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Qiu J, Zhu P, Wagh K, singh N, Dong S. Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Hypervirulent and Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolated from ICU Respiratory Infections. THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY = JOURNAL CANADIEN DES MALADIES INFECTIEUSES ET DE LA MICROBIOLOGIE MEDICALE 2024; 2024:9670708. [PMID: 39329052 PMCID: PMC11424856 DOI: 10.1155/2024/9670708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of hypervirulent strains of Acinetobacter baumannii poses a significant threat in intensive care units (ICU). This study aimed to molecularly characterize hypervirulent A. baumannii strains isolated from ICU patients with respiratory infections. Six strains were isolated from ICU patients over one month. Isolates were identified by phenotypic characterization biochemical properties and 16s RNA sequencing. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted followed by resistance genes detection by PCR. MLST, and PFGE were employed to analyse clonal relationships among strains. Plasmid replicon typing and plasmid transmission frequencies were determined. The isolated strains exhibited diverse clinical manifestations, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed multidrug-resistance phenotype. Molecular analysis revealed a complex genetic landscape of antibiotic resistance genes, including ESBLs and carbapenemases, as well as virulence genes such as ompA, csuE, and exoS. The multiple sequence types indicating genetic diversity among the strains as ST1512, ST622, and ST149 (each type two isolates). Plasmid characterization revealed the presence of diverse replicon types associated with multidrug resistance. This study provides comprehensive insights into the phenotypic, molecular, and epidemiological characteristics of hypervirulent A. baumannii outbark in ICU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjun Qiu
- Shenzhen Pingshan District People's HospitalPingshan HospitalSouthern Medical University, Shenzhen 518110, China
| | - Peng Zhu
- Clinical LaboratoryShenzhen Pingshan District People's HospitalPingshan HospitalSouthern Medical University, Shenzhen 518110, China
| | - Kailash Wagh
- Department of MicrobiologyDr Ulhas Patil Medical College and Hospital, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India
| | - Neha singh
- Department of MicrobiologyPandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Medical College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Shaowei Dong
- Department of Haematology and OncologyShenzhen Children's Hospital, 7019 Yitian Road Futian, Shenzhen, China
- Paediatric Research CentreShenzhen Children's Hospital, 7019 Yitian Road Futian, Shenzhen, China
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2
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Matlock W, Shaw LP, Sheppard SK, Feil E. Towards quantifying plasmid similarity. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001290. [PMID: 39264704 PMCID: PMC11392043 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are extrachromosomal replicons which can quickly spread resistance and virulence genes between clinical pathogens. From the tens of thousands of currently available plasmid sequences we know that overall plasmid diversity is structured, with related plasmids sharing a largely conserved 'backbone' of genes while being able to carry very different genetic cargo. Moreover, plasmid genomes can be structurally plastic and undergo frequent rearrangements. So, how can we quantify plasmid similarity? Answering this question requires practical efforts to sample natural variation as well as theoretical considerations of what defines a group of related plasmids. Here we consider the challenges of analysing and rationalising the current plasmid data deluge to define appropriate similarity thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Matlock
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Liam P. Shaw
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Edward Feil
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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3
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Lipworth S, Matlock W, Shaw L, Vihta KD, Rodger G, Chau K, Barker L, George S, Kavanagh J, Davies T, Vaughan A, Andersson M, Jeffery K, Oakley S, Morgan M, Hopkins S, Peto T, Crook D, Walker AS, Stoesser N. The plasmidome associated with Gram-negative bloodstream infections: A large-scale observational study using complete plasmid assemblies. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1612. [PMID: 38383544 PMCID: PMC10881496 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45761-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmids carry genes conferring antimicrobial resistance and other clinically important traits, and contribute to the rapid dissemination of such genes. Previous studies using complete plasmid assemblies, which are essential for reliable inference, have been small and/or limited to plasmids carrying antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, we sequenced 1,880 complete plasmids from 738 isolates from bloodstream infections in Oxfordshire, UK. The bacteria had been originally isolated in 2009 (194 isolates) and 2018 (368 isolates), plus a stratified selection from intervening years (176 isolates). We demonstrate that plasmids are largely, but not entirely, constrained to a single host species, although there is substantial overlap between species of plasmid gene-repertoire. Most ARGs are carried by a relatively small number of plasmid groups with biological features that are predictable. Plasmids carrying ARGs (including those encoding carbapenemases) share a putative 'backbone' of core genes with those carrying no such genes. These findings suggest that future surveillance should, in addition to tracking plasmids currently associated with clinically important genes, focus on identifying and monitoring the dissemination of high-risk plasmid groups with the potential to rapidly acquire and disseminate these genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Lipworth
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
| | - William Matlock
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Liam Shaw
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Gillian Rodger
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kevin Chau
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Leanne Barker
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sophie George
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - James Kavanagh
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Timothy Davies
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
| | - Alison Vaughan
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Katie Jeffery
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Oakley
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Marcus Morgan
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Susan Hopkins
- National Infection Service, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, Colindale, London, UK
| | - Timothy Peto
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Derrick Crook
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - A Sarah Walker
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Nicole Stoesser
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
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Tamayo-Leiva J, Alcorta J, Sepúlveda F, Fuentes-Alburquenque S, Arroyo JI, González-Pastor JE, Díez B. Structure and dispersion of the conjugative mobilome in surface ocean bacterioplankton. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae059. [PMID: 38770060 PMCID: PMC11104534 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Mobile genetic elements (MGEs), collectively referred to as the "mobilome", can have a significant impact on the fitness of microbial communities and therefore on ecological processes. Marine MGEs have mainly been associated with wide geographical and phylogenetic dispersal of adaptative traits. However, whether the structure of this mobilome exhibits deterministic patterns in the natural community is still an open question. The aim of this study was to characterize the structure of the conjugative mobilome in the ocean surface bacterioplankton by searching the publicly available marine metagenomes from the TARA Oceans survey, together with molecular markers, such as relaxases and type IV coupling proteins of the type IV secretion system (T4SS). The T4SS machinery was retrieved in more abundance than relaxases in the surface marine bacterioplankton. Moreover, among the identified MGEs, mobilizable elements were the most abundant, outnumbering self-conjugative sequences. Detection of a high number of incomplete T4SSs provides insight into possible strategies related to trans-acting activity between MGEs, and accessory functions of the T4SS (e.g. protein secretion), allowing the host to maintain a lower metabolic burden in the highly dynamic marine system. Additionally, the results demonstrate a wide geographical dispersion of MGEs throughout oceanic regions, while the Southern Ocean appears segregated from other regions. The marine mobilome also showed a high similarity of functions present in known plasmid databases. Moreover, cargo genes were mostly related to DNA processing, but scarcely associated with antibiotic resistance. Finally, within the MGEs, integrative and conjugative elements showed wider marine geographic dispersion than plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Tamayo-Leiva
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR2), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jaime Alcorta
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CRG) , Santiago, Chile
| | - Felipe Sepúlveda
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CRG) , Santiago, Chile
| | - Sebastián Fuentes-Alburquenque
- Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Matemáticas y Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Facultad de Ingeniería, Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - José Ignacio Arroyo
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- The Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87131, United States
- Centro de Modelamiento Matemático, Universidad de Chile, IRL 2807 CNRS Beauchef 851, Santiago, Chile
| | - José Eduardo González-Pastor
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA. Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz Díez
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR2), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CRG) , Santiago, Chile
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Algarni S, Foley SL, Tang H, Zhao S, Gudeta DD, Khajanchi BK, Ricke SC, Han J. Development of an antimicrobial resistance plasmid transfer gene database for enteric bacteria. FRONTIERS IN BIOINFORMATICS 2023; 3:1279359. [PMID: 38033626 PMCID: PMC10682676 DOI: 10.3389/fbinf.2023.1279359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are integral parts of the conjugation process in enteric bacteria. These secretion systems are encoded within the transfer (tra) regions of plasmids, including those that harbor antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. The conjugal transfer of resistance plasmids can lead to the dissemination of AMR among bacterial populations. Methods: To facilitate the analyses of the conjugation-associated genes, transfer related genes associated with key groups of AMR plasmids were identified, extracted from GenBank and used to generate a plasmid transfer gene dataset that is part of the Virulence and Plasmid Transfer Factor Database at FDA, serving as the foundation for computational tools for the comparison of the conjugal transfer genes. To assess the genetic feature of the transfer gene database, genes/proteins of the same name (e.g., traI/TraI) or predicted function (VirD4 ATPase homologs) were compared across the different plasmid types to assess sequence diversity. Two analyses tools, the Plasmid Transfer Factor Profile Assessment and Plasmid Transfer Factor Comparison tools, were developed to evaluate the transfer genes located on plasmids and to facilitate the comparison of plasmids from multiple sequence files. To assess the database and associated tools, plasmid, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) data were extracted from GenBank and previous WGS experiments in our lab and assessed using the analysis tools. Results: Overall, the plasmid transfer database and associated tools proved to be very useful for evaluating the different plasmid types, their association with T4SSs, and increased our understanding how conjugative plasmids contribute to the dissemination of AMR genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suad Algarni
- Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| | - Steven L. Foley
- Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
| | - Hailin Tang
- Division of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
| | - Shaohua Zhao
- Office of Applied Science, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, MD, United States
| | - Dereje D. Gudeta
- Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
| | - Bijay K. Khajanchi
- Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
| | - Steven C. Ricke
- Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Program, Animal and Dairy Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Jing Han
- Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR, United States
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6
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Nagano DS, Taniguchi I, Ono T, Nakamura K, Gotoh Y, Hayashi T. Systematic analysis of plasmids of the Serratia marcescens complex using 142 closed genomes. Microb Genom 2023; 9. [PMID: 37966169 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmids play important roles in bacterial genome diversification. In the Serratia marcescens complex (SMC), a notable contribution of plasmids to genome diversification was also suggested by our recent analysis of >600 draft genomes. As accurate analyses of plasmids in draft genomes are difficult, in this study we analysed 142 closed genomes covering the entire complex, 67 of which were obtained in this study, and identified 132 plasmids (1.9-244.4 kb in length) in 77 strains. While the average numbers of plasmids in clinical and non-clinical strains showed no significant difference, strains belonging to clade 2 (one of the two hospital-adapted lineages) contained more plasmids than the others. Pangenome analysis revealed that of the 28 954 genes identified, 12.8 % were plasmid-specific, and 1.4 % were present in plasmids or chromosomes depending on the strain. In the latter group, while transposon-related genes were most prevalent (31.4 % of the function-predicted genes), genes related to antimicrobial resistance and heavy metal resistance accounted for a notable proportion (22.7 %). Mash distance-based clustering separated the 132 plasmids into 23 clusters and 50 singletons. Most clusters/singletons showed notably different GC contents compared to those of host chromosomes, suggesting their recent or relatively recent appearance in the SMC. Among the 23 clusters, 17 were found in only clinical or only non-clinical strains, suggesting the possible preference of their distribution on the environmental niches of host strains. Regarding the host strain phylogeny, 16 clusters were distributed in two or more clades, suggesting their interclade transmission. Moreover, for many plasmids, highly homologous plasmids were found in other species, indicating the broadness of their potential host ranges, beyond the genus, family, order, class or even phylum level. Importantly, highly homologous plasmids were most frequently found in Klebsiella pneumoniae and other species in the family Enterobacteriaceae, suggesting that this family, particularly K. pneumoniae, is the main source for plasmid exchanges with the SMC. These results highlight the power of closed genome-based analysis in the investigation of plasmids and provide important insights into the nature of plasmids distributed in the SMC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debora Satie Nagano
- Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Itsuki Taniguchi
- Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Ono
- Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Keiji Nakamura
- Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Gotoh
- Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Hayashi
- Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
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7
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Weisberg AJ, Chang JH. Mobile Genetic Element Flexibility as an Underlying Principle to Bacterial Evolution. Annu Rev Microbiol 2023; 77:603-624. [PMID: 37437216 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032521-022006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Mobile genetic elements are key to the evolution of bacteria and traits that affect host and ecosystem health. Here, we use a framework of a hierarchical and modular system that scales from genes to populations to synthesize recent findings on mobile genetic elements (MGEs) of bacteria. Doing so highlights the role that emergent properties of flexibility, robustness, and genetic capacitance of MGEs have on the evolution of bacteria. Some of their traits can be stored, shared, and diversified across different MGEs, taxa of bacteria, and time. Collectively, these properties contribute to maintaining functionality against perturbations while allowing changes to accumulate in order to diversify and give rise to new traits. These properties of MGEs have long challenged our abilities to study them. Implementation of new technologies and strategies allows for MGEs to be analyzed in new and powerful ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra J Weisberg
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA;
| | - Jeff H Chang
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA;
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8
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Arredondo-Alonso S, Gladstone R, Pöntinen A, Gama J, Schürch A, Lanza V, Johnsen P, Samuelsen Ø, Tonkin-Hill G, Corander J. Mge-cluster: a reference-free approach for typing bacterial plasmids. NAR Genom Bioinform 2023; 5:lqad066. [PMID: 37435357 PMCID: PMC10331934 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqad066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Extrachromosomal elements of bacterial cells such as plasmids are notorious for their importance in evolution and adaptation to changing ecology. However, high-resolution population-wide analysis of plasmids has only become accessible recently with the advent of scalable long-read sequencing technology. Current typing methods for the classification of plasmids remain limited in their scope which motivated us to develop a computationally efficient approach to simultaneously recognize novel types and classify plasmids into previously identified groups. Here, we introduce mge-cluster that can easily handle thousands of input sequences which are compressed using a unitig representation in a de Bruijn graph. Our approach offers a faster runtime than existing algorithms, with moderate memory usage, and enables an intuitive visualization, classification and clustering scheme that users can explore interactively within a single framework. Mge-cluster platform for plasmid analysis can be easily distributed and replicated, enabling a consistent labelling of plasmids across past, present, and future sequence collections. We underscore the advantages of our approach by analysing a population-wide plasmid data set obtained from the opportunistic pathogen Escherichia coli, studying the prevalence of the colistin resistance gene mcr-1.1 within the plasmid population, and describing an instance of resistance plasmid transmission within a hospital environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anna K Pöntinen
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - João A Gama
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Anita C Schürch
- Department of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Val F Lanza
- CIBERINFEC, Madrid, Spain
- Bioinformatics Unit, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, IRYCIS, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pål Jarle Johnsen
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ørjan Samuelsen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Gerry Tonkin-Hill
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Helsinki Institute of Information Technology (HIIT), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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9
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Maslova O, Beletsky A, Mindlin S, Petrova N, Mardanov A, Petrova M. Conjugative Plasmid pPPUT-Tik1-1 from a Permafrost Pseudomonas putida Strain and Its Present-Day Counterparts Inhabiting Environments and Clinics. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13518. [PMID: 37686323 PMCID: PMC10488154 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel group of conjugative plasmids of Pseudomonas is characterized. The prototype plasmid pPPUT-Tik1-1 (153,663 bp), isolated from a permafrost strain of P. putida Tik1, carries a defective mercury transposon, Tn501, and a streptomycin resistance transposon, Tn5393. Ten plasmids and 34 contigs with backbone regions closely related to pPPUT-Tik1-1 have been found in GenBank. Two of these plasmids from clinical strains of P. putida and P. fulva are almost identical to the ancient plasmid. A characteristic feature of this group of plasmids is the presence of two genes encoding the initiators of replication (repA1 and repA2). None of these genes have high similarity with plasmid replication genes belonging to known incompatibility groups. It has been demonstrated that while pPPUT-Tik1-1-like plasmids have homologous backbone regions, they significantly differ by the molecular structure and the predicted functions of their accessory regions. Some of the pPPUT-Tik1-1-related plasmids carry determinants of antibiotic resistance and/or heavy metal salts. Some plasmids are characterized by the ability to degrade xenobiotics. Plasmids related to pPPUT-Tik1-1 are characterized by a narrow host range and are found in various species of the Pseudomonas genus. Interestingly, we also found shorter plasmid variants containing the same replication module, but lacking conjugation genes and containing other structural changes that strongly distinguish them from plasmids related to pPPUT-Tik1-1, indicating that the structure of the replication module cannot be used as the sole criterion for classifying plasmids. Overall, the results suggest that the plasmids of the novel group can be spread using conjugation in environmental and clinical strains of Pseudomonas and may play diverse adaptive functions due to the presence of various accessory regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Maslova
- National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, 123182 Moscow, Russia; (O.M.); (N.P.)
| | - Alexey Beletsky
- Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Moscow, Russia; (A.B.); (A.M.)
| | - Sofia Mindlin
- National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, 123182 Moscow, Russia; (O.M.); (N.P.)
| | - Nika Petrova
- National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, 123182 Moscow, Russia; (O.M.); (N.P.)
| | - Andrey Mardanov
- Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Moscow, Russia; (A.B.); (A.M.)
| | - Mayya Petrova
- National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, 123182 Moscow, Russia; (O.M.); (N.P.)
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10
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Romanò A, Ivanovic I, Segessemann T, Vazquez Rojo L, Widmer J, Egger L, Dreier M, Sesso L, Vaccani M, Schuler M, Frei D, Frey J, Ahrens CH, Steiner A, Graber HU. Elucidation of the Bovine Intramammary Bacteriome and Resistome from healthy cows of Swiss dairy farms in the Canton Tessin. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1183018. [PMID: 37583512 PMCID: PMC10425240 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1183018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Healthy, untreated cows of nine dairy herds from the Swiss Canton Tessin were analyzed three times within one year to identify the most abundant species of the intramammary bacteriome. Aseptically collected milk samples were cultured and bacteria identified using MALDI-TOF. Of 256 cows analyzed, 96% were bacteriologically positive and 80% of the 1,024 quarters were positive for at least one bacterial species. 84.5% of the quarters were healthy with somatic cell counts (SCC) < 200,000 cells/mL, whereas 15.5% of the quarters showed a subclinical mastitis (SCC ≥ 200,000 cells/mL). We could assign 1,288 isolates to 104 different bacterial species including 23 predominant species. Non-aureus staphylococci and mammaliicocci (NASM) were most prevalent (14 different species; 73.5% quarters). Staphylococcus xylosus and Mammaliicoccus sciuri accounted for 74.7% of all NASM isolates. To describe the intramammary resistome, 350 isolates of the predominant species were selected and subjected to short-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) and phenotypic antibiotic resistance profiling. While complete genomes of eight type strains were available, the remaining 15 were de novo assembled with long reads as a resource for the community. The 23 complete genomes served for reference-based assembly of the Illumina WGS data. Both chromosomes and mobile genetic elements were examined for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) using in-house and online software tools. ARGs were then correlated with phenotypic antibiotic resistance data from minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Phenotypic and genomic antimicrobial resistance was isolate-specific. Resistance to clindamycin and oxacillin was most frequently observed (65 and 30%) in Staphylococcus xylosus but could not be linked to chromosomal or plasmid-borne ARGs. However, in several cases, the observed antimicrobial resistance could be explained by the presence of mobile genetic elements like tetK carried on small plasmids. This represents a possible mechanism of transfer between non-pathogenic bacteria and pathogens of the mammary gland within and between herds. The-to our knowledge-most extensive bacteriome reported and the first attempt to link it with the resistome promise to profoundly affect veterinary bacteriology in the future and are highly relevant in a One Health context, in particular for mastitis, the treatment of which still heavily relies on antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Romanò
- Food Microbial Systems, Group Microbiological Safety of Foods of Animal Origin, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ivana Ivanovic
- Food Microbial Systems, Group Microbiological Safety of Foods of Animal Origin, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tina Segessemann
- SIB, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zürich, Switzerland
- Method Development and Analytics, Group Molecular Ecology, Agroscope, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Laura Vazquez Rojo
- Food Microbial Systems, Group Microbiological Safety of Foods of Animal Origin, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jérôme Widmer
- Method Development and Analytics, Group Biochemistry of Milk, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lotti Egger
- Method Development and Analytics, Group Biochemistry of Milk, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Dreier
- Food Microbial Systems, Group Cultures, Biodiversity, and Terroir, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lorenzo Sesso
- Clinic of Ruminants, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Vaccani
- Clinic of Ruminants, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Martin Schuler
- SIB, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zürich, Switzerland
- Method Development and Analytics, Group Molecular Ecology, Agroscope, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Frei
- Method Development and Analytics, Group Molecular Diagnostics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, Agroscope, Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Juerg Frey
- Method Development and Analytics, Group Molecular Diagnostics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, Agroscope, Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Christian H. Ahrens
- SIB, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zürich, Switzerland
- Method Development and Analytics, Group Molecular Ecology, Agroscope, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Steiner
- Clinic of Ruminants, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hans Ulrich Graber
- Food Microbial Systems, Group Microbiological Safety of Foods of Animal Origin, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
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11
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Garcillán-Barcia MP, Redondo-Salvo S, de la Cruz F. Plasmid classifications. Plasmid 2023; 126:102684. [PMID: 37116631 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Plasmids are universally present in bacteria and play key roles in the dissemination of genes such as antibiotic resistance determinants. Major concepts in Plasmid Biology derive from the efforts to classify plasmids. Here, we review the main plasmid classification systems, starting by phenotype-based methods, such as fertility inhibition and incompatibility, followed by schemes based on a single gene (replicon type and MOB class), and finishing with recently developed approaches that use genetic distances between whole plasmid sequences. A comparison of the latter highlights significant differences between them. We further discuss the need for an operational definition of plasmid species that reveals their biological features, akin to plasmid taxonomic units (PTUs).
