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Zalewska-Piątek B. Phage Therapy-Challenges, Opportunities and Future Prospects. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1638. [PMID: 38139765 PMCID: PMC10747886 DOI: 10.3390/ph16121638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing drug resistance of bacteria to commonly used antibiotics creates the need to search for and develop alternative forms of treatment. Phage therapy fits this trend perfectly. Phages that selectively infect and kill bacteria are often the only life-saving therapeutic option. Full legalization of this treatment method could help solve the problem of multidrug-resistant infectious diseases on a global scale. The aim of this review is to present the prospects for the development of phage therapy, the ethical and legal aspects of this form of treatment given the current situation of such therapy, and the benefits of using phage products in persons for whom available therapeutic options have been exhausted or do not exist at all. In addition, the challenges faced by this form of therapy in the fight against bacterial infections are also described. More clinical studies are needed to expand knowledge about phages, their dosage, and a standardized delivery system. These activities are necessary to ensure that phage-based therapy does not take the form of an experiment but is a standard medical treatment. Bacterial viruses will probably not become a miracle cure-a panacea for infections-but they have a chance to find an important place in medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Zalewska-Piątek
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Chemical Faculty, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
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2
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Wang H, Min C, Xia F, Xia Y, Tang M, Li J, Hu Y, Zou M. Metagenomic analysis reveals the short-term influences on conjugation of bla NDM-1 and microbiome in hospital wastewater by silver nanoparticles at environmental-related concentration. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 228:115866. [PMID: 37037312 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Hospital wastewater contains large amounts of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and serves as an important reservoir for horizontal gene transfer (HGT). However, the response of the microbiome in hospital wastewater to silver remains unclear. In this study, the short-term impacts of silver on the microbiome in hospital wastewater were investigated by metagenome next-generation sequencing. The influence of silver on the conjugation of plasmid carrying blaNDM-1 was further examined. Our results showed that in hospital wastewater, high abundances of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were detected. The distribution tendencies of certain ARG types on chromosomes or plasmids were different. Clinically important ARGs were identified in phage-like contigs, indicating potential transmission via transduction. Pseudomonadales, Enterobacterales, and Bacteroidales were the major ARG hosts. Mobile genetic elements were mainly detected in plasmids and associated with various types of ARGs. The binning approach identified 29 bins that were assigned to three phyla. Various ARGs and virulence factors were identified in 14 and 11 bins, respectively. MetaCHIP identified 49 HGT events. The transferred genes were annotated as ARGs, mobile genetic elements, and functional genes, and they mainly originated from donors belonging to Bacteroides and Pseudomonadales. In addition, 20 nm AgNPs reduced microbial diversity and enhanced the relative abundance of Acinetobacter. The changes induced by 20 nm AgNPs included increases in the abundances of ARGs and genes involved lipid metabolism pathway. Conjugation experiments showed that Ag+ and 20 nm AgNPs caused 2.38-, 3.31-, 4.72-, and 4.57-fold and 1.46-, 1.61-, 3.86-, and 2.16-fold increases in conjugation frequencies of plasmid with blaNDM-1 at 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μg/L, respectively. Our findings provide insight into the response of the microbiome in hospital wastewater to silver, emphasize the adaptation capability of Acinetobacter inhabiting hospitals against adverse environments, and highlight the promotion of silver for antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haichen Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Changhang Min
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Fengjun Xia
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yubing Xia
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengli Tang
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongmei Hu
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingxiang Zou
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
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3
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Gwenzi W, Marumure J, Makuvara Z, Simbanegavi TT, Njomou-Ngounou EL, Nya EL, Kaetzl K, Noubactep C, Rzymski P. The pit latrine paradox in low-income settings: A sanitation technology of choice or a pollution hotspot? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 879:163179. [PMID: 37003330 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Pit latrines are widely promoted to improve sanitation in low-income settings, but their pollution and health risks receive cursory attention. The present narrative review presents the pit latrine paradox; (1) the pit latrine is considered a sanitation technology of choice to safeguard human health, and (2) conversely, pit latrines are pollution and health risk hotspots. Evidence shows that the pit latrine is a 'catch-all' receptacle for household disposal of hazardous waste, including; (1) medical wastes (COVID-19 PPE, pharmaceuticals, placenta, used condoms), (2) pesticides and pesticide containers, (3) menstrual hygiene wastes (e.g., sanitary pads), and (4) electronic wastes (batteries). Pit latrines serve as hotspot reservoirs that receive, harbour, and then transmit the following into the environment; (1) conventional contaminants (nitrates, phosphates, pesticides), (2) emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals and personal care products, antibiotic resistance), and (3) indicator organisms, and human bacterial and viral pathogens, and disease vectors (rodents, houseflies, bats). As greenhouse gas emission hotspots, pit latrines contribute 3.3 to 9.4 Tg/year of methane, but this could be an under-estimation. Contaminants in pit latrines may migrate into surface water, and groundwater systems serving as drinking water sources and pose human health risks. In turn, this culminates into the pit latrine-groundwater-human continuum or connectivity, mediated via water and contaminant migration. Human health risks of pit latrines, a critique of current evidence, and current and emerging mitigation measures are presented, including isolation distance, hydraulic liners/ barriers, ecological sanitation, and the concept of a circular bioeconomy. Finally, future research directions on the epidemiology and fate of contaminants in pit latrines are presented. The pit latrine paradox is not meant to downplay pit latrines' role or promote open defaecation. Rather, it seeks to stimulate discussion and research to refine the technology to enhance its functionality while mitigating pollution and health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willis Gwenzi
- Grassland Science and Renewable Plant Resources, Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, Universität Kassel, Steinstraße 19, D-37213 Witzenhausen, Germany; Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e.V. (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Jerikias Marumure
- Department of Physics, Geography and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Great Zimbabwe University, Off Old Great Zimbabwe Road, P.O. Box 1235, Masvingo, Zimbabwe; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, South Africa
| | - Zakio Makuvara
- Department of Physics, Geography and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Great Zimbabwe University, Off Old Great Zimbabwe Road, P.O. Box 1235, Masvingo, Zimbabwe; Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, South Africa
| | - Tinoziva T Simbanegavi
- Department of Soil Science and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Environment, and Food Systems, University of Zimbabwe, Mount Pleasant, Harare P.O. Box MP 167, Zimbabwe
| | | | - Esther Laurentine Nya
- Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 644, Maroua, Cameroon
| | - Korbinian Kaetzl
- Grassland Science and Renewable Plant Resources, Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, Universität Kassel, Steinstraße 19, D-37213 Witzenhausen, Germany.
| | - Chicgoua Noubactep
- Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS), University of Göttingen, Waldweg 26, 37073 Göttingen, Germany; Department of Applied Geology, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany; School of Earth Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Fo Cheng Xi Road 8, 211100 Nanjing, PR China.
| | - Piotr Rzymski
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznań, Poland.
