Five centuries of genome evolution and multi-host adaptation of in Brazil.

Consumption of raw, undercooked or contaminated animal food products is a frequent cause of infection. Brazil is the world's third largest producer and a major exporter of chicken meat, yet population-level genomic investigations of in the country remain scarce. Analysis of 221 . genomes from Brazil shows that the overall core and accessory genomic features of are influenced by the identity of the human or animal source. Of the 60 sequence types detected, ST353 is the most prevalent and consists of samples from chicken and human sources. Notably, we identified the presence of diverse genes from the OXA-61 and OXA-184 families that confer beta-lactam resistance as well as the operon related to multidrug efflux pump, which contributes to resistance against tetracyclines, macrolides and quinolones. Based on limited data, we estimated the most recent common ancestor of ST353 to the late 1500s, coinciding with the time the Portuguese first arrived in Brazil and introduced domesticated chickens into the country. We identified at least two instances of ancestral chicken-to-human infections in ST353. The evolution of in Brazil was driven by the confluence of clinically relevant genetic elements, multi-host adaptation and clonal population growth that coincided with major socio-economic changes in poultry farming.