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Affiliation(s)
- M Pilar Garcillán-Barcia
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad de Cantabria), Cantabria, Spain.
| | - Santiago Redondo-Salvo
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad de Cantabria), Cantabria, Spain; Biomar Microbial Technologies, León, Spain
| | - Fernando de la Cruz
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad de Cantabria), Cantabria, Spain.
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12
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Orlek A, Anjum MF, Mather AE, Stoesser N, Walker AS. Factors associated with plasmid antibiotic resistance gene carriage revealed using large-scale multivariable analysis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2500. [PMID: 36781908 PMCID: PMC9925765 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29530-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are major vectors of bacterial antibiotic resistance, but understanding of factors associated with plasmid antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) carriage is limited. We curated > 14,000 publicly available plasmid genomes and associated metadata. Duplicate and replicate plasmids were excluded; where possible, sample metadata was validated externally (BacDive database). Using Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) we assessed the influence of 12 biotic/abiotic factors (e.g. plasmid genetic factors, isolation source, collection date) on ARG carriage, modelled as a binary outcome. Separate GAMs were built for 10 major ARG types. Multivariable analysis indicated that plasmid ARG carriage patterns across time (collection years), isolation sources (human/livestock) and host bacterial taxa were consistent with antibiotic selection pressure as a driver of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance. Only 0.42% livestock plasmids carried carbapenem resistance (compared with 12% human plasmids); conversely, tetracycline resistance was enriched in livestock vs human plasmids, reflecting known prescribing practices. Interpreting results using a timeline of ARG type acquisition (determined by literature review) yielded additional novel insights. More recently acquired ARG types (e.g. colistin and carbapenem) showed increases in plasmid carriage during the date range analysed (1994-2019), potentially reflecting recent onset of selection pressure; they also co-occurred less commonly with ARGs of other types, and virulence genes. Overall, this suggests that following acquisition, plasmid ARGs tend to accumulate under antibiotic selection pressure and co-associate with other adaptive genes (other ARG types, virulence genes), potentially re-enforcing plasmid ARG carriage through co-selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Orlek
- HCAI, Fungal, AMR, AMU & Sepsis Division, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK.
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Muna F Anjum
- Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, Addlestone, UK
| | - Alison E Mather
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich, UK
- University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Nicole Stoesser
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - A Sarah Walker
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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13
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Behrens W, Kolte B, Junker V, Frentrup M, Dolsdorf C, Börger M, Jaleta M, Kabelitz T, Amon T, Werner D, Nübel U. Bacterial genome sequencing tracks the housefly-associated dispersal of fluoroquinolone- and cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli from a pig farm. Environ Microbiol 2023. [PMID: 36772962 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
The regular use of antimicrobials in livestock production selects for antimicrobial resistance. The potential impact of this practice on human health needs to be studied in more detail, including the role of the environment for the persistence and transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. During an investigation of a pig farm and its surroundings in Brandenburg, Germany, we detected abundant cephalosporin- and fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in pig faeces, sedimented dust, and house flies (Musca domestica). Genome sequencing of E. coli isolates revealed large phylogenetic diversity and plasmid-borne extended-spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) genes CTX-M-1 in multiple strains. [Correction added on 28 February 2023, after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, 'and TEM-1' was previously included but has been deleted in this version.] Close genomic relationships indicated frequent transmission of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli between pigs from different herds and across buildings of the farm and suggested dust and flies as vectors for dissemination of faecal pathogens. Strikingly, we repeatedly recovered E. coli from flies collected up to 2 km away from the source, whose genome sequences were identical or closely related to those from pig faeces isolates, indicating the fly-associated transport of diverse ESBL-producing E. coli from the pig farm into urban habitation areas. The observed proximity of contaminated flies to human households poses a risk of transmission of antimicrobial-resistant enteric pathogens from livestock to man.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiebke Behrens
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Baban Kolte
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Vera Junker
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Martinique Frentrup
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Claudia Dolsdorf
- Teaching and Research Station for Animal Breeding and Husbandry (LVAT), Ruhlsdorf, Germany
| | - Maria Börger
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Megarsa Jaleta
- Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Tina Kabelitz
- Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Thomas Amon
- Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Potsdam, Germany.,Institute for Animal Hygiene and Environmental Health (ITU), Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Doreen Werner
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Nübel
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Braunschweig-Hannover, Braunschweig, Germany.,Braunschweig Integrated Center of Systems Biology (BRICS), Technical University, Braunschweig, Germany
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14
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Plasmid Composition, Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Genes Profiles of Ciprofloxacin- and Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Foodborne Salmonella enterica Isolates from Russia. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11020347. [PMID: 36838312 PMCID: PMC9961839 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Salmonella enterica is an important foodborne pathogen worldwide. Ciprofloxacin and extended-spectrum cephalosporins are the common first-line antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of salmonellosis, antimicrobial resistance genes for which are mostly transferred via plasmids. The goal of this work was to perform genomic analysis of plasmids from foodborne S. enterica isolates obtained in Russia based on whole-genome sequencing. In the current study, 11 multidrug-resistant samples isolated in 2021 from 8 regions of Russia were selected based on their resistance to ciprofloxacin and third-generation cephalosporins (CIP-3rd). Whole-genome short-read sequencing (WGS) was performed for all isolates; the samples belonged to five different sequence types (ST32, ST469, ST11, ST142, and ST548) which had different profiles of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence genes. We have performed additional long-read sequencing of four representative S. enterica isolates, which showed that they carried pESI-like megaplasmids of 202-280 kb length harboring extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes, fluoroquinolone, tetracycline, and aminoglycosides resistance genes, as well as several virulence determinants. We believe that the WGS data obtained will greatly facilitate further studies of foodborne S. enterica isolates epidemiology in terms of their self-transmissible plasmid composition that mediated antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants conferring selective advantages of this important bacterial pathogen.
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15
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Bethke JH, Ma HR, Tsoi R, Cheng L, Xiao M, You L. Vertical and horizontal gene transfer tradeoffs direct plasmid fitness. Mol Syst Biol 2022; 19:e11300. [PMID: 36573357 PMCID: PMC9912019 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202211300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmid fitness is directed by two orthogonal processes-vertical transfer through cell division and horizontal transfer through conjugation. When considered individually, improvements in either mode of transfer can promote how well a plasmid spreads and persists. Together, however, the metabolic cost of conjugation could create a tradeoff that constrains plasmid evolution. Here, we present evidence for the presence, consequences, and molecular basis of a conjugation-growth tradeoff across 40 plasmids derived from clinical Escherichia coli pathogens. We discover that most plasmids operate below a conjugation efficiency threshold for major growth effects, indicating strong natural selection for vertical transfer. Below this threshold, E. coli demonstrates a remarkable growth tolerance to over four orders of magnitude change in conjugation efficiency. This tolerance fades as nutrients become scarce and horizontal transfer attracts a greater share of host resources. Our results provide insight into evolutionary constraints directing plasmid fitness and strategies to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan H Bethke
- Department of Molecular Genetics and MicrobiologyDuke UniversityNCDurhamUSA
| | - Helena R Ma
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityNCDurhamUSA,Center for Quantitative BiodesignDuke UniversityNCDurhamUSA
| | - Ryan Tsoi
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityNCDurhamUSA
| | - Li Cheng
- BGI‐ShenzhenShenzhenChina,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI‐ShenzhenShenzhenChina,School of Biology and Biological EngineeringSouth China University of TechnologyGuangzhouChina
| | - Minfeng Xiao
- BGI‐ShenzhenShenzhenChina,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI‐ShenzhenShenzhenChina
| | - Lingchong You
- Department of Molecular Genetics and MicrobiologyDuke UniversityNCDurhamUSA,Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityNCDurhamUSA,Center for Quantitative BiodesignDuke UniversityNCDurhamUSA,School of Biology and Biological EngineeringSouth China University of TechnologyGuangzhouChina
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16
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Zhang F, Ye X, Yin Z, Hu M, Wang B, Liu W, Li B, Ren H, Jin Y, Yue J. Comparative genomics reveals new insights into the evolution of the IncA and IncC family of plasmids. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1045314. [PMID: 36466664 PMCID: PMC9709138 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1045314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Incompatibility groups IncA and IncC plasmids are of great concern due to their ability to disseminate antibiotic resistance in bacteria via conjugative transfer. A deep understanding of their genomic structures and evolutionary characteristics is of great significance for improving our knowledge about its multidrug-resistance evolution and dissemination. However, current knowledge of their backbone structure, features of core functional modules and the characteristics of variable regions is based on a few plasmids, which highlights the need for a comprehensive systematic study. The present study thoroughly compared and analysed 678 IncA and IncC plasmid genomes. We found that their core functional genes were occasionally deficient and sometimes existed as multiple functional copies/multiple families, which resulted in much diversity. The phylogeny of 13 core functional genes corresponded well to the plasmid subtypes. The conjugative transfer system gained diverse complexity and exhibited many previously unnoticed types with multiple combinations. The insertion of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in plasmids varied between types and was present in 4 insertion spots in different types of plasmids with certain types of transposons, integrons and insertion sequences. The impact of gene duplication, deletion, the insertion of MGEs, genome rearrangement and recombination resulted in the complex dynamic variable backbone of IncA and IncC plasmids. And IncA and IncC plasmids were more complex than their closest relative SXT/R391 integrative conjugative elements (ICEs), which included nearly all of the diversity of SXT/R391 in key systems. Our work demonstrated a global and systematic view of the IncA and IncC plasmids and provides many new insights into their genome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengwei Zhang
- Medical College of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Xianwei Ye
- Medical College of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, China
| | - Zhiqiu Yin
- National Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of Soil and Fertilizer Resources, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Mingda Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Boqian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Wenting Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Beiping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Hongguang Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Junjie Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
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17
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Long-Read Whole Genome Sequencing Elucidates the Mechanisms of Amikacin Resistance in Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates Obtained from COVID-19 Patients. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11101364. [PMID: 36290022 PMCID: PMC9598329 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11101364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative, encapsulated, non-motile bacterium, which represents a global challenge to public health as one of the major causes of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. In the recent decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) noticed a critically increasing rate of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae occurrence in hospitals. The situation with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria further worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to an increasing number of patients in intensive care units (ICU) and extensive, while often inappropriate, use of antibiotics including carbapenems. In order to elucidate the ways and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance spreading within the K. pneumoniae population, whole genome sequencing (WGS) seems to be a promising approach, and long-read sequencing is especially useful for the investigation of mobile genetic elements carrying antibiotic resistance genes, such as plasmids. We have performed short- and long read sequencing of three carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates obtained from COVID-19 patients in a dedicated ICU of a multipurpose medical center, which belonged to the same clone according to cgMLST analysis, in order to understand the differences in their resistance profiles. We have revealed the presence of a small plasmid carrying aph(3′)-VIa gene providing resistance to amikacin in one of these isolates, which corresponded perfectly to its phenotypic resistance profile. We believe that the results obtained will facilitate further elucidating of antibiotic resistance mechanisms for this important pathogen, and highlight the need for continuous genomic epidemiology surveillance of clinical K. pneumoniae isolates.
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18
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mobileOG-db: a Manually Curated Database of Protein Families Mediating the Life Cycle of Bacterial Mobile Genetic Elements. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0099122. [PMID: 36036594 PMCID: PMC9499024 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00991-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial mobile genetic elements (MGEs) encode functional modules that perform both core and accessory functions for the element, the latter of which are often only transiently associated with the element. The presence of these accessory genes, which are often close homologs to primarily immobile genes, incur high rates of false positives and, therefore, limits the usability of these databases for MGE annotation. To overcome this limitation, we analyzed 10,776,849 protein sequences derived from eight MGE databases to compile a comprehensive set of 6,140 manually curated protein families that are linked to the “life cycle” (integration/excision, replication/recombination/repair, transfer, stability/transfer/defense, and phage-specific processes) of plasmids, phages, integrative, transposable, and conjugative elements. We overlay experimental information where available to create a tiered annotation scheme of high-quality annotations and annotations inferred exclusively through bioinformatic evidence. We additionally provide an MGE-class label for each entry (e.g., plasmid or integrative element), and assign to each entry a major and minor category. The resulting database, mobileOG-db (for mobile orthologous groups), comprises over 700,000 deduplicated sequences encompassing five major mobileOG categories and more than 50 minor categories, providing a structured language and interpretable basis for an array of MGE-centered analyses. mobileOG-db can be accessed at mobileogdb.flsi.cloud.vt.edu/, where users can select, refine, and analyze custom subsets of the dynamic mobilome. IMPORTANCE The analysis of bacterial mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in genomic data is a critical step toward profiling the root causes of antibiotic resistance, phenotypic or metabolic diversity, and the evolution of bacterial genera. Existing methods for MGE annotation pose high barriers of biological and computational expertise to properly harness. To bridge this gap, we systematically analyzed 10,776,849 proteins derived from eight databases of MGEs to identify 6,140 MGE protein families that can serve as candidate hallmarks, i.e., proteins that can be used as “signatures” of MGEs to aid annotation. The resulting resource, mobileOG-db, provides a multilevel classification scheme that encompasses plasmid, phage, integrative, and transposable element protein families categorized into five major mobileOG categories and more than 50 minor categories. mobileOG-db thus provides a rich resource for simple and intuitive element annotation that can be integrated seamlessly into existing MGE detection pipelines and colocalization analyses.
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19
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Aytan-Aktug D, Clausen PTLC, Szarvas J, Munk P, Otani S, Nguyen M, Davis JJ, Lund O, Aarestrup FM. PlasmidHostFinder: Prediction of Plasmid Hosts Using Random Forest. mSystems 2022; 7:e0118021. [PMID: 35382558 PMCID: PMC9040769 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01180-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids play a major role facilitating the spread of antimicrobial resistance between bacteria. Understanding the host range and dissemination trajectories of plasmids is critical for surveillance and prevention of antimicrobial resistance. Identification of plasmid host ranges could be improved using automated pattern detection methods compared to homology-based methods due to the diversity and genetic plasticity of plasmids. In this study, we developed a method for predicting the host range of plasmids using machine learning-specifically, random forests. We trained the models with 8,519 plasmids from 359 different bacterial species per taxonomic level; the models achieved Matthews correlation coefficients of 0.662 and 0.867 at the species and order levels, respectively. Our results suggest that despite the diverse nature and genetic plasticity of plasmids, our random forest model can accurately distinguish between plasmid hosts. This tool is available online through the Center for Genomic Epidemiology (https://cge.cbs.dtu.dk/services/PlasmidHostFinder/). IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat to humans and animals, causing high mortality and morbidity while effectively ending decades of success in fighting against bacterial infections. Plasmids confer extra genetic capabilities to the host organisms through accessory genes that can encode antimicrobial resistance and virulence. In addition to lateral inheritance, plasmids can be transferred horizontally between bacterial taxa. Therefore, detection of the host range of plasmids is crucial for understanding and predicting the dissemination trajectories of extrachromosomal genes and bacterial evolution as well as taking effective countermeasures against antimicrobial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derya Aytan-Aktug
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Judit Szarvas
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Patrick Munk
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Saria Otani
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Marcus Nguyen
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Data Science and Learning Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, USA
| | - James J. Davis
- Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Data Science and Learning Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, USA
- Northwestern Argonne Institute for Science and Engineering, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Ole Lund
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Frank M. Aarestrup
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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20
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Clinically healthy household dogs and cats as carriers of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica with variable R plasmids. J Med Microbiol 2022; 71. [DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a One Health issue concerning humans, animals and the environment and a unified One Health approach is required to contain this problematic issue. Dogs and cats are popular pet animals and are known to carry many bacterial pathogens that are of public health importance, including
Salmonella
. However, data on AMR in companion animals is limited.
Gap statement. Scant AMR data from bacteria originating from companion animals limits an accurate assessment of the impacts of pet-animal-related AMR on public health.
Purpose. This study aimed to phenotypically and genetically investigate AMR in
Salmonella
isolated from pet dogs and cats in Thailand.
Methodology.
Salmonella enterica
were isolated from pet dogs (n=159) and cats (n=19) in Thailand between 2016 and 2019. All isolates were serotyped. Phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance was examined. PCR-based replicon typing, replicon sequence typing and plasmid multilocus sequence typing were conducted to characterize plasmids.
Results. Seventy-seven serovars were identified, with serovars Weltevreden (9.6%) and Stockholm (9.0%) the most common. Most of the isolates (34.3%) were multidrug-resistant. The serovar Stockholm was an ESBL-producer and carried the β-lactamase genes bla
TEM-1 and bla
CTX-M-55. The plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) gene, qnrS, was also detected (10.1%). Class 1 integrons carrying the dfrA12-aadA2 cassette array were most frequent (45.9%). Five plasmid replicon types as IncA/C (0.6%), N (1.1%), IncFIIA (28.7%), IncHI1 (2.2%), and IncI1 (3.4%) were identified. Based on the pMLST typing scheme (n=9), plasmids were assigned into five different STs including IncA/C-ST6 (n=1), IncH1-ST16 (n=4), IncI1-ST3 (n=1), IncI1-ST60 (n=1) and IncI1-ST136 (n=1). The ST 16 of IncHI1 plasmid was a novel plasmid ST. Subtyping F-type plasmids using the RST scheme (n=9) revealed four different combinations of replicons including S1:A-:B- (n=4), S1:A-:B22 (n=2), S3:A-:B- (n=1) and S-:A-:B47 (n=1).
Conclusions. Our findings highlight the role of clinically healthy household dogs and cats as carriers of AMR
Salmonella
strains with different R plasmid. The implementation of AMR phenotypes instigation and genotypic monitoring and surveillance programmes in companion animals are imperative as integral components of the One Health framework.
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21
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Genomic characterization of three GES-producing Enterobacterales isolated in the Czech Republic. J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2022; 29:116-119. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2022.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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22
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Abstract
Naturally occurring plasmids come in different sizes. The smallest are less than a kilobase of DNA, while the largest can be over three orders of magnitude larger. Historically, research has tended to focus on smaller plasmids that are usually easier to isolate, manipulate and sequence, but with improved genome assemblies made possible by long-read sequencing, there is increased appreciation that very large plasmids—known as megaplasmids—are widespread, diverse, complex, and often encode key traits in the biology of their host microorganisms. Why are megaplasmids so big? What other features come with large plasmid size that could affect bacterial ecology and evolution? Are megaplasmids 'just' big plasmids, or do they have distinct characteristics? In this perspective, we reflect on the distribution, diversity, biology, and gene content of megaplasmids, providing an overview to these large, yet often overlooked, mobile genetic elements. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The secret lives of microbial mobile genetic elements’.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P J Hall
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - João Botelho
- Antibiotic Resistance Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Zoological Institute, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Adrian Cazares
- EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK.,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - David A Baltrus
- School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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23
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Starčič Erjavec M, Jeseničnik K, Elam LP, Kastrin A, Predojević L, Sysoeva TA. Complete sequence of classic F-type plasmid pRK100 shows unique conservation over time and geographic location. Plasmid 2022; 119-120:102618. [PMID: 35077724 PMCID: PMC8978152 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2022.102618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Plasmids exhibit great diversity of gene content and host ranges and are famous for quick adaptation to the genetic background of the bacterial host cell. In addition to observing ever evolving plasmids, some plasmids have conserved backbones: a stable core composition and arrangement of genes in addition to variable regions. There are a few reports of extremely conserved plasmids. Here we report the complete sequence of pRK100 plasmid - a large, well-characterized conjugative F-like plasmid found in an Escherichia coli strain isolated from a urinary tract infection patient in 1990. The sequence shows that the 142 kb-long pRK100 plasmid is nearly identical to plasmids circulating in distant geographical locations and found in different host E. coli strains between 2007 and 2017. We also performed additional functional characterization of pRK100. Our results showed that pRK100 does not have a strong pathogenicity phenotype in porcine primary bladder epithelial cell culture. Moreover, the conjugation of pRK100 seems to strongly depend on recipient characteristics. These observations and identification of the pRK100 plasmid in different strain genotypes leave the extreme sequence conservation and broad distribution of this plasmid unexplained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjanca Starčič Erjavec
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Karmen Jeseničnik
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Lauren P Elam
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, 301 Sparkman Dr, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA
| | - Andrej Kastrin
- Institute for Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Luka Predojević
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tatyana A Sysoeva
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, 301 Sparkman Dr, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA.