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Blanco-Picazo P, Morales-Cortes S, Ramos-Barbero MD, García-Aljaro C, Rodríguez-Rubio L, Muniesa M. Dominance of phage particles carrying antibiotic resistance genes in the viromes of retail food sources. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:195-203. [PMID: 36289309 PMCID: PMC9860054 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01338-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The growth of antibiotic resistance has stimulated interest in understanding the mechanisms by which antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) are mobilized. Among them, studies analyzing the presence of ARGs in the viral fraction of environmental, food and human samples, and reporting bacteriophages as vehicles of ARG transmission, have been the focus of increasing research. However, it has been argued that in these studies the abundance of phages carrying ARGs has been overestimated due to experimental contamination with non-packaged bacterial DNA or other elements such as outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). This study aims to shed light on the extent to which phages, OMVs or contaminating non-packaged DNA contribute as carriers of ARGs in the viromes. The viral fractions of three types of food (chicken, fish, and mussels) were selected as sources of ARG-carrying phage particles, whose ability to infect and propagate in an Escherichia coli host was confirmed after isolation. The ARG-containing fraction was further purified by CsCl density gradient centrifugation and, after removal of DNA outside the capsids, ARGs inside the particles were confirmed. The purified fraction was stained with SYBR Gold, which allowed the visualization of phage capsids attached to and infecting E. coli cells. Phages with Myoviridae and Siphoviridae morphology were observed by electron microscopy. The proteins in the purified fraction belonged predominantly to phages (71.8% in fish, 52.9% in mussels, 78.7% in chicken sample 1, and 64.1% in chicken sample 2), mainly corresponding to tail, capsid, and other structural proteins, whereas membrane proteins, expected to be abundant if OMVs were present, accounted for only 3.8-21.4% of the protein content. The predominance of phage particles in the viromes supports the reliability of the protocols used in this study and in recent findings on the abundance of ARG-carrying phage particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Blanco-Picazo
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643. Edificio Prevosti. Planta 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Morales-Cortes
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643. Edificio Prevosti. Planta 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Dolores Ramos-Barbero
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643. Edificio Prevosti. Planta 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain ,grid.5268.90000 0001 2168 1800Departmento de Fisiologia, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante (UA), 03080 Alicante, Spain
| | - Cristina García-Aljaro
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643. Edificio Prevosti. Planta 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643. Edificio Prevosti. Planta 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maite Muniesa
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643. Edificio Prevosti. Planta 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
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Blanco-Picazo P, Gómez-Gómez C, Morales-Cortes S, Muniesa M, Rodríguez-Rubio L. Antibiotic resistance in the viral fraction of dairy products and a nut-based milk. Int J Food Microbiol 2022; 367:109590. [PMID: 35220008 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.109590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Phages, the most abundant biological entities in the biosphere, can carry different bacterial genes, including those conferring antibiotic resistance. In this study, dairy products were analyzed by qPCR for the presence of phages and phage particles containing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Eleven ARGs were identified in 50 samples of kefir, yogurt, milk, fresh cheese and nut-based milk (horchata), purchased from local retailers in Barcelona. Propagation experiments showed that at least some of the phages isolated from these samples infected Escherichia coli WG5, which was selected as the host strain because it does not contain prophages or ARGs in its genome. Electron microscopy revealed that the phage particles showed morphologies compatible with the Myoviridae and Siphoviridae families. Our results show that dairy products contain ARGs within infectious phage particles and may therefore serve as a reservoir of ARGs that can be mobilized to susceptible hosts, both in the food matrix and in the intestinal tract after ingestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Blanco-Picazo
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clara Gómez-Gómez
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Morales-Cortes
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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6
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Kim H, Kim M, Kim S, Lee YM, Shin SC. Characterization of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factor genes in an Arctic permafrost region revealed by metagenomics. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 294:118634. [PMID: 34875269 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) constitute a serious threat to public health, and climate change has been predicted to affect the increase in bacterial pathogens harboring ARGs and VFGs. However, studies on bacterial pathogens and their ARGs and VFGs in permafrost region have received limited attention. In this study, a metagenomic approach was applied to a comprehensive survey to detect potential ARGs, VFGs, and pathogenic antibiotic resistant bacteria (PARB) carrying both ARGs and VFGs in the active layer and permafrost. Overall, 70 unique ARGs against 18 antimicrobial drug classes and 599 VFGs classified as 38 virulence factors were detected in the Arctic permafrost region. Eight genes with mobile genetic elements (MGEs) carrying ARGs were identified; most MGEs were classified as phages. In the metagenome-assembled genomes, the presence of 15 PARB was confirmed. The soil profile showed that the transcripts per million (TPM) values of ARGs and VFGs in the sub-soil horizon were significantly lower than those in the top soil horizon. Based on the TPM value of each gene, major ARGs, VFGs, and these genes in PARB from the Arctic permafrost region were identified and their distribution was confirmed. The major host bacteria for ARGs and VFGs and PARB were identified. A comparison of the percentage identity distribution of ARGs and VFGs to reference databases indicated that ARGs and VFGs in the Arctic soils differ from previously identified genes. Our results may help understand the characteristics and distribution of ARGs, VFGs, and these genes in PARB in the Arctic permafrost region. This findings suggest that the Arctic permafrost region may serve as potential reservoirs for ARGs, VFGs, and PARB. These genes could pose a new threat to human health if they are released by permafrost thawing owing to global warming and propagate to other regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heesoo Kim
- Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, 21990, Republic of Korea
| | - Mincheol Kim
- Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, 21990, Republic of Korea
| | - Sanghee Kim
- Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, 21990, Republic of Korea
| | - Yung Mi Lee
- Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, 21990, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Chul Shin
- Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, 21990, Republic of Korea.
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Turner D, Adriaenssens EM, Tolstoy I, Kropinski AM. Phage Annotation Guide: Guidelines for Assembly and High-Quality Annotation. PHAGE (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.) 2021; 2:170-182. [PMID: 35083439 PMCID: PMC8785237 DOI: 10.1089/phage.2021.0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
All sequencing projects of bacteriophages (phages) should seek to report an accurate and comprehensive annotation of their genomes. This article defines 14 questions for those new to phage genomics that should be addressed before submitting a genome sequence to the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration or writing a publication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dann Turner
- Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | - Igor Tolstoy
- Viral Resources, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Andrew M. Kropinski
- Department of Food Science, and University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Interactions between Viral Regulatory Proteins Ensure an MOI-Independent Probability of Lysogeny during Infection by Bacteriophage P1. mBio 2021; 12:e0101321. [PMID: 34517752 PMCID: PMC8546580 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01013-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Phage P1 is a temperate phage which makes the lytic or lysogenic decision upon infecting bacteria. During the lytic cycle, progeny phages are produced and the cell lyses, and in the lysogenic cycle, P1 DNA exists as a low-copy-number plasmid and replicates autonomously. Previous studies at the bulk level showed that P1 lysogenization was independent of multiplicity of infection (MOI; the number of phages infecting a cell), whereas lysogenization probability of the paradigmatic phage λ increases with MOI. However, the mechanism underlying the P1 behavior is unclear. In this work, using a fluorescent reporter system, we demonstrated this P1 MOI-independent lysogenic response at the single-cell level. We further observed that the activity of the major repressor of lytic functions (C1) is a determining factor for the final cell fate. Specifically, the repression activity of P1, which arises from a combination of C1, the anti-repressor Coi, and the corepressor Lxc, remains constant for different MOI, which results in the MOI-independent lysogenic response. Additionally, by increasing the distance between phages that infect a single cell, we were able to engineer a λ-like, MOI-dependent lysogenization upon P1 infection. This suggests that the large separation of coinfecting phages attenuates the effective communication between them, allowing them to make decisions independently of each other. Our work establishes a highly quantitative framework to describe P1 lysogeny establishment. This system plays an important role in disseminating antibiotic resistance by P1-like plasmids and provides an alternative to the lifestyle of phage λ.
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Zhang J, He X, Shen S, Shi M, Zhou Q, Liu J, Wang M, Sun Y. Effects of the Newly Isolated T4-like Phage on Transmission of Plasmid-Borne Antibiotic Resistance Genes via Generalized Transduction. Viruses 2021; 13:v13102070. [PMID: 34696499 PMCID: PMC8538795 DOI: 10.3390/v13102070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages are the most abundant biological entities on earth and may play an important role in the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) from host bacteria. Although the specialized transduction mediated by the temperate phage targeting a specific insertion site is widely explored, the carrying characteristics of “transducing particles” for different ARG subtypes in the process of generalized transduction remains largely unclear. Here, we isolated a new T4-like lytic phage targeting transconjugant Escherichia coli C600 that contained plasmid pHNAH67 (KX246266) and encoded 11 different ARG subtypes. We found that phage AH67C600_Q9 can misload plasmid-borne ARGs and package host DNA randomly. Moreover, for any specific ARG subtype, the carrying frequency was negatively correlated with the multiplicity of infection (MOI). Further, whole genome sequencing (WGS) identified that only 0.338% (4/1183) of the contigs of an entire purified phage population contained ARG sequences; these were floR, sul2, aph(4)-Ia, and fosA. The low coverage indicated that long-read sequencing methods are needed to explore the mechanism of ARG transmission during generalized transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junxuan Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (J.Z.); (X.H.); (S.S.); (M.S.); (Q.Z.); (J.L.)
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- National Laboratory of Safety Evaluation (Environmental Assessment) of Veterinary Drugs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Xiaolu He
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (J.Z.); (X.H.); (S.S.); (M.S.); (Q.Z.); (J.L.)
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- National Laboratory of Safety Evaluation (Environmental Assessment) of Veterinary Drugs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Shuqing Shen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (J.Z.); (X.H.); (S.S.); (M.S.); (Q.Z.); (J.L.)
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- National Laboratory of Safety Evaluation (Environmental Assessment) of Veterinary Drugs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Mengya Shi
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (J.Z.); (X.H.); (S.S.); (M.S.); (Q.Z.); (J.L.)
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- National Laboratory of Safety Evaluation (Environmental Assessment) of Veterinary Drugs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Qin Zhou
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (J.Z.); (X.H.); (S.S.); (M.S.); (Q.Z.); (J.L.)
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- National Laboratory of Safety Evaluation (Environmental Assessment) of Veterinary Drugs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Junlin Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (J.Z.); (X.H.); (S.S.); (M.S.); (Q.Z.); (J.L.)
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- National Laboratory of Safety Evaluation (Environmental Assessment) of Veterinary Drugs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Mianzhi Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
- Correspondence: (M.W.); (Y.S.); Tel.: +86-159-5270-4257 (M.W.); +86-135-0304-8309 (Y.S.)
| | - Yongxue Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; (J.Z.); (X.H.); (S.S.); (M.S.); (Q.Z.); (J.L.)
- National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- National Laboratory of Safety Evaluation (Environmental Assessment) of Veterinary Drugs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510000, China
- Correspondence: (M.W.); (Y.S.); Tel.: +86-159-5270-4257 (M.W.); +86-135-0304-8309 (Y.S.)
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Roberts MG, Burgess S, Toombs-Ruane LJ, Benschop J, Marshall JC, French NP. Combining mutation and horizontal gene transfer in a within-host model of antibiotic resistance. Math Biosci 2021; 339:108656. [PMID: 34216634 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2021.108656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotics are used extensively to control infections in humans and animals, usually by injection or a course of oral tablets. There are several methods by which bacteria can develop antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including mutation during DNA replication and plasmid mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT). We present a model for the development of AMR within a single host animal. We derive criteria for a resistant mutant strain to replace the existing wild-type bacteria, and for co-existence of the wild-type and mutant. Where resistance develops through HGT via conjugation we derive criteria for the resistant strain to be excluded or co-exist with the wild-type. Our results are presented as bifurcation diagrams with thresholds determined by the relative fitness of the bacteria strains, expressed in terms of reproduction numbers. The results show that it is possible that applying and then relaxing antibiotic control may lead to the bacterial load returning to pre-control levels, but with an altered structure with regard to the variants that comprise the population. Removing antimicrobial selection pressure will not necessarily reduce AMR and, at a population level, other approaches to infection prevention and control are required, particularly when AMR is driven by both mutation and mobile genetic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- M G Roberts
- School of Natural & Computational Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland, 0745, New Zealand; New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland, 0745, New Zealand; Infectious Disease Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
| | - S Burgess
- Infectious Disease Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; mEpilab, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - L J Toombs-Ruane
- Infectious Disease Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; mEpilab, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - J Benschop
- Infectious Disease Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; mEpilab, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - J C Marshall
- Infectious Disease Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; mEpilab, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; School of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - N P French
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland, 0745, New Zealand; Infectious Disease Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; mEpilab, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand; New Zealand Food Safety Science & Research Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
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11
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Rodríguez-Rubio L, Haarmann N, Schwidder M, Muniesa M, Schmidt H. Bacteriophages of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Their Contribution to Pathogenicity. Pathogens 2021; 10:404. [PMID: 33805526 PMCID: PMC8065619 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10040404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Shiga toxins (Stx) of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are generally encoded in the genome of lambdoid bacteriophages, which spend the most time of their life cycle integrated as prophages in specific sites of the bacterial chromosome. Upon spontaneous induction or induction by chemical or physical stimuli, the stx genes are co-transcribed together with the late phase genes of the prophages. After being assembled in the cytoplasm, and after host cell lysis, mature bacteriophage particles are released into the environment, together with Stx. As members of the group of lambdoid phages, Stx phages share many genetic features with the archetypical temperate phage Lambda, but are heterogeneous in their DNA sequences due to frequent recombination events. In addition to Stx phages, the genome of pathogenic STEC bacteria may contain numerous prophages, which are either cryptic or functional. These prophages may carry foreign genes, some of them related to virulence, besides those necessary for the phage life cycle. Since the production of one or more Stx is considered the major pathogenicity factor of STEC, we aim to highlight the new insights on the contribution of Stx phages and other STEC phages to pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (L.R.-R.); (M.M.)
| | - Nadja Haarmann
- Department of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; (N.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Maike Schwidder
- Department of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; (N.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (L.R.-R.); (M.M.)
| | - Herbert Schmidt
- Department of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; (N.H.); (M.S.)
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12
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Hashemi Shahraki A, Mirsaeidi M. Phage Therapy for Mycobacterium Abscessus and Strategies to Improve Outcomes. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9030596. [PMID: 33799414 PMCID: PMC7999966 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9030596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of Mycobacterium abscessus complex are known for causing severe, chronic infections. Members of M. abscessus are a new "antibiotic nightmare" as one of the most resistant organisms to chemotherapeutic agents. Treatment of these infections is challenging due to the either intrinsic or acquired resistance of the M. abscessus complex to the available antibiotics. Recently, successful phage therapy with a cocktail of three phages (one natural lytic phage and two engineered phages) every 12 h for at least 32 weeks has been reported against a severe case of the disseminated M. abscessus subsp. massiliense infection, which underlines the high value of phages against drug-resistant superbugs. This report also highlighted the limitations of phage therapy, such as the absence of lytic phages with a broad host-range against all strains and subspecies of the M. abscessus complex and also the risk of phage resistant bacteria over treatment. Cutting-edge genomic technologies have facilitated the development of engineered phages for therapeutic purposes by introducing new desirable properties, changing host-range and arming the phages with additional killing genes. Here, we review the available literature and suggest new potential solutions based on the progress in phage engineering that can help to overcome the present limitations of M. abscessus treatment.
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13
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Diversity of β-lactamase-encoding genes in wastewater: bacteriophages as reporters. Arch Virol 2021; 166:1337-1344. [PMID: 33683473 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-021-05024-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
A reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is present in pathogenic, commensal, and environmental bacteria as well as in mobile genetic elements, including bacteriophages. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered hotspots for the spread of ARGs. The aim of this work was to analyze the diversity of the highly prevalent ARGs blaCTX-M and blaTEM in bacterial and bacteriophage fractions associated with human and animal environments through the study of urban waste and animal residues discharged into WWTPs to provide information about the composition and maintenance of the current resistome in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The results showed that a putative extended-spectrum variant of the blaTEM gene was the most frequently detected, with blaTEM-116 being the most prevalent, while a recently described type, blaTEM-229, was also found. In the bacteriophage fraction, we detected blaCTX-M genes from four out of the five clusters described. The detection of blaCTX- M-9-like and blaCTX-M-25-like genes was unexpected based on surveys of the ARGs from clinical pathogens circulating regionally. The finding of divergent blaCTX-M sequences associated with previously reported environmental genes argues in favor of the natural environment as a reservoir of resistance genes. ARGs were detected in bacteriophages as frequently as in bacterial communities, and furthermore, the blaCTX-M genes were more diverse in the bacteriophage fraction. Bacteriophages might therefore play a role in the spread of ARGs in the environment, but they might also be used as "reporters" for monitoring circulating ARGs.
