| Summary: | This study was carried out to determine the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and mobile genetic elements of 16 <i>Escherichia coli</i> isolates—with reduced susceptibility to ceftazidime and imipenem—that were recovered from the fecal samples of coyotes and wild hogs from West Texas, USA. Whole-genome sequencing data analyses revealed distinct isolates with a unique sequence type and serotype designation. Among 16 isolates, 4 isolates were multidrug resistant, and 5 isolates harbored at least 1 beta-lactamase gene (<i>bla</i><sub>CMY-2</sub>, <i>bla</i><sub>CTX-M-55</sub>, or <i>bla</i><sub>CTX-M-27</sub>) that confers resistance to beta-lactam antimicrobials. Several isolates carried genes conferring resistance to tetracyclines (<i>tet</i>(A), <i>tet</i>(B), and <i>tet</i>(C)), aminoglycosides (<i>aac(3)-IId</i>, <i>ant(3″)-Ia</i>, <i>aph(3′)-Ia</i>, <i>aph(3″)-lb</i>, <i>aadA5</i>, and <i>aph(6)-ld)</i>, sulfonamides (<i>sul1</i>, <i>sul2</i>, and <i>sul3</i>), amphenicol (<i>floR</i>), trimethoprim (<i>dfrA1</i> and <i>dfrA17</i>), and macrolide, lincosamide, and streptogramin B (MLSB) agents (<i>Inu(F)</i>, <i>erm(B)</i>, and <i>mph(A)</i>). Nine isolates showed chromosomal mutations in the promoter region G of ampC beta-lactamase gene, while three isolates showed mutations in <i>gyrA</i>, <i>parC</i>, and <i>parE</i> quinolone resistance-determining regions, which confer resistance to quinolones. We also detected seven incompatibility plasmid groups, with incF being the most common. Different types of virulence genes were detected, including those that enhance bacterial fitness and pathogenicity. One <i>bla</i><sub>CMY-2</sub> positive isolate (O8:H28) from a wild hog was also a Shiga toxin-producing <i>E. coli</i> and was a carrier of the stx2A virulence toxin subtype. We report the detection of <i>bla</i><sub>CMY-2</sub>, <i>bla</i><sub>CTX-M-55</sub>, and <i>bla</i><sub>CTX-M-27</sub> beta-lactamase genes in <i>E. coli</i> from coyotes for the first time. This study demonstrates the importance of wildlife as reservoirs of important multi-drug-resistant bacteria and provides information for future comparative genomic analysis with the limited literature on antimicrobial resistance dynamics in wildlife such as coyotes.
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