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24
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Andreopoulos WB, Geller AM, Lucke M, Balewski J, Clum A, Ivanova NN, Levy A. Deeplasmid: deep learning accurately separates plasmids from bacterial chromosomes. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 50:e17. [PMID: 34871418 PMCID: PMC8860608 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are mobile genetic elements that play a key role in microbial ecology and evolution by mediating horizontal transfer of important genes, such as antimicrobial resistance genes. Many microbial genomes have been sequenced by short read sequencers and have resulted in a mix of contigs that derive from plasmids or chromosomes. New tools that accurately identify plasmids are needed to elucidate new plasmid-borne genes of high biological importance. We have developed Deeplasmid, a deep learning tool for distinguishing plasmids from bacterial chromosomes based on the DNA sequence and its encoded biological data. It requires as input only assembled sequences generated by any sequencing platform and assembly algorithm and its runtime scales linearly with the number of assembled sequences. Deeplasmid achieves an AUC–ROC of over 89%, and it was more accurate than five other plasmid classification methods. Finally, as a proof of concept, we used Deeplasmid to predict new plasmids in the fish pathogen Yersinia ruckeri ATCC 29473 that has no annotated plasmids. Deeplasmid predicted with high reliability that a long assembled contig is part of a plasmid. Using long read sequencing we indeed validated the existence of a 102 kb long plasmid, demonstrating Deeplasmid's ability to detect novel plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- William B Andreopoulos
- Joint Genome Institute, US Department of Energy, LBNL Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Computer Science, San Jose State University, CA, USA
| | - Alexander M Geller
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Institute of Environmental Science, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Miriam Lucke
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Institute of Environmental Science, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jan Balewski
- National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Alicia Clum
- Joint Genome Institute, US Department of Energy, LBNL Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Natalia N Ivanova
- Joint Genome Institute, US Department of Energy, LBNL Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Asaf Levy
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Institute of Environmental Science, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
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25
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Schmartz GP, Hartung A, Hirsch P, Kern F, Fehlmann T, Müller R, Keller A. PLSDB: advancing a comprehensive database of bacterial plasmids. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 50:D273-D278. [PMID: 34850116 PMCID: PMC8728149 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are known to contain genes encoding for virulence factors and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Their relevance in metagenomic data processing is steadily growing. However, with the increasing popularity and scale of metagenomics experiments, the number of reported plasmids is rapidly growing as well, amassing a considerable number of false positives due to undetected misassembles. Here, our previously published database PLSDB provides a reliable resource for researchers to quickly compare their sequences against selected and annotated previous findings. Within two years, the size of this resource has more than doubled from the initial 13,789 to now 34,513 entries over the course of eight regular data updates. For this update, we aggregated community feedback for major changes to the database featuring new analysis functionality as well as performance, quality, and accessibility improvements. New filtering steps, annotations, and preprocessing of existing records improve the quality of the provided data. Additionally, new features implemented in the web-server ease user interaction and allow for a deeper understanding of custom uploaded sequences, by visualizing similarity information. Lastly, an application programming interface was implemented along with a python library, to allow remote database queries in automated workflows. The latest release of PLSDB is freely accessible under https://www.ccb.uni-saarland.de/plsdb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georges P Schmartz
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Anna Hartung
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Pascal Hirsch
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Department of Microbial Natural Products, Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus E8 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Fabian Kern
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Tobias Fehlmann
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Rolf Müller
- Department of Microbial Natural Products, Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus E8 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Andreas Keller
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Department of Microbial Natural Products, Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Campus E8 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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26
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Robertson J, Bessonov K, Schonfeld J, Nash JHE. Universal whole-sequence-based plasmid typing and its utility to prediction of host range and epidemiological surveillance. Microb Genom 2021; 6. [PMID: 32969786 PMCID: PMC7660255 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial plasmids play a large role in allowing bacteria to adapt to changing environments and can pose a significant risk to human health if they confer virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Plasmids differ significantly in the taxonomic breadth of host bacteria in which they can successfully replicate, this is commonly referred to as 'host range' and is usually described in qualitative terms of 'narrow' or 'broad'. Understanding the host range potential of plasmids is of great interest due to their ability to disseminate traits such as AMR through bacterial populations and into human pathogens. We developed the MOB-suite to facilitate characterization of plasmids and introduced a whole-sequence-based classification system based on clustering complete plasmid sequences using Mash distances (https://github.com/phac-nml/mob-suite). We updated the MOB-suite database from 12 091 to 23 671 complete sequences, representing 17 779 unique plasmids. With advances in new algorithms for rapidly calculating average nucleotide identity (ANI), we compared clustering characteristics using two different distance measures - Mash and ANI - and three clustering algorithms on the unique set of plasmids. The plasmid nomenclature is designed to group highly similar plasmids together that are unlikely to have multiple representatives within a single cell. Based on our results, we determined that clusters generated using Mash and complete-linkage clustering at a Mash distance of 0.06 resulted in highly homogeneous clusters while maintaining cluster size. The taxonomic distribution of plasmid biomarker sequences for replication and relaxase typing, in combination with MOB-suite whole-sequence-based clusters have been examined in detail for all high-quality publicly available plasmid sequences. We have incorporated prediction of plasmid replication host range into the MOB-suite based on observed distributions of these sequence features in combination with known plasmid hosts from the literature. Host range is reported as the highest taxonomic rank that covers all of the plasmids which share replicon or relaxase biomarkers or belong to the same MOB-suite cluster code. Reporting host range based on these criteria allows for comparisons of host range between studies and provides information for plasmid surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Robertson
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Kyrylo Bessonov
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Justin Schonfeld
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - John H E Nash
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada
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27
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Conjugative plasmids interact with insertion sequences to shape the horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2008731118. [PMID: 33526659 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2008731118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that plasmids play an important role in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes; however, little is known about the role of the underlying interactions between different plasmid categories and other mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in shaping the promiscuous spread of AMR genes. Here, we developed a tool designed for plasmid classification, AMR gene annotation, and plasmid visualization and found that most plasmid-borne AMR genes, including those localized on class 1 integrons, are enriched in conjugative plasmids. Notably, we report the discovery and characterization of a massive insertion sequence (IS)-associated AMR gene transfer network (245 combinations covering 59 AMR gene subtypes and 53 ISs) linking conjugative plasmids and phylogenetically distant pathogens, suggesting a general evolutionary mechanism for the horizontal transfer of AMR genes mediated by the interaction between conjugative plasmids and ISs. Moreover, our experimental results confirmed the importance of the observed interactions in aiding the horizontal transfer and expanding the genetic range of AMR genes within complex microbial communities.
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28
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Blake KS, Choi J, Dantas G. Approaches for characterizing and tracking hospital-associated multidrug-resistant bacteria. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:2585-2606. [PMID: 33582841 PMCID: PMC8005480 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03717-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Hospital-associated infections are a major concern for global public health. Infections with antibiotic-resistant pathogens can cause empiric treatment failure, and for infections with multidrug-resistant bacteria which can overcome antibiotics of "last resort" there exists no alternative treatments. Despite extensive sanitization protocols, the hospital environment is a potent reservoir and vector of antibiotic-resistant organisms. Pathogens can persist on hospital surfaces and plumbing for months to years, acquire new antibiotic resistance genes by horizontal gene transfer, and initiate outbreaks of hospital-associated infections by spreading to patients via healthcare workers and visitors. Advancements in next-generation sequencing of bacterial genomes and metagenomes have expanded our ability to (1) identify species and track distinct strains, (2) comprehensively profile antibiotic resistance genes, and (3) resolve the mobile elements that facilitate intra- and intercellular gene transfer. This information can, in turn, be used to characterize the population dynamics of hospital-associated microbiota, track outbreaks to their environmental reservoirs, and inform future interventions. This review provides a detailed overview of the approaches and bioinformatic tools available to study isolates and metagenomes of hospital-associated bacteria, and their multi-layered networks of transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin S Blake
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - JooHee Choi
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Gautam Dantas
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
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29
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Johnson TJ. Role of Plasmids in the Ecology and Evolution of "High-Risk" Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Clones. EcoSal Plus 2021; 9:eESP-0013-2020. [PMID: 33634776 PMCID: PMC11163845 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0013-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial plasmids have been linked to virulence in Escherichia coli and Salmonella since their initial discovery. Though the plasmid repertoire of these bacterial species is extremely diverse, virulence-associated attributes tend to be limited to a small subset of plasmid types. This is particularly true for extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli, or ExPEC, where a handful of plasmids have been recognized to confer virulence- and fitness-associated traits. The purpose of this review is to highlight the biological and genomic attributes of ExPEC virulence-associated plasmids, with an emphasis on high-risk dominant ExPEC clones. Two specific plasmid types are highlighted to illustrate the independently evolved commonalities of these clones relative to plasmid content. Furthermore, the dissemination of these plasmids within and between bacterial species is examined. These examples demonstrate the evolution of high-risk clones toward common goals, and they show that rare transfer events can shape the ecological landscape of dominant clones within a pathotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Johnson
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108
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30
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Fomenkov A, Sun Z, Murray IA, Ruse C, McClung C, Yamaichi Y, Raleigh EA, Roberts RJ. Plasmid replication-associated single-strand-specific methyltransferases. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 48:12858-12873. [PMID: 33270887 PMCID: PMC7736820 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Analysis of genomic DNA from pathogenic strains of Burkholderia cenocepacia J2315 and Escherichia coli O104:H4 revealed the presence of two unusual MTase genes. Both are plasmid-borne ORFs, carried by pBCA072 for B. cenocepacia J2315 and pESBL for E. coli O104:H4. Pacific Biosciences SMRT sequencing was used to investigate DNA methyltransferases M.BceJIII and M.EcoGIX, using artificial constructs. Mating properties of engineered pESBL derivatives were also investigated. Both MTases yield promiscuous m6A modification of single strands, in the context SAY (where S = C or G and Y = C or T). Strikingly, this methylation is asymmetric in vivo, detected almost exclusively on one DNA strand, and is incomplete: typically, around 40% of susceptible motifs are modified. Genetic and biochemical studies suggest that enzyme action depends on replication mode: DNA Polymerase I (PolI)-dependent ColE1 and p15A origins support asymmetric modification, while the PolI-independent pSC101 origin does not. An MTase-PolI complex may enable discrimination of PolI-dependent and independent plasmid origins. M.EcoGIX helps to establish pESBL in new hosts by blocking the action of restriction enzymes, in an orientation-dependent fashion. Expression and action appear to occur on the entering single strand in the recipient, early in conjugal transfer, until lagging-strand replication creates the double-stranded form.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zhiyi Sun
- New England Biolabs Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA, USA
| | - Iain A Murray
- New England Biolabs Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA, USA
| | - Cristian Ruse
- New England Biolabs Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA, USA
| | | | - Yoshiharu Yamaichi
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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31