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14
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Topka-Bielecka G, Dydecka A, Necel A, Bloch S, Nejman-Faleńczyk B, Węgrzyn G, Węgrzyn A. Bacteriophage-Derived Depolymerases against Bacterial Biofilm. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:175. [PMID: 33578658 PMCID: PMC7916357 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10020175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to specific antibiotic resistance, the formation of bacterial biofilm causes another level of complications in attempts to eradicate pathogenic or harmful bacteria, including difficult penetration of drugs through biofilm structures to bacterial cells, impairment of immunological response of the host, and accumulation of various bioactive compounds (enzymes and others) affecting host physiology and changing local pH values, which further influence various biological functions. In this review article, we provide an overview on the formation of bacterial biofilm and its properties, and then we focus on the possible use of phage-derived depolymerases to combat bacterial cells included in this complex structure. On the basis of the literature review, we conclude that, although these bacteriophage-encoded enzymes may be effective in destroying specific compounds involved in the formation of biofilm, they are rarely sufficient to eradicate all bacterial cells. Nevertheless, a combined therapy, employing depolymerases together with antibiotics and/or other antibacterial agents or factors, may provide an effective approach to treat infections caused by bacteria able to form biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gracja Topka-Bielecka
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.T.-B.); (A.D.); (A.N.); (B.N.-F.); (G.W.)
| | - Aleksandra Dydecka
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.T.-B.); (A.D.); (A.N.); (B.N.-F.); (G.W.)
| | - Agnieszka Necel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.T.-B.); (A.D.); (A.N.); (B.N.-F.); (G.W.)
| | - Sylwia Bloch
- Laboratory of Phage Therapy, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kładki 24, 80-822 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | - Bożena Nejman-Faleńczyk
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.T.-B.); (A.D.); (A.N.); (B.N.-F.); (G.W.)
| | - Grzegorz Węgrzyn
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.T.-B.); (A.D.); (A.N.); (B.N.-F.); (G.W.)
| | - Alicja Węgrzyn
- Laboratory of Phage Therapy, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kładki 24, 80-822 Gdańsk, Poland;
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15
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Rochegüe T, Haenni M, Cazeau G, Metayer V, Madec JY, Ferry T, Lupo A. An inventory of 44 qPCR assays using hydrolysis probes operating with a unique amplification condition for the detection and quantification of antibiotic resistance genes. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2021; 100:115328. [PMID: 33819858 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Early antibiotic resistance determinants (ARDs) detection in humans or animals is crucial to counteract their propagation. The ARDs quantification is fundamental to understand the perturbation caused by disruptors, such as antibiotics, during therapies. Forty-three qPCRs on the most diffused ARDs and integrons among human and animal Enterobacterales, and one on the 16S rDNA for bacteria quantification, were developed. The qPCRs, using hydrolysis probes, operated with a unique amplification condition and were tested analytically and diagnostically performing 435 reactions on five positive and negative controls for each qPCR. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were confirmed by PCR and genome sequencing of control isolates, demonstrating 100% performance for all qPCRs. An easy and rapid discrimination method for the epidemiologically relevant blaCTX-Ms is provided. This large, noncommercial qPCRs inventory could serve for precise quantification of ARDs, but also as a rapid screening tool for surveillance purposes, providing the basis for further high-throughput developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Rochegüe
- ANSES - Université de Lyon, Unité Antibiorésistance et Virulence Bactériennes (AVB), Lyon, France
| | - Marisa Haenni
- ANSES - Université de Lyon, Unité Antibiorésistance et Virulence Bactériennes (AVB), Lyon, France
| | - Géraldine Cazeau
- ANSES - Université de Lyon, Unité Epidémiologie et Appui à la Surveillance (EAS), Lyon, France
| | - Véronique Metayer
- ANSES - Université de Lyon, Unité Antibiorésistance et Virulence Bactériennes (AVB), Lyon, France
| | - Jean-Yves Madec
- ANSES - Université de Lyon, Unité Antibiorésistance et Virulence Bactériennes (AVB), Lyon, France
| | - Tristan Ferry
- Service des maladies infectieuses et tropicales, CHU de Lyon, Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, Lyon, France; Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, CIRI, Inserm U1111, CNRS UMR5308, ENS de Lyon, UCBL1, Lyon, France
| | - Agnese Lupo
- ANSES - Université de Lyon, Unité Antibiorésistance et Virulence Bactériennes (AVB), Lyon, France.
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16
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Ji M, Liu Z, Sun K, Li Z, Fan X, Li Q. Bacteriophages in water pollution control: Advantages and limitations. FRONTIERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 2021; 15:84. [PMID: 33294248 PMCID: PMC7716794 DOI: 10.1007/s11783-020-1378-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater is a breeding ground for many pathogens, which may pose a threat to human health through various water transmission pathways. Therefore, a simple and effective method is urgently required to monitor and treat wastewater. As bacterial viruses, bacteriophages (phages) are the most widely distributed and abundant organisms in the biosphere. Owing to their capacity to specifically infect bacterial hosts, they have recently been used as novel tools in water pollution control. The purpose of this review is to summarize and evaluate the roles of phages in monitoring pathogens, tracking pollution sources, treating pathogenic bacteria, infecting bloom-forming cyanobacteria, and controlling bulking sludge and biofilm pollution in wastewater treatment systems. We also discuss the limitations of phage usage in water pollution control, including phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer, the evolution of bacterial resistance, and phage concentration decrease. This review provides an integrated outlook on the use of phages in water pollution control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengzhi Ji
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022 China
| | - Zichen Liu
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022 China
| | - Kaili Sun
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022 China
| | - Zhongfang Li
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Hezhou University, Hezhou, 542899 China
| | - Xiangyu Fan
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022 China
| | - Qiang Li
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022 China
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17
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Łusiak-Szelachowska M, Weber-Dąbrowska B, Żaczek M, Borysowski J, Górski A. The Presence of Bacteriophages in the Human Body: Good, Bad or Neutral? Microorganisms 2020; 8:E2012. [PMID: 33339331 PMCID: PMC7767151 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8122012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of bacteriophages (phages) in the human body may impact bacterial microbiota and modulate immunity. The role of phages in human microbiome studies and diseases is poorly understood. However, the correlation between a greater abundance of phages in the gut in ulcerative colitis and diabetes has been suggested. Furthermore, most phages found at different sites in the human body are temperate, so their therapeutic effects and their potential beneficial effects remain unclear. Hence, far, no correlation has been observed between the presence of widespread crAssphage in the human population and human health and diseases. Here, we emphasize the beneficial effects of phage transfer in fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in Clostridioides difficile infection. The safety of phage use in gastrointestinal disorders has been demonstrated in clinical studies. The significance of phages in the FMT as well as in gastrointestinal disorders remains to be established. An explanation of the multifaceted role of endogenous phages for the development of phage therapy is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzanna Łusiak-Szelachowska
- Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland; (M.Ł.-S.); (B.W.-D.); (M.Ż.)
| | - Beata Weber-Dąbrowska
- Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland; (M.Ł.-S.); (B.W.-D.); (M.Ż.)
- Phage Therapy Unit, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Maciej Żaczek
- Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland; (M.Ł.-S.); (B.W.-D.); (M.Ż.)
| | - Jan Borysowski
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Transplantation Institute, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-006 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Andrzej Górski
- Bacteriophage Laboratory, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland; (M.Ł.-S.); (B.W.-D.); (M.Ż.)
