NCTC: A key partner enabling global scientific research
Between January 2025 and June 2026, more than 850 peer‑reviewed articles cited the use of NCTC bacterial strains and whole‑genome sequences (WGS). This breadth of research highlights the wide use of NCTC resources and their potential impact across microbiology, infectious disease, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), genetics, agriculture, food, and environmental science.
Since 2023, genome sequences for around half of the bacterial strains held within NCTC, along with assemblies and annotations, have been publicly available via the Culture Collections website (NCTC3000 project) and directly from the ENA/GenBank/DDBJ under BioProject PRJEB6403. The next phase of this project, NCTC6000, is now underway and aims to sequence the remaining 3000 strains in the collection. This dataset represents one of the largest and highest‑quality genomic resources produced by any culture collection worldwide. It is already supporting diverse projects, from studying bacterial evolution and diversity to improving diagnostics, outbreak control, biotechnology, and antimicrobial resistance research.
Advancing antimicrobial resistance research
Antimicrobial resistance remains a major global health challenge, and NCTC is a key contributor in this area. In partnership with the UKHSA’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections national reference laboratory (AMRHAI), NCTC provides a wide range of reference strains with characterised resistance mechanisms, as well as susceptibility control strains. The collection also includes valuable pre‑antibiotic era isolates. Together, these resources support standardisation, mechanistic studies, drug and diagnostics development, and evolutionary research.
For instance, Vinod et al. (2025) investigated WGS‑based prediction of AMR in bacterial pathogens from diabetic foot ulcers². Clinical isolates were sequenced and compared with reference genomes, including Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus NCTC 8325. High genetic similarity (98.92% ANI) demonstrated genomic stability, providing insights into biological behaviour and clinical relevance.
Similarly, Kaul et al. (2025) analysed 1,817 high‑quality NCTC genomes linked to their year of isolation³. Their study showed that resistance genes were present even before the antibiotic era, although typically at low frequency. Following the introduction of antibiotics, both the prevalence and mobility of these genes increased, highlighting the influence of human antibiotic use on resistance evolution.
NCTC strains are also used to evaluate new therapeutic approaches. Wang et al. (2025) examined antibiotic combinations against an extended‑spectrum β‑lactamase (ESBL)‑producing E. coli strain (NCTC 13353)⁴. They found that ceftriaxone combined with sulbactam inhibited enzyme‑producing strains and produced a sustained post‑β‑lactamase inhibitor effect, supporting combination therapy as a promising strategy against resistant bacteria.
Looking ahead
AMR remains a key priority for NCTC in 2026. Alongside publishing an updated AMR catalogue, the collection will introduce 150 PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy) strains to support the development of new antimicrobial treatments. These will be available later this year.
Share your research
Researchers are encouraged to clearly cite NCTC strains in publications using the format: [Strain Name] (NCTC [Accession Number]). NCTC also offers a catalogue deposit service, enabling scientists to preserve their strains for global access and future discovery.
For more information, including how to deposit strains, visit the Culture Collections website.
References
T N VV, Premnath M, Stanley JV, Paul N, Mathew J, Radhakrishnan EK. Whole genome sequencing based prediction of antimicrobial resistance evolution among the predominant bacterial pathogens of diabetic foot ulcer. World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2025;41(5):161. Published 2025 May 2. doi:10.1007/s11274-025-04362-2
Kaul A, Souque C, Holland M, Baym M. Genomic resistance in historical clinical isolates increased in frequency and mobility after the age of antibiotics. Microb Genom. 2025;11(9):001474. doi:10.1099/mgen.0.001474
Wang R, Mi K, Lu A, et al. Postβ-Lactamase-Inhibiting Effect of Sulbactam in Combination with Ceftriaxone on Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli. Antibiotics (Basel). 2025;14(9):915. Published 2025 Sep 11. doi:10.3390/antibiotics14090915