPEC); indeed, the ST distribution and phylogeny were the same in both groups. A total of 47.8% of isolates had antimicrobial resistance determinants, with β-lactamases (21.7%) and tetA (15.2%) being the most common. No significant differences in resistance rates were observed between mastitis and healthy isolates. Pangenome investigation found a large pool of accessory genes, but no genomic signature that distinguished mastitis from commensal isolates across the MPEC. Conclusions: Bovine E. coli isolated from milk of both healthy and mastitic cows share sequence types, resistance rates, and accessory genome content, supporting the absence of a unique MPEC pathotype and highlighting the ecological versatility of these bacteria.
Keywords: E. coli; mastitis; pathogenesis; genomic analysis E. coli; mastitis; pathogenesis; genomic analysis

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Laterza, G.; Meroni, G.; Soggiu, A.; Martino, P.A.; Sora, V.M.; Zaghen, F.; Bonizzi, L.; Colombo, L.; Zecconi, A. Bovine Clinical E. coli Mastitis in Italian Dairy Herds Is Not Associated with a Specific Pathotype. Pathogens 2025, 14, 1181. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14111181

AMA Style

Laterza G, Meroni G, Soggiu A, Martino PA, Sora VM, Zaghen F, Bonizzi L, Colombo L, Zecconi A. Bovine Clinical E. coli Mastitis in Italian Dairy Herds Is Not Associated with a Specific Pathotype. Pathogens. 2025; 14(11):1181. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14111181

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laterza, Giulia, Gabriele Meroni, Alessio Soggiu, Piera Anna Martino, Valerio Massimo Sora, Francesca Zaghen, Luigi Bonizzi, Luciana Colombo, and Alfonso Zecconi. 2025. "Bovine Clinical E. coli Mastitis in Italian Dairy Herds Is Not Associated with a Specific Pathotype" Pathogens 14, no. 11: 1181. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14111181

APA Style

Laterza, G., Meroni, G., Soggiu, A., Martino, P. A., Sora, V. M., Zaghen, F., Bonizzi, L., Colombo, L., & Zecconi, A. (2025). Bovine Clinical E. coli Mastitis in Italian Dairy Herds Is Not Associated with a Specific Pathotype. Pathogens, 14(11), 1181. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14111181

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop