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The study characterizes the pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance profile of atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli （aEPEC） strain ZX185 isolated from sheep meat in Xinjiang， and evaluates its potential for foodborne transmission. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the microbroth dilution method， and whole-genome sequencing was performed on the Illumina HiSeq platform. Bioinformatics analyses were conducted to investigate genomic features， including virulence and resistance determinants. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using core-genome single nucleotide polymorphisms （cgSNPs） to compare virulence gene content across closely related strains. The results indicated that strain ZX185 belongs to serotype O85：H4 and sequence type ST642. Although it was phenotypically susceptible to all 28 tested antibiotics， its genome harbored 43 antimicrobial resistance genes and an IncFIB plasmid replicon， suggesting potential for multidrug resistance. Additionally， this strain carries 91 virulence genes （including adhesion factors， type Ⅲ/Ⅵ secretion system effector proteins， etc.） and exhibits notable acid tolerance， with a survival rate exceeding 11% after 3 hours of treatment in simulated gastric fluid at pH≥3.5， indicating a strong potential for intestinal colonization and pathogenicity. Although cgSNP-based phylogenetic analysis indicated a close genetic relationship （26 SNPs apart） between strain ZX185 and the human-source U.S. strain MOD1-EC6173 （O85：H4， ST642）， ZX185 carries 35 additional virulence genes missing in MOD1-EC6173， predominantly associated with adhesion， T3SS/T6SS， and toxin synthesis. These findings indicate that although this sheep-derived aEPECstrain ZX185 shows phenotypic susceptibility， it possesses multidrug resistance genes and strong virulence traits， and exhibits high genomic similarity to a human-derived strain， indicating potential cross-host transmission risk. This study provides critical molecular insights into the pathogenesis of aEPEC， the evolution of antimicrobial resistance， and the foodborne transmission risk， supporting improved surveillance and control strategies.
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| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |
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