- Phage Therapy Unit, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland
- Infant Jesus Hospital, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-005 Warsaw, Poland
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18
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Rodríguez-Rubio L, Serna C, Ares-Arroyo M, Matamoros BR, Delgado-Blas JF, Montero N, Bernabe-Balas C, Wedel EF, Mendez IS, Muniesa M, Gonzalez-Zorn B. Extensive antimicrobial resistance mobilization via multicopy plasmid encapsidation mediated by temperate phages. J Antimicrob Chemother 2020; 75:3173-3180. [PMID: 32719862 PMCID: PMC7566468 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkaa311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the relevance of multicopy plasmids in antimicrobial resistance and assess their mobilization mediated by phage particles. METHODS Several databases with complete sequences of plasmids and annotated genes were analysed. The 16S methyltransferase gene armA conferring high-level aminoglycoside resistance was used as a marker in eight different plasmids, from different incompatibility groups, and with differing sizes and plasmid copy numbers. All plasmids were transformed into Escherichia coli bearing one of four different lysogenic phages. Upon induction, encapsidation of armA in phage particles was evaluated using qRT-PCR and Southern blotting. RESULTS Multicopy plasmids carry a vast set of emerging clinically important antimicrobial resistance genes. However, 60% of these plasmids do not bear mobility (MOB) genes. When carried on these multicopy plasmids, mobilization of a marker gene armA into phage capsids was up to 10000 times more frequent than when it was encoded by a large plasmid with a low copy number. CONCLUSIONS Multicopy plasmids and phages, two major mobile genetic elements (MGE) in bacteria, represent a novel high-efficiency transmission route of antimicrobial resistance genes that deserves further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Serna
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Ares-Arroyo
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Bosco R Matamoros
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose F Delgado-Blas
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Natalia Montero
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Bernabe-Balas
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Emilia F Wedel
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene S Mendez
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bruno Gonzalez-Zorn
- Antimicrobial Resistance Unit ARU, Departamento de Sanidad Animal and Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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19
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Luong T, Salabarria AC, Edwards RA, Roach DR. Standardized bacteriophage purification for personalized phage therapy. Nat Protoc 2020; 15:2867-2890. [PMID: 32709990 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0346-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The world is on the cusp of a post-antibiotic era, but researchers and medical doctors have found a way forward-by looking back at how infections were treated before the advent of antibiotics, namely using phage therapy. Although bacteriophages (phages) continue to lack drug approval in Western medicine, an increasing number of patients are being treated on an expanded-access emergency investigational new drug basis. To streamline the production of high-quality and clinically safe phage preparations, we developed a systematic procedure for medicinal phage isolation, liter-scale cultivation, concentration and purification. The 16- to 21-day procedure described in this protocol uses a combination of modified classic techniques, modern membrane filtration processes and no organic solvents to yield on average 23 mL of 1011 plaque-forming units (PFUs) per milliliter for Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, and Serratia phages tested. Thus, a single production run can produce up to 64,000 treatment doses at 109 PFUs, which would be sufficient for most expanded-access phage therapy cases and potentially for clinical phase I/II applications. The protocol focuses on removing endotoxins early by conducting multiple low-speed centrifugations, microfiltration, and cross-flow ultrafiltration, which reduced endotoxins by up to 106-fold in phage preparations. Implementation of a standardized phage cultivation and purification across research laboratories participating in phage production for expanded-access phage therapy might be pivotal to reintroduce phage therapy to Western medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Luong
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Robert A Edwards
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dwayne R Roach
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA. .,Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
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20
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Blanco-Picazo P, Roscales G, Toribio-Avedillo D, Gómez-Gómez C, Avila C, Ballesté E, Muniesa M, Rodríguez-Rubio L. Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Phage Particles from Antarctic and Mediterranean Seawater Ecosystems. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8091293. [PMID: 32847015 PMCID: PMC7565065 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8091293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities are a key factor in the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, a growing problem worldwide. Nevertheless, antibiotics and resistances were being generated by bacterial communities long before their discovery by humankind, and might occur in areas without human influence. Bacteriophages are known to play a relevant role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments. In this study, five ARGs (blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9, sul1 and tetW) were monitored in phage particles isolated from seawater of two different locations: (i) the Mediterranean coast, subjected to high anthropogenic pressure, and (ii) the Antarctic coast, where the anthropogenic impact is low. Although found in lower quantities, ARG-containing phage particles were more prevalent among the Antarctic than the Mediterranean seawater samples and Antarctic bacterial communities were confirmed as their source. In the Mediterranean area, ARG-containing phages from anthropogenic fecal pollution might allow ARG transmission through the food chain. ARGs were detected in phage particles isolated from fish (Mediterranean, Atlantic, farmed, and frozen), the most abundant being β-lactamases. Some of these particles were infectious in cultures of the fecal bacteria Escherichia coli. By serving as ARG reservoirs in marine environments, including those with low human activity, such as the Antarctic, phages could contribute to ARG transmission between bacterial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Blanco-Picazo
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (P.B.-P.); (G.R.); (D.T.-A.); (C.G.-G.); (E.B.)
| | - Gabriel Roscales
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (P.B.-P.); (G.R.); (D.T.-A.); (C.G.-G.); (E.B.)
| | - Daniel Toribio-Avedillo
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (P.B.-P.); (G.R.); (D.T.-A.); (C.G.-G.); (E.B.)
| | - Clara Gómez-Gómez
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (P.B.-P.); (G.R.); (D.T.-A.); (C.G.-G.); (E.B.)
| | - Conxita Avila
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences (BEECA), Faculty of Biology, and Biodiversity Research Institute (IrBIO), University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Elisenda Ballesté
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (P.B.-P.); (G.R.); (D.T.-A.); (C.G.-G.); (E.B.)
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (P.B.-P.); (G.R.); (D.T.-A.); (C.G.-G.); (E.B.)
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (L.R.-R.)
| | - Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (P.B.-P.); (G.R.); (D.T.-A.); (C.G.-G.); (E.B.)
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (L.R.-R.)
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21
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Moon K, Jeon JH, Kang I, Park KS, Lee K, Cha CJ, Lee SH, Cho JC. Freshwater viral metagenome reveals novel and functional phage-borne antibiotic resistance genes. MICROBIOME 2020; 8:75. [PMID: 32482165 PMCID: PMC7265639 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-020-00863-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibiotic resistance developed by bacteria is a significant threat to global health. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) spread across different bacterial populations through multiple dissemination routes, including horizontal gene transfer mediated by bacteriophages. ARGs carried by bacteriophages are considered especially threatening due to their prolonged persistence in the environment, fast replication rates, and ability to infect diverse bacterial hosts. Several studies employing qPCR and viral metagenomics have shown that viral fraction and viral sequence reads in clinical and environmental samples carry many ARGs. However, only a few ARGs have been found in viral contigs assembled from metagenome reads, with most of these genes lacking effective antibiotic resistance phenotypes. Owing to the wide application of viral metagenomics, nevertheless, different classes of ARGs are being continuously found in viral metagenomes acquired from diverse environments. As such, the presence and functionality of ARGs encoded by bacteriophages remain up for debate. RESULTS We evaluated ARGs excavated from viral contigs recovered from urban surface water viral metagenome data. In virome reads and contigs, diverse ARGs, including polymyxin resistance genes, multidrug efflux proteins, and β-lactamases, were identified. In particular, when a lenient threshold of e value of ≤ 1 × e-5 and query coverage of ≥ 60% were employed in the Resfams database, the novel β-lactamases blaHRV-1 and blaHRVM-1 were found. These genes had unique sequences, forming distinct clades of class A and subclass B3 β-lactamases, respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentration analyses for E. coli strains harboring blaHRV-1 and blaHRVM-1 and catalytic kinetics of purified HRV-1 and HRVM-1 showed reduced susceptibility to penicillin, narrow- and extended-spectrum cephalosporins, and carbapenems. These genes were also found in bacterial metagenomes, indicating that they were harbored by actively infecting phages. CONCLUSION Our results showed that viruses in the environment carry as-yet-unreported functional ARGs, albeit in small quantities. We thereby suggest that environmental bacteriophages could be reservoirs of widely variable, unknown ARGs that could be disseminated via virus-host interactions. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira Moon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Inha University, Incheon, 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Ho Jeon
- National Leading Research Laboratory of Drug Resistance Proteomics, Department of Biological Sciences, Myongji University, 116 Myongjiro, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, 17058, Republic of Korea
| | - Ilnam Kang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Inha University, Incheon, 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang Seung Park
- National Leading Research Laboratory of Drug Resistance Proteomics, Department of Biological Sciences, Myongji University, 116 Myongjiro, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, 17058, Republic of Korea
| | - Kihyun Lee
- Department of Systems Biotechnology and Center for Antibiotic Resistome, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Jun Cha
- Department of Systems Biotechnology and Center for Antibiotic Resistome, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Hee Lee
- National Leading Research Laboratory of Drug Resistance Proteomics, Department of Biological Sciences, Myongji University, 116 Myongjiro, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, 17058, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jang-Cheon Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Inha University, Incheon, 22212, Republic of Korea.
