Epidemiological, Virulence, and Antibiotic Resistance Analysis of , a Major Source of Threat to Livestock and Poultry in Some Regions of Xinjiang, China.

() is recognized as a zoonotic pathogen with an increasing threat to livestock and poultry. However, research on of animal origin remains limited. To address the gap, a comprehensive investigation was carried out by collecting a total of 311 samples from the farms of four animal species (dairy cow, chicken, sheep, and pig) in selected areas of Xinjiang, China. Isolates were identified by gene amplification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Genotyping of isolates was performed using typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). PCR was employed to identify virulence and resistance genes. An antibiotic susceptibility test was conducted using the Kirby-Bauer method. The findings revealed an isolation of 62 strains, with an average isolation rate of 19.94%, with the highest proportion originating from cattle sources (33.33%). Over 85.00% of these isolates harbored six virulence genes ( and ); while more than 75.00% of isolates possessed four resistance genes (, and ). All isolates exhibited complete resistance to ampicillin and demonstrated substantial resistance to sulfisoxazole, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and enrofloxacin, with an antibiotic resistance rate of more than 50%. Furthermore, 48.39% (30/62) of isolates were classified as multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, with a significantly higher isolation rate observed in the swine farms (66.67%) compared to other farms. Genetic characterization revealed the classification of the 62 isolates into 30 distinct allele types or 35 different sequence types (STs). Notably, we identified strains of dairy and swine origin belonging to the same ST42 and wzi33-KL64 types, as well as strains of dairy and chicken origin belonging to the same wzi31-KL31-K31 type. These findings emphasize the widespread occurrence of drug-resistant across diverse animal sources in Xinjiang, underscoring the high prevalence of multidrug resistance. Additionally, our results suggest the potential for animal-to-animal transmission of and there was a correlation between virulence genes and antibiotic resistance genes. Moreover, the current study provides valuable data on the prevalence, antibiotic resistance, and genetic diversity of originating from diverse animal sources in Xinjiang, China.