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Zrimec J. Multiple plasmid origin-of-transfer regions might aid the spread of antimicrobial resistance to human pathogens. Microbiologyopen 2020; 9:e1129. [PMID: 33111499 PMCID: PMC7755788 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance poses a great danger to humanity, in part due to the widespread horizontal gene transfer of plasmids via conjugation. Modeling of plasmid transfer is essential to uncovering the fundamentals of resistance transfer and for the development of predictive measures to limit the spread of resistance. However, a major limitation in the current understanding of plasmids is the incomplete characterization of the conjugative DNA transfer mechanisms, which conceals the actual potential for plasmid transfer in nature. Here, we consider that the plasmid-borne origin-of-transfer substrates encode specific DNA structural properties that can facilitate finding these regions in large datasets and develop a DNA structure-based alignment procedure for typing the transfer substrates that outperforms sequence-based approaches. Thousands of putative DNA transfer substrates are identified, showing that plasmid mobility can be twofold higher and span almost twofold more host species than is currently known. Over half of all putative mobile plasmids contain the means for mobilization by conjugation systems belonging to different mobility groups, which can hypothetically link previously confined host ranges across ecological habitats into a robust plasmid transfer network. This hypothetical network is found to facilitate the transfer of antimicrobial resistance from environmental genetic reservoirs to human pathogens, which might be an important driver of the observed rapid resistance development in humans and thus an important point of focus for future prevention measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Zrimec
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
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32
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Daniel S, Goldlust K, Quebre V, Shen M, Lesterlin C, Bouet JY, Yamaichi Y. Vertical and Horizontal Transmission of ESBL Plasmid from Escherichia coli O104:H4. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11101207. [PMID: 33081159 PMCID: PMC7602700 DOI: 10.3390/genes11101207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidrug resistance (MDR) often results from the acquisition of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that encode MDR gene(s), such as conjugative plasmids. The spread of MDR plasmids is founded on their ability of horizontal transference, as well as their faithful inheritance in progeny cells. Here, we investigated the genetic factors involved in the prevalence of the IncI conjugative plasmid pESBL, which was isolated from the Escherichia coli O104:H4 outbreak strain in Germany in 2011. Using transposon-insertion sequencing, we identified the pESBL partitioning locus (par). Genetic, biochemical and microscopic approaches allowed pESBL to be characterized as a new member of the Type Ib partitioning system. Inactivation of par caused mis-segregation of pESBL followed by post-segregational killing (PSK), resulting in a great fitness disadvantage but apparent plasmid stability in the population of viable cells. We constructed a variety of pESBL derivatives with different combinations of mutations in par, conjugational transfer (oriT) and pnd toxin-antitoxin (TA) genes. Only the triple mutant exhibited plasmid-free cells in viable cell populations. Time-lapse tracking of plasmid dynamics in microfluidics indicated that inactivation of pnd improved the survival of plasmid-free cells and allowed oriT-dependent re-acquisition of the plasmid. Altogether, the three factors—active partitioning, toxin-antitoxin and conjugational transfer—are all involved in the prevalence of pESBL in the E. coli population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Daniel
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; (S.D.); (M.S.)
| | - Kelly Goldlust
- Microbiologie Moléculaire et Biochimie Structurale (MMSB), Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Inserm, UMR5086, 69007 Lyon, France; (K.G.); (C.L.)
| | - Valentin Quebre
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), CBI, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France; (V.Q.); (J.-Y.B.)
| | - Minjia Shen
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; (S.D.); (M.S.)
- Graduate School of Structure and Dynamics of Living Systems, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Christian Lesterlin
- Microbiologie Moléculaire et Biochimie Structurale (MMSB), Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Inserm, UMR5086, 69007 Lyon, France; (K.G.); (C.L.)
| | - Jean-Yves Bouet
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), CBI, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France; (V.Q.); (J.-Y.B.)
| | - Yoshiharu Yamaichi
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; (S.D.); (M.S.)
- Correspondence:
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33
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Acman M, van Dorp L, Santini JM, Balloux F. Large-scale network analysis captures biological features of bacterial plasmids. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2452. [PMID: 32415210 PMCID: PMC7229196 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16282-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many bacteria can exchange genetic material through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mediated by plasmids and plasmid-borne transposable elements. Here, we study the population structure and dynamics of over 10,000 bacterial plasmids, by quantifying their genetic similarities and reconstructing a network based on their shared k-mer content. We use a community detection algorithm to assign plasmids into cliques, which correlate with plasmid gene content, bacterial host range, GC content, and existing classifications based on replicon and mobility (MOB) types. Further analysis of plasmid population structure allows us to uncover candidates for yet undescribed replicon genes, and to identify transposable elements as the main drivers of HGT at broad phylogenetic scales. Our work illustrates the potential of network-based analyses of the bacterial 'mobilome' and opens up the prospect of a natural, exhaustive classification framework for bacterial plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mislav Acman
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Lucy van Dorp
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Joanne M Santini
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Francois Balloux
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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34
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Galata V, Fehlmann T, Backes C, Keller A. PLSDB: a resource of complete bacterial plasmids. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:D195-D202. [PMID: 30380090 PMCID: PMC6323999 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 59.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of bacterial isolates or communities requires the analysis of the therein included plasmids in order to provide an extensive characterization of the organisms. Plasmids harboring resistance and virulence factors are of especial interest as they contribute to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. As the number of newly sequenced bacterial genomes is growing a comprehensive resource is required which will allow to browse and filter the available plasmids, and to perform sequence analyses. Here, we present PLSDB, a resource containing 13 789 plasmid records collected from the NCBI nucleotide database. The web server provides an interactive view of all obtained plasmids with additional meta information such as sequence characteristics, sample-related information and taxonomy. Moreover, nucleotide sequence data can be uploaded to search for short nucleotide sequences (e.g. specific genes) in the plasmids, to compare a given plasmid to the records in the collection or to determine whether a sample contains one or multiple of the known plasmids (containment analysis). The resource is freely accessible under https://ccb-microbe.cs.uni-saarland.de/plsdb/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Galata
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, Campus Building E2.1, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Tobias Fehlmann
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, Campus Building E2.1, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Christina Backes
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, Campus Building E2.1, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Andreas Keller
- Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, Campus Building E2.1, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
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35
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Douarre PE, Mallet L, Radomski N, Felten A, Mistou MY. Analysis of COMPASS, a New Comprehensive Plasmid Database Revealed Prevalence of Multireplicon and Extensive Diversity of IncF Plasmids. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:483. [PMID: 32265894 PMCID: PMC7105883 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are genetic elements that enable rapid adaptation and evolution by transferring genes conferring selective advantages to their hosts. Conjugative plasmids are predominantly responsible for the global dissemination of antimicrobial resistance, representing an important threat to global health. As the number of plasmid sequences grows exponentially, it becomes critical to depict the global diversity and decipher the distribution of circulating plasmids in the bacterial community. To this end, we created COMPASS, a novel and comprehensive database compiling 12,084 complete plasmids with associated metadata from 1571 distinct species isolated worldwide over more than 100 years. The curation of the database allowed us to identify identical plasmids across different bacteria revealing mainly intraspecies dissemination and rare cases of horizontal transmission. We outlined and analyzed all relevant features, plasmid properties, host range and characterized their replication and mobilization systems. After an exhaustive comparison of PlasmidFinder and MOB-typer, the MOB-typer-based analysis revealed that the current knowledge embedded in the current typing schemes fails to classify all the plasmid sequences collected in COMPASS. We were able to categorize 6828 and 5229 plasmids by replicon and MOB typing, respectively, mostly associated with Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. We then searched for the presence of multiple core genes involved in replication and propagation. Our results showed that 2403 plasmids carried multiple replicons that were distributed in 206 bacterial species. The co-integration of replicon types from different incompatibility (Inc) groups is an adaptive mechanism, which plays an important role in plasmid survival and dissemination by extending their host range. Our results highlight the crucial role of IncF alleles (present in 56% of all multireplicons) and revealed that IncH, IncR, and IncU replicons were also frequently carried in multireplicons. Here, we provided a comprehensive picture of the different IncF subtypes by identifying 20 different profiles in 849 IncF multireplicons, which were mostly associated with Enterobacteriaceae. These results could provide the basis for a novel IncF plasmid nomenclature based on different allelic profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Emmanuel Douarre
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail, Laboratory for Food Safety, Paris, France
| | - Ludovic Mallet
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail, Laboratory for Food Safety, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Radomski
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail, Laboratory for Food Safety, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Felten
- Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail, Laboratory for Food Safety, Paris, France
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Neyaz L, Rajagopal N, Wells H, Fakhr MK. Molecular Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Plasmids Associated With Strains Isolated From Various Retail Meats. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:223. [PMID: 32140145 PMCID: PMC7042431 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is considered one of the most important foodborne bacterial pathogens causing food poisoning and related illnesses. S. aureus strains harbor plasmids encoding genes for virulence and antimicrobial resistance, but few studies have investigated S. aureus plasmids, especially megaplasmids, in isolates from retail meats. Furthermore, knowledge about the distribution of genes encoding replication (rep) initiation proteins in food isolates is lacking. In this study, the prevalence of plasmids in S. aureus strains isolated from retail meats purchased in Oklahoma was investigated; furthermore, we evaluated associations between rep families, selected virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes, and food source origin. Two hundred and twenty-two S. aureus isolates from chicken (n = 55), beef liver (n = 43), pork (n = 42), chicken liver (n = 29), beef (n = 24), turkey (n = 22), and chicken gizzards (n = 7) were subjected to plasmid screening with alkaline lysis and PFGE to detect small-to-medium sized and large plasmids, respectively. The S. aureus isolates contained variable sizes of plasmids, and PFGE was superior to alkaline lysis in detecting large megaplasmids. A total of 26 rep families were identified by PCR, and the most dominant rep families were rep10 and rep7 in 164 isolates (89%), rep21 in 124 isolates (56%), and rep12 in 99 isolates (45%). Relationships between selected rep genes, antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes, and meat sources were detected. In conclusion, S. aureus strains isolated from retail meats harbor plasmids with various sizes and there is an association between rep genes on these plasmids and the meat source or the antimicrobial resistance of the strains harboring them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leena Neyaz
- Department of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Nisha Rajagopal
- Department of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Harrington Wells
- Department of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Mohamed K Fakhr
- Department of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States
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Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common cause of antimicrobial-resistant opportunistic infections in hospitalized patients. The species is naturally resistant to penicillins, and members of the population often carry acquired resistance to multiple antimicrobials. However, knowledge of K. pneumoniae ecology, population structure or pathogenicity is relatively limited. Over the past decade, K. pneumoniae has emerged as a major clinical and public health threat owing to increasing prevalence of healthcare-associated infections caused by multidrug-resistant strains producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases and/or carbapenemases. A parallel phenomenon of severe community-acquired infections caused by 'hypervirulent' K. pneumoniae has also emerged, associated with strains expressing acquired virulence factors. These distinct clinical concerns have stimulated renewed interest in K. pneumoniae research and particularly the application of genomics. In this Review, we discuss how genomics approaches have advanced our understanding of K. pneumoniae taxonomy, ecology and evolution as well as the diversity and distribution of clinically relevant determinants of pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance. A deeper understanding of K. pneumoniae population structure and diversity will be important for the proper design and interpretation of experimental studies, for interpreting clinical and public health surveillance data and for the design and implementation of novel control strategies against this important pathogen.
