Global research trends, thematic evolution, and one health implications of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli: a bibliometric and science mapping analysis, 2001-2025.

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a highest-priority pathogen and represents a major threat to modern medicine. This study provides a bibliometric and science-mapping analysis of the global research landscape, intellectual structure, and thematic evolution of ESBL-producing E. coli from 2001 to 2025. A total of 3,483 records retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection were analyzed using R version 4.6.1 and the Biblioshiny interface 5.0. Performance analysis assessed publication productivity and citation impact. Keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and longitudinal thematic-evolution analyses were used to examine the conceptual structure of the field. The literature showed exponential growth, with an annual growth rate of 28%. Germany, China, and the United States were prominent in the country-level visualizations. Frontiers in Microbiology was the most relevant source. Thematic mapping identified themes related to resistance, prevalence, poultry, and food-producing animals. Thematic evolution showed continuity and changes in emphasis among E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae, antibiotic resistance, and prevalence-related themes. ESBL-producing E. coli research encompasses resistance mechanisms, prevalence, and animal, food, and environmental contexts, with implications for One Health research. ESBL-producing E. coli serves as an indicator organism for examining resistance transmission across the human-animal-environment continuum and for informing One Health strategies. Future research should prioritize integrated molecular surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship interventions across interconnected clinical, animal, food, and environmental reservoirs.