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22
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Woegerbauer M, Bellanger X, Merlin C. Cell-Free DNA: An Underestimated Source of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Dissemination at the Interface Between Human Activities and Downstream Environments in the Context of Wastewater Reuse. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:671. [PMID: 32390973 PMCID: PMC7192050 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest challenges faced by mankind in the public health domains. It is currently favored by a lack of confinement between waste disposal and food production in the environmental compartment. To date, much effort has been devoted into the elucidation and control of cell-associated propagation of AMR. However, substantial knowledge gaps remain on the contribution of cell-free DNA to promote horizontal transfers of resistance genes in wastewater and downstream environments. Cell free DNA, which covers free extracellular DNA (exDNA) as well as DNA encapsulated in vesicles or bacteriophages, can persist after disinfection and promote gene transfer in the absence of physical and temporal contact between a donor and recipient bacteria. The increasing water scarcity associated to climatic change requires developing innovative wastewater reuse practices and, concomitantly, a robust evaluation of AMR occurrence by implementing treatment technologies able to exert a stringent control on AMR propagation in downstream environments exposed to treated or non-treated wastewater. This necessarily implies understanding the fate of ARGs on various forms of cell-free DNA, especially during treatment processes that are permissive to their formation. We propose that comprehensive approaches, investigating both the occurrence of ARGs and their compartmentalization in different forms of cellular or cell-free associated DNA should be established for each treatment technology. This should then allow selecting and tuning technologies for their capacity to limit the propagation of ARGs in any of their forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Woegerbauer
- Department for Integrative Risk Assessment, Division for Risk Assessment, Data and Statistics, AGES – Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Vienna, Austria
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23
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Blanco-Picazo P, Fernández-Orth D, Brown-Jaque M, Miró E, Espinal P, Rodríguez-Rubio L, Muniesa M, Navarro F. Unravelling the consequences of the bacteriophages in human samples. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6737. [PMID: 32317653 PMCID: PMC7174282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63432-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages are abundant in human biomes and therefore in human clinical samples. Although this is usually not considered, they might interfere with the recovery of bacterial pathogens at two levels: 1) by propagating in the enrichment cultures used to isolate the infectious agent, causing the lysis of the bacterial host and 2) by the detection of bacterial genes inside the phage capsids that mislead the presence of the bacterial pathogen. To unravel these interferences, human samples (n = 271) were analyzed and infectious phages were observed in 11% of blood culture, 28% of serum, 45% of ascitic fluid, 14% of cerebrospinal fluid and 23% of urine samples. The genetic content of phage particles from a pool of urine and ascitic fluid samples corresponded to bacteriophages infecting different bacterial genera. In addition, many bacterial genes packaged in the phage capsids, including antibiotic resistance genes and 16S rRNA genes, were detected in the viromes. Phage interference can be minimized applying a simple procedure that reduced the content of phages up to 3 logs while maintaining the bacterial load. This method reduced the detection of phage genes avoiding the interference with molecular detection of bacteria and reduced the phage propagation in the cultures, enhancing the recovery of bacteria up to 6 logs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Blanco-Picazo
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dietmar Fernández-Orth
- European Genome-phenome Archive, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maryury Brown-Jaque
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elisenda Miró
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Sant Quintí 89, 08041, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paula Espinal
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Sant Quintí 89, 08041, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ferran Navarro
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Sant Quintí 89, 08041, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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24
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Kabwe M, Brown T, Speirs L, Ku H, Leach M, Chan HT, Petrovski S, Lock P, Tucci J. Novel Bacteriophages Capable of Disrupting Biofilms From Clinical Strains of Aeromonas hydrophila. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:194. [PMID: 32117183 PMCID: PMC7033617 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The increase in global warming has favored growth of a range of opportunistic environmental bacteria and allowed some of these to become more pathogenic to humans. Aeromonas hydrophila is one such organism. Surviving in moist conditions in temperate climates, these bacteria have been associated with a range of diseases in humans, and in systemic infections can cause mortality in up to 46% of cases. Their capacity to form biofilms, carry antibiotic resistance mechanisms, and survive disinfection, has meant that they are not easily treated with traditional methods. Bacteriophage offer a possible alternative approach for controlling their growth. This study is the first to report the isolation and characterization of bacteriophages lytic against clinical strains of A. hydrophila which carry intrinsic antibiotic resistance genes. Functionally, these novel bacteriophages were shown to be capable of disrupting biofilms caused by clinical isolates of A. hydrophila. The potential exists for these to be tested in clinical and environmental settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mwila Kabwe
- Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Teagan Brown
- Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Lachlan Speirs
- Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Heng Ku
- Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael Leach
- School of Rural Health, Monash University, Bendigo, VIC, Australia
| | - Hiu Tat Chan
- Department of Microbiology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Steve Petrovski
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Peter Lock
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Joseph Tucci
- Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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25
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Yang Y, Xie X, Tang M, Liu J, Tuo H, Gu J, Tang Y, Lei C, Wang H, Zhang A. Exploring the profile of antimicrobial resistance genes harboring by bacteriophage in chicken feces. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 700:134446. [PMID: 31648121 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Revised: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophage may play an important role in antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) transmission. However, the contribution of bacteriophage to the spread of ARGs in environment, especially in poultry farm environment, is rarely known. In this study, the prevalence of ARGs in bacteriophage DNA was investigated in chicken feces from 30 different poultry farms in China. Then the abundance of the aac(6')-Ib-cr, blaCTX-M, ermB, floR, mcr-1, sul1, tetM and intI1 genes was determined by qPCR in bacteriophage and compared with certain representative plasmid DNA samples. The results showed that 12 ARGs (aac(6')-Ib-cr, aph(3')-IIIa, blaCTX-M, ermB, ermF, floR, mcr-1, qnrS, sul1, sul2, vanA, tetM genes) and class 1 integron gene intI1 were detected in bacteriophage DNA fraction. The sul1, tetM and aac(6')-Ib-cr genes were most prevalent with high detection rates of 77%, 61% and 55%, respectively. To our best knowledge, this study firstly reported the presence of the mcr-1 gene in bacteriophage DNA derived from farms environments. We found that the gene copy (GC) numbers of the aac(6')-Ib-cr, ermB and sul1 genes were as high as 5.47, 5.22 and 5.54 log10 GC/g, respectively. Both the prevalence and abundance of ARGs in broiler fecal wastes were also generally higher than in laying hens. In addition, although the GC numbers of the aac(6')-Ib-cr, floR and tetM genes in plasmid DNA was higher than that in phage DNA fraction by 4.68, 3.59 and 3.9 orders of magnitude, respectively, the absolute abundances of the blaCTX-M and mcr-1 genes in phage DNA were close to or even higher than that in plasmid DNA at farm SIL2, SIL4 and SIB1. As potential vessels for ARGs, bacteriophage could not be ignored due to their unique extracellular persistence in environments. Overall, this is the first comprehensive survey about bacteriophage carried ARGs from farms in different regions in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanxian Yang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610010, China; Department of Microbiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xianjun Xie
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610010, China
| | - Mengjun Tang
- Poultry Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Jinxin Liu
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Hongmei Tuo
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610010, China
| | - Ju Gu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610010, China
| | - Yizhi Tang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610010, China
| | - Changwei Lei
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610010, China
| | - Hongning Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610010, China
| | - Anyun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610010, China.