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Bethke JH, Davidovich A, Cheng L, Lopatkin AJ, Song W, Thaden JT, Fowler VG, Xiao M, You L. Environmental and genetic determinants of plasmid mobility in pathogenic Escherichia coli. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaax3173. [PMID: 32042895 PMCID: PMC6981087 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax3173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Plasmids are key vehicles of horizontal gene transfer (HGT), mobilizing antibiotic resistance, virulence, and other traits among bacterial populations. The environmental and genetic forces that drive plasmid transfer are poorly understood, however, due to the lack of definitive quantification coupled with genomic analysis. Here, we integrate conjugative phenotype with plasmid genotype to provide quantitative analysis of HGT in clinical Escherichia coli pathogens. We find a substantial proportion of these pathogens (>25%) able to readily spread resistance to the most common classes of antibiotics. Antibiotics of varied modes of action had less than a 5-fold effect on conjugation efficiency in general, with one exception displaying 31-fold promotion upon exposure to macrolides and chloramphenicol. In contrast, genome sequencing reveals plasmid incompatibility group strongly correlates with transfer efficiency. Our findings offer new insights into the determinants of plasmid mobility and have implications for the development of treatments that target HGT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan H. Bethke
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Adam Davidovich
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Li Cheng
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
- China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Allison J. Lopatkin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Wenchen Song
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
- China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Joshua T. Thaden
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Vance G. Fowler
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Minfeng Xiao
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
- China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Lingchong You
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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PlasmidFinder and In Silico pMLST: Identification and Typing of Plasmid Replicons in Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS). Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2075:285-294. [PMID: 31584170 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9877-7_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 254] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
PlasmidFinder and in silico plasmid multiLocus sequence typing (pMLST) are two easy-to-use web tools for detection and characterization of plasmid sequences in whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from Enterobacteriaceae. These tools have been adopted worldwide and facilitate plasmid detection and typing based on draft genomes of multi-drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. The PlasmidFinder database currently includes 133 unique plasmid replicon sequences. It was built starting with 126 sequences devised on fully sequenced plasmids available at the NCBI nucleotide database in 2014 and has been continuously updated to include novel replicons detected in more recently sequenced plasmids associated with the family Enterobacteriaceae. PlasmidFinder is usable for replicon sequence analysis of raw as well as assembled sequencing data. For pMLST analysis, a weekly updated database was generated from www.pubmlst.org and integrated into a web tool called in silico pMLST.
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40
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Card GE, Pickett BD, Ridge PG, Robison RA. Molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistance plasmids using publicly available sequences. Genome 2019; 62:785-792. [DOI: 10.1139/gen-2019-0100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant bacteria have quickly become a worldwide concern in nosocomial infections. Of the seven known carbapenemases, four have been shown to be particularly problematic: KPC, NDM, IMP, and VIM. To date, many local and species- or carbapenemase-specific epidemiological studies have been performed, which often focus on the organism itself. This report attempts to perform an inclusive (encompass both species and carbapenemase) epidemiologic study using publicly available plasmid sequences from NCBI. In this report, the gene content of these various plasmids has been characterized, replicon types of the plasmids identified, and the global spread and species promiscuity of the plasmids analyzed. Additionally, support to several groups targeting plasmid maintenance and transfer mechanisms to slow the spread of resistance plasmids is given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galen E. Card
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | | | - Perry G. Ridge
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Richard A. Robison
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
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41
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Sysoeva TA, Kim Y, Rodriguez J, Lopatkin AJ, You L. Growth‐stage‐dependent regulation of conjugation. AIChE J 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.16848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana A. Sysoeva
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke University Durham North Carolina
- Department of Biological SciencesThe University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville Alabama
| | - Youlim Kim
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke University Durham North Carolina
| | - Jonathan Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke University Durham North Carolina
| | | | - Lingchong You
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke University Durham North Carolina
- Center for Genomic and Computational BiologyDuke University Durham North Carolina
- Department of Molecular Genetics and MicrobiologyDuke University School of Medicine North Carolina
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Meinersmann RJ. The biology of IncI2 plasmids shown by whole-plasmid multi-locus sequence typing. Plasmid 2019; 106:102444. [PMID: 31629716 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2019.102444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
IncI2 type plasmids are medium-sized (~55-80 kb) conjugative plasmids that have been found carrying important antimicrobial resistance genes but have also been frequently found as cryptic plasmids. The DNA sequences for 147 fully sequenced IncI2 plasmids were studied by a whole-plasmid multi-locus sequence typing (wpMLST) scheme. A total of 171 loci were identified of which 52 were considered core (carried by greater than 95% of the plasmids). Most of the plasmids carrying the antimicrobial gene mcr-1 were in a distinct clade while most of the antimicrobial gene free plasmids were more distantly related. However, the host strains of bacteria were disparate for both groups of plasmids, showing that conjugal transfer of IncI2 plasmid is frequent. The mcr-1 gene was likely to have been introduced into IncI2 plasmids multiple times. It was also observed that the genes for conjugation showed significant linkage disequilibrium despite substantial diversity for most of those genes. Genes associated with biofilm formation were also among the core genes. The core genes can be considered the cohesive unit that defines the IncI2 plasmid group. Given the role conjugation can play in biofilm formation, it was concluded that conjugation is an active survival strategy for IncI2 plasmids. The IncI2 plasmid will have selective advantage when the plasmid-bearing bacteria are introduced to a new animal host that carries potential conjugal mates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Meinersmann
- U.S. National Poultry Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 950 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA.
