Escobase and AcR: Escherichia coli databases of genomes and acid resistance genes from isolates from cattle farms

Escherichia coli is a gram-negative bacterium commonly found in mammals and birds’ intestinal microbiota. It can be easily isolated and has been studied for more than nine decades, making it an ideal model organism. It is mainly commensal but occasionally pathogenic, expressing virulence factors, antibiotic-resistance and acid-resistance genes, which contribute to its ability to persist and colonize diverse environments. Its multi-resistance, combined with the virulence of certain pathotypes (e.g. STEC), poses a recurring threat to public health, as treatment for clinical infections is not always straightforward. The remarkable propensity of E. coli for diversification and genomic variability is often referred to as an open pangenome.

This project’s objective was to create the ‘Escobase’ database ( Es cherichia co li data base ), which is comprised exclusively of Escherichia coli isolates from cattle farms, allowing us to generate a reference set of genomes that can be used for comparative genomics on samples from cattle and cattle farms. Using the annotated E. coli genomes, we further built a catalog of predicted proteins that help E. coli survive in low pH environments, often encountered when the bacteria traverse through the intestine. We believe these two databases will be of great help to the community, and we plan to keep improving them and publish updated versions in the future.