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Aracil-Gisbert S, Fernández-De-Bobadilla MD, Guerra-Pinto N, Serrano-Calleja S, Pérez-Cobas AE, Soriano C, de Pablo R, Lanza VF, Pérez-Viso B, Reuters S, Hasman H, Cantón R, Baquero F, Coque TM. The ICU environment contributes to the endemicity of the " Serratia marcescens complex" in the hospital setting. mBio 2024; 15:e0305423. [PMID: 38564701 PMCID: PMC11077947 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03054-23] [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: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Serratia marcescens is an opportunistic pathogen historically associated with sudden outbreaks in intensive care units (ICUs) and the spread of carbapenem-resistant genes. However, the ecology of S. marcescens populations in the hospital ecosystem remains largely unknown. We combined epidemiological information of 1,432 Serratia spp. isolates collected from sinks of a large ICU that underwent demographic and operational changes (2019-2021) and 99 non-redundant outbreak/non-outbreak isolates from the same hospital (2003-2019) with 165 genomic data. These genomes were grouped into clades (1-4) and subclades (A and B) associated with distinct species: Serratia nematodiphila (1A), S. marcescens (1B), Serratia bockelmannii (2A), Serratia ureilytica (2B), S. marcescens/Serratia nevei (3), and S. nevei (4A and 4B). They may be classified into an S. marcescens complex (SMC) due to the similarity between/within subclades (average nucleotide identity >95%-98%), with clades 3 and 4 predominating in our study and publicly available databases. Chromosomal AmpC β-lactamase with unusual basal-like expression and prodigiosin-lacking species contrasted classical features of Serratia. We found persistent and coexisting clones in sinks of subclades 4A (ST92 and ST490) and 4B (ST424), clonally related to outbreak isolates carrying blaVIM-1 or blaOXA-48 on prevalent IncL/pB77-CPsm plasmids from our hospital since 2017. The distribution of SMC populations in ICU sinks and patients reflects how Serratia species acquire, maintain, and enable plasmid evolution in both "source" (permanent, sinks) and "sink" (transient, patients) hospital patches. The results contribute to understanding how water sinks serve as reservoirs of Enterobacterales clones and plasmids that enable the persistence of carbapenemase genes in healthcare settings, potentially leading to outbreaks and/or hospital-acquired infections.IMPORTANCEThe "hospital environment," including sinks and surfaces, is increasingly recognized as a reservoir for bacterial species, clones, and plasmids of high epidemiological concern. Available studies on Serratia epidemiology have focused mainly on outbreaks of multidrug-resistant species, overlooking local longitudinal analyses necessary for understanding the dynamics of opportunistic pathogens and antibiotic-resistant genes within the hospital setting. This long-term genomic comparative analysis of Serratia isolated from the ICU environment with isolates causing nosocomial infections and/or outbreaks within the same hospital revealed the coexistence and persistence of Serratia populations in water reservoirs. Moreover, predominant sink strains may acquire highly conserved and widely distributed plasmids carrying carbapenemase genes, such as the prevalent IncL-pB77-CPsm (pOXA48), persisting in ICU sinks for years. The work highlights the relevance of ICU environmental reservoirs in the endemicity of certain opportunistic pathogens and resistance mechanisms mainly confined to hospitals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Aracil-Gisbert
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Member of the ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers (ESGEM), Basel, Switzerland
- Member of the ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Miguel D. Fernández-De-Bobadilla
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Member of the ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers (ESGEM), Basel, Switzerland
- Member of the ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Guerra-Pinto
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Member of the ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers (ESGEM), Basel, Switzerland
- Member of the ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Serrano-Calleja
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Elena Pérez-Cobas
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Member of the ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers (ESGEM), Basel, Switzerland
- Member of the ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG), Basel, Switzerland
- Biomedical Research Center Network of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Cruz Soriano
- Intensive Medicine, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- University of Alcalá (UAH), Madrid, Spain
| | - Raúl de Pablo
- Intensive Medicine, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- University of Alcalá (UAH), Madrid, Spain
| | - Val F. Lanza
- Biomedical Research Center Network of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
- Bioinformatics Unit, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Blanca Pérez-Viso
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sandra Reuters
- Member of the ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers (ESGEM), Basel, Switzerland
- Institute for Infection Prevention and Control, Medical Center–University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Henrik Hasman
- Member of the ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers (ESGEM), Basel, Switzerland
- Member of the ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG), Basel, Switzerland
- Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rafael Cantón
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Biomedical Research Center Network of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Baquero
