Abstract

Previous studies have predominantly focused on the pathogenic mechanisms and epidemiological investigations of pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli), but much remains unknown about the non-virulent and non-drug-resistant E. coli (NVNR E. coli) residing in the pig gut. In this study, 215 E. coli strains were identified from fecal samples collected from 26 healthy pigs in Guangdong Province, China. Among them, 12 NVNR E. coli strains were identified through PCR, antibiotic susceptibility tests, and genomic virulence analysis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 8 of these NVNR E. coli strains were located in the upstream cluster of the phylogenetic tree, which we consider as the ancestral phylogroup of porcine native E. coli. Notably, strain 2-9 showed a close evolutionary relationship with the probiotics Nissle1917 and EcAZ-1, suggesting it may also be a probiotic strain. These 9 strains (i.e., the 8 ancestral phylogroup strains and the suspected probiotic strain) were designated as evolutionarily superior strains. The 12 NVNR E. coli strains were non-hemolytic and exhibited growth rates comparable to typical E. coli strains, but they varied significantly in their tolerance to gastrointestinal conditions and adherence to IPEC-J2 cells. Most of them lacked the ability to inhibit pathogenic E. coli. Interestingly, the majority of strains exhibiting strong gastrointestinal tolerance, most of those with high adhesion capacity, and all strains possessing antibacterial ability, were found within the range of 9 evolutionarily superior strains. These findings suggest that 9 strains have shown great potential as superior porcine native E. coli strains and warrant further study.