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43
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Tymensen L, Booker CW, Hannon SJ, Cook SR, Jokinen CC, Zaheer R, Read R, Boerlin P, McAllister TA. Plasmid Distribution among Escherichia coli from Livestock and Associated Wastewater: Unraveling Factors That Shape the Presence of Genes Conferring Third-Generation Cephalosporin Resistance. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:11666-11674. [PMID: 31532641 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b03486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A key concern with agricultural wastewater storage ponds is that they may provide an environment conducive for horizontal exchange of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), thereby facilitating the emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens. Central to this exchange are mobile genetic elements like plasmids; yet, the factors shaping their presence in agricultural environments remain poorly understood. Here, using Escherichia coli as a model bacterium, we examined genetic backgrounds and plasmid profiles of generic fecal and wastewater isolates and those possessing blaCTX-M and blaCMY-2 genes (which confer resistance to third-generation cephalosporins) to delineate factors shaping the environmental persistence of plasmid-associated ARGs in beef cattle feedlots. The wastewater environment exerted minimal influence on plasmid repertoires, as the number of plasmids and distribution of different incompatibility groups did not differ between generic fecal and wastewater isolates. The blaCTX-M and blaCMY-2 genes were associated with IncF and IncA/C plasmids, respectively, and host isolates possessing these ARGs had fewer plasmids than generic isolates, suggesting ARG-bearing plasmids may associate predominantly with such hosts to compensate for the metabolic burden imposed by these plasmids. Phylogeny also appeared to be a factor for blaCTX-M genes, as their bacterial hosts were restricted to particular genetic lineages, including the environmentally adapted ET-1 clade, as noted previously for these genes. Ultimately, these findings have important implications for evaluating human health risks of agricultural wastewater with respect to environmental persistence of ARGs and may help identify options for improving wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Tymensen
- Irrigation and Farm Water Branch, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry , Lethbridge , Alberta Canada , T1J 4V6
| | - Calvin W Booker
- Feedlot Health Management Services, Ltd. , Okotoks , Alberta Canada , T1S 2A2
| | - Sherry J Hannon
- Feedlot Health Management Services, Ltd. , Okotoks , Alberta Canada , T1S 2A2
| | - Shaun R Cook
- Irrigation and Farm Water Branch, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry , Lethbridge , Alberta Canada , T1J 4V6
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada , Lethbridge , Alberta Canada , T1J 4B1
| | - Cassandra C Jokinen
- Irrigation and Farm Water Branch, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry , Lethbridge , Alberta Canada , T1J 4V6
| | - Rahat Zaheer
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada , Lethbridge , Alberta Canada , T1J 4B1
| | - Ron Read
- Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases , University of Calgary , Calgary , Alberta Canada , T1Y 6J4
| | - Patrick Boerlin
- Department of Pathobiology , University of Guelph , 50 Stone Road East , Guelph , Ontario Canada , N1G 2W1
| | - Tim A McAllister
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada , Lethbridge , Alberta Canada , T1J 4B1
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44
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Kopotsa K, Osei Sekyere J, Mbelle NM. Plasmid evolution in carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: a review. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1457:61-91. [PMID: 31469443 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) have been listed by the WHO as high-priority pathogens owing to their high association with mortalities and morbidities. Resistance to multiple β-lactams complicates effective clinical management of CRE infections. Using plasmid typing methods, a wide distribution of plasmid replicon groups has been reported in CREs around the world, including IncF, N, X, A/C, L/M, R, P, H, I, and W. We performed a literature search for English research papers, published between 2013 and 2018, reporting on plasmid-mediated carbapenem resistance. A rise in both carbapenemase types and associated plasmid replicon groups was seen, with China, Canada, and the United States recording a higher increase than other countries. blaKPC was the most prevalent, except in Angola and the Czech Republic, where OXA-181 (n = 50, 88%) and OXA-48-like (n = 24, 44%) carbapenemases were most prevalent, respectively; blaKPC-2/3 accounted for 70% (n = 956) of all reported carbapenemases. IncF plasmids were found to be responsible for disseminating different antibiotic resistance genes worldwide, accounting for almost 40% (n = 254) of plasmid-borne carbapenemases. blaCTX-M , blaTEM , blaSHV , blaOXA-1/9 , qnr, and aac-(6')-lb were mostly detected concurrently with carbapenemases. Most reported plasmids were conjugative but not present in multiple countries or species, suggesting limited interspecies and interboundary transmission of a common plasmid. A major limitation to effective characterization of plasmid evolution was the use of PCR-based instead of whole-plasmid sequencing-based plasmid typing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katlego Kopotsa
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - John Osei Sekyere
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Nontombi Marylucy Mbelle
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.,National Health Laboratory Service, Tshwane Division, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
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45
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Iasakov TR, Anisimova LG, Zharikova NV, Zhurenko EI, Korobov VV, Markusheva TV. Evolution and Comparative Genomics of the pSM22 Plasmid of the IncF/MOBF12 Group. Mol Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893319040162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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46
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Brooks LE, Kaze M, Sistrom M. Where the plasmids roam: large-scale sequence analysis reveals plasmids with large host ranges. Microb Genom 2019; 5. [PMID: 30625112 PMCID: PMC6412061 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Describing the role of plasmids and their contribution to the exchange of genetic material among bacteria is essential for understanding the fields of plasmid epidemiology, microbial ecology, and commercial and synthetic microbiology. Broad-host-range (BHR) plasmids are those that are found not only in a single bacterial species, but in members of different taxonomic groups and are of significant interest to researchers in many fields. We applied a novel approach to computationally identify new BHR plasmids, in which we searched for highly similar cognate plasmids within a comprehensive plasmid database. After identifying 125 plasmid groups with highly similar cognates found in multiple taxa, we closely examined BHR plasmids found in multiple families. The majority of our identified BHR plasmids are found in members of the Enterobacteriaceae and closely related taxa, while three BHR plasmids of potential commercial significance were found in two species of Cyanobacteria. One plasmid with an exceptionally broad host range was found in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species. This analysis demonstrates the utility of this method in identifying new BHR plasmids while highlighting unknown ranges of previously documented plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Elisabeth Brooks
- 2Utah Valley University, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058, USA.,1University of California, Merced. 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Mo Kaze
- 1University of California, Merced. 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Mark Sistrom
- 1University of California, Merced. 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA
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47
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Rozwandowicz M, Brouwer MSM, Fischer J, Wagenaar JA, Gonzalez-Zorn B, Guerra B, Mevius DJ, Hordijk J. Plasmids carrying antimicrobial resistance genes in Enterobacteriaceae. J Antimicrob Chemother 2019; 73:1121-1137. [PMID: 29370371 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkx488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 522] [Impact Index Per Article: 104.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is constantly evolving and horizontal gene transfer through plasmids plays a major role. The identification of plasmid characteristics and their association with different bacterial hosts provides crucial knowledge that is essential to understand the contribution of plasmids to the transmission of AMR determinants. Molecular identification of plasmid and strain genotypes elicits a distinction between spread of AMR genes by plasmids and dissemination of these genes by spread of bacterial clones. For this reason several methods are used to type the plasmids, e.g. PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT) or relaxase typing. Currently, there are 28 known plasmid types in Enterobacteriaceae distinguished by PBRT. Frequently reported plasmids [IncF, IncI, IncA/C, IncL (previously designated IncL/M), IncN and IncH] are the ones that bear the greatest variety of resistance genes. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of all known AMR-related plasmid families in Enterobacteriaceae, the resistance genes they carry and their geographical distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rozwandowicz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - M S M Brouwer
- Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, The Netherlands
| | - J Fischer
- Department of Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfR, Berlin, Germany
| | - J A Wagenaar
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, The Netherlands
| | - B Gonzalez-Zorn
- Department of Animal Health and VISAVET, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - B Guerra
- Department of Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfR, Berlin, Germany
| | - D J Mevius
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, The Netherlands
| | - J Hordijk
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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48
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Wyres KL, Wick RR, Judd LM, Froumine R, Tokolyi A, Gorrie CL, Lam MMC, Duchêne S, Jenney A, Holt KE. Distinct evolutionary dynamics of horizontal gene transfer in drug resistant and virulent clones of Klebsiella pneumoniae. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008114. [PMID: 30986243 PMCID: PMC6483277 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae has emerged as an important cause of two distinct public health threats: multi-drug resistant (MDR) healthcare-associated infections and drug susceptible community-acquired invasive infections. These pathotypes are generally associated with two distinct subsets of K. pneumoniae lineages or 'clones' that are distinguished by the presence of acquired resistance genes and several key virulence loci. Genomic evolutionary analyses of the most notorious MDR and invasive community-associated ('hypervirulent') clones indicate differences in terms of chromosomal recombination dynamics and capsule polysaccharide diversity, but it remains unclear if these differences represent generalised trends. Here we leverage a collection of >2200 K. pneumoniae genomes to identify 28 common clones (n ≥ 10 genomes each), and perform the first genomic evolutionary comparison. Eight MDR and 6 hypervirulent clones were identified on the basis of acquired resistance and virulence gene prevalence. Chromosomal recombination, surface polysaccharide locus diversity, pan-genome, plasmid and phage dynamics were characterised and compared. The data showed that MDR clones were highly diverse, with frequent chromosomal recombination generating extensive surface polysaccharide locus diversity. Additional pan-genome diversity was driven by frequent acquisition/loss of both plasmids and phage. In contrast, chromosomal recombination was rare in the hypervirulent clones, which also showed a significant reduction in pan-genome diversity, largely driven by a reduction in plasmid diversity. Hence the data indicate that hypervirulent clones may be subject to some sort of constraint for horizontal gene transfer that does not apply to the MDR clones. Our findings are relevant for understanding the risk of emergence of individual K. pneumoniae strains carrying both virulence and acquired resistance genes, which have been increasingly reported and cause highly virulent infections that are extremely difficult to treat. Specifically, our data indicate that MDR clones pose the greatest risk, because they are more likely to acquire virulence genes than hypervirulent clones are to acquire resistance genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly L. Wyres
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ryan R. Wick
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louise M. Judd
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Roni Froumine
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alex Tokolyi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Claire L. Gorrie
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Unit, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Margaret M. C. Lam
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sebastián Duchêne
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Adam Jenney
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kathryn E. Holt
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Spread and Persistence of Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance Genes: A Ride on the F Plasmid Conjugation Module. EcoSal Plus 2019; 8. [PMID: 30022749 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0003-2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The F plasmid or F-factor is a large, 100-kbp, circular conjugative plasmid of Escherichia coli and was originally described as a vector for horizontal gene transfer and gene recombination in the late 1940s. Since then, F and related F-like plasmids have served as role models for bacterial conjugation. At present, more than 200 different F-like plasmids with highly related DNA transfer genes, including those for the assembly of a type IV secretion apparatus, are completely sequenced. They belong to the phylogenetically related MOBF12A group. F-like plasmids are present in enterobacterial hosts isolated from clinical as well as environmental samples all over the world. As conjugative plasmids, F-like plasmids carry genetic modules enabling plasmid replication, stable maintenance, and DNA transfer. In this plasmid backbone of approximately 60 kbp, the DNA transfer genes occupy the largest and mostly conserved part. Subgroups of MOBF12A plasmids can be defined based on the similarity of TraJ, a protein required for DNA transfer gene expression. In addition, F-like plasmids harbor accessory cargo genes, frequently embedded within transposons and/or integrons, which harness their host bacteria with antibiotic resistance and virulence genes, causing increasingly severe problems for the treatment of infectious diseases. Here, I focus on key genetic elements and their encoded proteins present on the F-factor and other typical F-like plasmids belonging to the MOBF12A group of conjugative plasmids.
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Ravi A, Valdés-Varela L, Gueimonde M, Rudi K. Transmission and persistence of IncF conjugative plasmids in the gut microbiota of full-term infants. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 94:4638523. [PMID: 29161377 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fix158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Conjugative plasmids represent major reservoirs for horizontal transmission of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. Our knowledge about the ecology and persistence of these plasmids in the gut microbiota remains limited. The IncF plasmids are the most widespread in clinical samples and in healthy humans and the main aim of this work was to study their ecology and association with the developing gut microbiota. Using a longitudinal (2, 10, 30 and 90 days) cohort of full-term infants, we investigated the transmission and persistence of IncFIA and IncFIB plasmids. The prevalence of IncFIB plasmids was higher than IncFIA in the cohort, while IncFIA always co-occurred with IncFIB. However, the relative gene abundance of IncFIA was significantly higher than IncFIB for all time points, indicating that IncFIA may be a higher copy-number plasmid. Through linear discriminant analysis effect size and operational taxonomic unit-level associations, we observed major differences in the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae in samples positive and negative for IncFIB. This association was significant at 2, 10 and 30 days and showed an association with vaginal delivery. From shot-gun analyses, we assembled de novo multi-replicon shared (IncFIA/IncFIB) and integrated (IncFIA/IB) plasmids that were persistent through the dataset. Overall, the study demonstrates the nature of IncF plasmids in complex microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Ravi
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food science Department (KBM), Campus Ås, Ås, Norway
| | - Lorena Valdés-Varela
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Miguel Gueimonde
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Knut Rudi
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food science Department (KBM), Campus Ås, Ås, Norway
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