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Biomedical Research Center Network of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Teresa M. Coque
- Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Member of the ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers (ESGEM), Basel, Switzerland
- Member of the ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG), Basel, Switzerland
- Biomedical Research Center Network of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
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Mikhailovich V, Heydarov R, Zimenkov D, Chebotar I. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia virulence: a current view. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1385631. [PMID: 38741741 PMCID: PMC11089167 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1385631] [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: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an opportunistic pathogen intrinsically resistant to multiple and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Although the bacterium is considered a low-virulence pathogen, it can cause various severe diseases and contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of multibacterial infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, S. maltophilia has been recognized as one of the most common causative agents of respiratory co-infections and bacteremia in critically ill COVID-19 patients. The high ability to adapt to unfavorable environments and new habitat niches, as well as the sophisticated switching of metabolic pathways, are unique mechanisms that attract the attention of clinical researchers and experts studying the fundamental basis of virulence. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge on the molecular aspects of S. maltophilia virulence and putative virulence factors, partially touched on interspecific bacterial interactions and iron uptake systems in the context of virulence, and have not addressed antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Mikhailovich
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Rustam Heydarov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Danila Zimenkov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Igor Chebotar
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
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Escobar-Salom M, Barceló IM, Jordana-Lluch E, Torrens G, Oliver A, Juan C. Bacterial virulence regulation through soluble peptidoglycan fragments sensing and response: knowledge gaps and therapeutic potential. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuad010. [PMID: 36893807 PMCID: PMC10039701 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Given the growing clinical-epidemiological threat posed by the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance, new therapeutic options are urgently needed, especially against top nosocomial pathogens such as those within the ESKAPE group. In this scenario, research is pushed to explore therapeutic alternatives and, among these, those oriented toward reducing bacterial pathogenic power could pose encouraging options. However, the first step in developing these antivirulence weapons is to find weak points in the bacterial biology to be attacked with the goal of dampening pathogenesis. In this regard, during the last decades some studies have directly/indirectly suggested that certain soluble peptidoglycan-derived fragments display virulence-regulatory capacities, likely through similar mechanisms to those followed to regulate the production of several β-lactamases: binding to specific transcriptional regulators and/or sensing/activation of two-component systems. These data suggest the existence of intra- and also intercellular peptidoglycan-derived signaling capable of impacting bacterial behavior, and hence likely exploitable from the therapeutic perspective. Using the well-known phenomenon of peptidoglycan metabolism-linked β-lactamase regulation as a starting point, we gather and integrate the studies connecting soluble peptidoglycan sensing with fitness/virulence regulation in Gram-negatives, dissecting the gaps in current knowledge that need filling to enable potential therapeutic strategy development, a topic which is also finally discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Escobar-Salom
- Research Unit and Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases-Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Crtra. Valldemossa 79, 07010 Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC). Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel María Barceló
- Research Unit and Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases-Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Crtra. Valldemossa 79, 07010 Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC). Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Elena Jordana-Lluch
- Research Unit and Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases-Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Crtra. Valldemossa 79, 07010 Palma, Spain
| | - Gabriel Torrens
- Research Unit and Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases-Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Crtra. Valldemossa 79, 07010 Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC). Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Umeå University. Försörjningsvägen 2A, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Antonio Oliver
- Research Unit and Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases-Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Crtra. Valldemossa 79, 07010 Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC). Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Juan
- Research Unit and Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases-Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Crtra. Valldemossa 79, 07010 Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC). Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
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