coli strains from humans (n=42, each of which originated from an independent foodborne infection case) and animals (n=25 each for cattle, poultry, and swine, plus two from the mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, obtained from 10 prefectures; Fig. S1, Table S1), collected between 2008 and 2014, were subjected to the MLST analysis targeting seven genes (aspA, glnA, gltA, glyA, pgm, tkt, and uncA). This evidence concerns the gene VCAN and infection.