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26
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Diversity of P1 phage-like elements in multidrug resistant Escherichia coli. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18861. [PMID: 31827120 PMCID: PMC6906374 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54895-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of multidrug resistance via mobile genetic elements is a major clinical and veterinary concern. Pathogenic Escherichia coli harbour antibiotic resistance and virulence genes mainly on plasmids, but also bacteriophages and hybrid phage-like plasmids. In this study, the genomes of three E. coli phage-like plasmids, pJIE250-3 from a human E. coli clinical isolate, pSvP1 from a porcine ETEC O157 isolate, and pTZ20_1P from a porcine commensal E. coli, were sequenced (PacBio RSII), annotated and compared. All three elements are coliphage P1 variants, each with unique adaptations. pJIE250-3 is a P1-derivative that has lost lytic functions and contains no accessory genes. In pTZ20_1P and pSvP1, a core P1-like genome is associated with insertion sequence-mediated acquisition of plasmid modules encoding multidrug resistance and virulence, respectively. The transfer ability of pTZ20_1P, carrying antibiotic resistance markers, was also tested and, although this element was not able to transfer by conjugation, it was able to lysogenize a commensal E. coli strain with consequent transfer of resistance. The incidence of P1-like plasmids (~7%) in our E. coli collections correlated well with that in public databases. This study highlights the need to investigate the contribution of phage-like plasmids to the successful spread of antibiotic resistant pathotypes.
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27
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliet Roshini Mohan Raj
- Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, India
| | - Indrani Karunasagar
- Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, India
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28
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Infectious phage particles packaging antibiotic resistance genes found in meat products and chicken feces. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13281. [PMID: 31527758 PMCID: PMC6746790 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49898-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages can package part of their host's genetic material, including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), contributing to a rapid dissemination of resistances among bacteria. Phage particles containing ARGs were evaluated in meat, pork, beef and chicken minced meat, and ham and mortadella, purchased in local retailer. Ten ARGs (blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9, blaOXA-48, blaVIM, qnrA, qnrS, mecA, armA and sul1) were analyzed by qPCR in the phage DNA fraction. The genes were quantified, before and after propagation experiments in Escherichia coli, to evaluate the ability of ARG-carrying phage particles to infect and propagate in a bacterial host. According to microbiological parameters, all samples were acceptable for consumption. ARGs were detected in most of the samples after particle propagation indicating that at least part of the isolated phage particles were infectious, being sul1the most abundant ARG in all the matrices followed by β-lactamase genes. ARGs were also found in the phage DNA fraction of thirty-seven archive chicken cecal samples, confirming chicken fecal microbiota as an important ARG reservoir and the plausible origin of the particles found in meat. Phages are vehicles for gene transmission in meat that should not be underestimated as a risk factor in the global crisis of antibiotic resistance.
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29
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Almakki A, Jumas-Bilak E, Marchandin H, Licznar-Fajardo P. Antibiotic resistance in urban runoff. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 667:64-76. [PMID: 30826682 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic ecosystems subjected to anthropogenic pressures are places of rapid evolution of microbial communities and likely hotspots for selection and emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In urban settings, water quality and the risk of infection are generally assessed in sewers and in effluents of wastewater treatment plants. Physical and chemical parameters as well as the presence of antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes of resistance are driven by urban activities, with adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems. In this paper we review the environmental pressures exerted on bacterial communities in urban runoff waters and discuss the impact of these settings on antibiotic resistance. Considering the worrisome epidemiology of infectious diseases and estimated mortality due to antimicrobial resistance in the coming decades, there is an urgent need to identify all environmental reservoirs of resistant bacteria and resistance genes to complete our knowledge of the epidemiological cycle and of the dynamics of urban antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayad Almakki
- HSM, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France; Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Iraq
| | - Estelle Jumas-Bilak
- HSM, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Département d'Hygiène Hospitalière, CHU de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Hélène Marchandin
- HSM, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France, Département de Microbiologie, CHU Nîmes, Nîmes, France
| | - Patricia Licznar-Fajardo
- HSM, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Département d'Hygiène Hospitalière, CHU de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
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30
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Galetti R, Andrade LN, Varani AM, Darini ALC. A Phage-Like Plasmid Carrying bla KPC-2 Gene in Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:572. [PMID: 30949157 PMCID: PMC6435834 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Lateral gene transfer plays a central role in the dissemination of carbapenem resistance in bacterial pathogens associated with nosocomial infections, mainly Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Despite their clinical significance, there is little information regarding the mobile genetic elements and mechanism of acquisition and propagation of lateral genes in P. aeruginosa, and they remain largely unknown. Objectives: The present study characterized the genetic context of bla KPC-2 in carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa strain BH9. Methods: Pseudomonas aeruginosa BH9 sequencing was performed using the long-read PacBio SMRT platform and the Ion Proton System. De novo assembly was carried out using the SMRT pipeline and Canu, and gene prediction and annotation were performed using Prokka and RAST. Results: Pseudomonas aeruginosa BH9 exhibited a 7.1 Mb circular chromosome. However, the bla KPC-2 gene is located in an additional contig composed by a small plasmid pBH6 from P. aeruginosa strain BH6 and several phage-related genes. Further analysis revealed that the beginning and end of the contig contain identical sequences, supporting a circular plasmid structure. This structure spans 41,087 bp, exhibiting all the Mu-like phage landmarks. In addition, 5-bp direct repeats (GGATG) flanking the pBH6 ends were found, strongly indicating integration of the Mu-like phage into the pBH6 plasmid. Mu phages are commonly found in P. aeruginosa. However, for the first time showing a potential impact in shaping the vehicles of the dissemination of antimicrobial (e.g., plasmid pBH6) resistance genes in the Pseudomonas genus. Conclusion: pBH6 captured the Mu-like Phage BH9, creating a co-integrate pBH6::Phage BH9, and this phage-plasmid complex may represent novel case of a phage-like plasmid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Galetti
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Neves Andrade
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Alessandro M. Varani
- School of Agricultural and Veterinary Studies, São Paulo State University “Julio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP), Jaboticabal, Brazil
| | - Ana Lúcia Costa Darini
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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31
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Benabbou TA, Karam HZ, Karam NE. Effect Oral Administration Ampicillin on the Ecological Balance of rat Enterococcal gut Microbiota. Curr Microbiol 2019; 76:329-337. [PMID: 30689004 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-019-01635-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The main objective of this work is to investigate the impact of oral administration of ampicillin on the ecological balance of enterococci in the intestinal microbiota of rats during a treatment and a post-treatment. The results have showed that the treated animals excreted significantly higher percentages of resistant enterococci compared to the control group (P ≤ 0.05) during the treatment and after the treatment. The most predominant species selected after the treatment began were Enterococcus faecium. The MICs for ampicillin for all isolates of E. faecium were 32 to 64 µg/mL, with the exception of two strains (TR1LBMB, TR5LBMB), were found to be highly resistant (MICs ≥ 128 µg/mL). Quantification of ampicillin in faeces by the RT-HPLC showed that the significant increase in the number of ampicillin-resistant enterococci was associated with the gradual accumulation of high levels of unabsorbed ampicillin in the faeces. Our results suggest that ampicillin treatment can now be understood as a side effect contributing to the increase in the number of resistant Enterococcus strains, particularly E. faecium strains, recognized as important nosocomial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taha Ahmed Benabbou
- Laboratory of microorganisms biology and biotechnology, University of Oran1 Ahmed Benbella, B.P. 16, Es-Sénia, 31100, Oran, Algeria.
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Nature Science and Life, Hassiba Benbouali University of Chlef, Hay Salem, National road N° 19, 02000, Chlef, Algeria.
| | - Halima Zadi Karam
- Laboratory of microorganisms biology and biotechnology, University of Oran1 Ahmed Benbella, B.P. 16, Es-Sénia, 31100, Oran, Algeria
| | - Nour-Eddine Karam
- Laboratory of microorganisms biology and biotechnology, University of Oran1 Ahmed Benbella, B.P. 16, Es-Sénia, 31100, Oran, Algeria
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Fernández-Orth D, Miró E, Brown-Jaque M, Rodríguez-Rubio L, Espinal P, Rodriguez-Navarro J, González-López JJ, Muniesa M, Navarro F. Faecal phageome of healthy individuals: presence of antibiotic resistance genes and variations caused by ciprofloxacin treatment. J Antimicrob Chemother 2019; 74:854-864. [DOI: 10.1093/jac/dky540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Elisenda Miró
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Sant Quintí 89, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maryury Brown-Jaque
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paula Espinal
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Sant Quintí 89, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Judith Rodriguez-Navarro
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Sant Quintí 89, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan José González-López
- Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Pg Vall d’Hebron 119-129, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ferran Navarro
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, Sant Quintí 89, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Liu K, Sun M, Ye M, Chao H, Zhao Y, Xia B, Jiao W, Feng Y, Zheng X, Liu M, Jiao J, Hu F. Coexistence and association between heavy metals, tetracycline and corresponding resistance genes in vermicomposts originating from different substrates. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 244:28-37. [PMID: 30321709 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Coexistence of antibiotics/heavy metals and the overexpression of resistance genes in the vermicompost has become an emerging environmental issue. Little is known about the interaction and correlation between chemical pollutants and biological macromolecular compounds. In this study, three typical vermicompost samples were selected from the Yangtze River Delta region in China to investigate the antibiotic, heavy metal and corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and heavy metal resistance genes (HRGs). The results indicated the prevalence of tetracycline (TC), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), corresponding TC-resistance genes (tetA, tetC, tetW, tetM, tetO, and tetS) and HRGs (copA, pcoA, cusA, czcA, czcB, and czcR) in the three vermicompost samples. In addition, the ARG level was positively associated with the water-soluble TC fraction in the vermicompost, and it was same between the HRG abundance and exchangeable heavy metal content (p < 0.05). Moreover, a positive correlation was found between ARG and HRG abundance in the vermicompost samples, suggesting a close regulation mechanism involving the expression of both genes. The result obtained here could provide new insight into the controlling risk of heavy metals, TC, and relevant resistance genes mixed contamination in the vermicompost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan Liu
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Mingming Sun
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
| | - Mao Ye
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Huizhen Chao
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yuanchao Zhao
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Bing Xia
- Anhui Academy of Environmental Science Research, Hefei, 230022, China
| | - Wentao Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 00085, China
| | - Yanfang Feng
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Zheng
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Manqiang Liu
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Jiaguo Jiao
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Feng Hu
- Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
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34
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Peng X, Leal J, Mohanty R, Soto M, Ghosh D. Quantitative PCR of T7 Bacteriophage from Biopanning. J Vis Exp 2018. [PMID: 30320762 DOI: 10.3791/58165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
This protocol describes the use of quantitative PCR (qPCR) to enumerate T7 phages from phage selection experiments (i.e., "biopanning"). qPCR is a fluorescence-based approach to quantify DNA, and here, it is adapted to quantify phage genomes as a proxy for phage particles. In this protocol, a facile phage DNA preparation method is described using high-temperature heating without additional DNA purification. The method only needs small volumes of heat-treated phages and small volumes of the qPCR reaction. qPCR is high-throughput and fast, able to process and obtain data from a 96-well plate of reactions in 2-4 h. Compared to other phage enumeration approaches, qPCR is more time-efficient. Here, qPCR is used to enumerate T7 phages identified from biopanning against in vitro cystic fibrosis-like mucus model. The qPCR method can be extended to quantify T7 phages from other experiments, including other types of biopanning (e.g., immobilized protein binding, in vivo phage screening) and other sources (e.g., water systems or body fluids). In summary, this protocol can be modified to quantify any DNA-encapsulated viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujuan Peng
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Jasmim Leal
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Rashmi Mohanty
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Melissa Soto
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Debadyuti Ghosh
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin;
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35
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Larrañaga O, Brown-Jaque M, Quirós P, Gómez-Gómez C, Blanch AR, Rodríguez-Rubio L, Muniesa M. Phage particles harboring antibiotic resistance genes in fresh-cut vegetables and agricultural soil. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2018; 115:133-141. [PMID: 29567433 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages are ubiquitously distributed prokaryotic viruses that are more abundant than bacteria. As a consequence of their life cycle, phages can kidnap part of their host's genetic material, including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which released phage particles transfer in a process called transduction. The spread of ARGs among pathogenic bacteria currently constitutes a serious global health problem. In this study, fresh vegetables (lettuce, spinach and cucumber), and cropland soil were screened by qPCR for ten ARGs (blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1 group, blaCTX-M-9 group, blaOXA-48, blaVIM, mecA, sul1, qnrA, qnrS and armA) in their viral DNA fraction. The presence of ARGs in the phage DNA was analyzed before and after propagation experiments in an Escherichia coli host strain to evaluate the ability of the phage particles to infect a host. ARGs were found in the phage DNA fraction of all matrices, although with heterogeneous values. ARG prevalence was significantly higher in lettuce and soil, and the most common overall were β-lactamases. After propagation experiments, an increase in ARG densities in phage particles was observed in samples of all four matrices, confirming that part of the isolated phage particles were infectious. This study reveals the abundance of free, replicative ARG-containing phage particles in vegetable matrices and cropland soil. The particles are proposed as vehicles for resistance transfer in these environments, where they can persist for a long time, with the possibility of generating new resistant bacterial strains. Ingestion of these mobile genetic elements may also favor the emergence of new resistances, a risk not previously considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olatz Larrañaga
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maryury Brown-Jaque
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Quirós
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clara Gómez-Gómez
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anicet R Blanch
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lorena Rodríguez-Rubio
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Annex, Floor 0, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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36
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Brown-Jaque M, Rodriguez Oyarzun L, Cornejo-Sánchez T, Martín-Gómez MT, Gartner S, de Gracia J, Rovira S, Alvarez A, Jofre J, González-López JJ, Muniesa M. Detection of Bacteriophage Particles Containing Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Sputum of Cystic Fibrosis Patients. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:856. [PMID: 29765367 PMCID: PMC5938348 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a chronic disease in which the bacterial colonization of the lung is linked to an excessive inflammatory response that leads to respiratory failure. The microbiology of CF is complex. Staphylococcus aureus is the first bacterium to colonize the lungs in 30% of pediatric CF patients, and 80% of adult patients develop a chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, but other microorganisms can also be found. The use of antibiotics is essential to treat the disease, but antibiotic performance is compromised by resistance mechanisms. Among various mechanisms of transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), the recently been reported bacteriophages are the least explored in clinical settings. To determine the role of phages in CF as mobile genetic elements (MGEs) carrying ARGs, we evaluated their presence in 71 CF patients. 71 sputum samples taken from these patients were screened for eight ARGs (blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1-group, blaCTX-M-9-group, blaOXA-48, blaVIM, mecA, qnrA, and qnrS) in the bacteriophage DNA fraction. The phages found were also purified and observed by electron microscopy. 32.4% of CF patients harbored ARGs in phage DNA. β-lactamase genes, particularly blaVIM and blaTEM, were the most prevalent and abundant, whereas mecA, qnrA, and qnrS were very rare. Siphoviridae phage particles capable of infecting P. aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae were detected in CF sputum. Phage particles harboring ARGs were found to be abundant in the lungs of both CF patients and healthy individuals and could contribute to the colonization of multiresistant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryury Brown-Jaque
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lirain Rodriguez Oyarzun
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Thais Cornejo-Sánchez
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria T Martín-Gómez
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Silvia Gartner
- Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (Ciberes CB06/06/0030), Carlos III Health Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier de Gracia
- Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (Ciberes CB06/06/0030), Carlos III Health Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sandra Rovira
- Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (Ciberes CB06/06/0030), Carlos III Health Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Alvarez
- Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (Ciberes CB06/06/0030), Carlos III Health Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Jofre
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan J González-López
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maite Muniesa
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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