1
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Alrafaie AM, Pyrzanowska K, Smith EM, Partridge DG, Rafferty J, Mesnage S, Shepherd J, Stafford GP. A diverse set of Enterococcus-infecting phage provides insight into phage host-range determinants. Virus Res 2024; 347:199426. [PMID: 38960003 PMCID: PMC11269942 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2024.199426] [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] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Enterococci are robust Gram-positive bacteria that pose a significant threat in healthcare settings due to antibiotic resistance, with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) most prominent. To tackle this issue, bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) can be exploited as they specifically and efficiently target bacteria. Here, we successfully isolated and characterised a set of novel phages: SHEF10, SHEF11, SHEF13, SHEF14, and SHEF16 which target E. faecalis (SHEF10,11,13), or E. faecium (SHEF13, SHEF14 & SHEF16) strains including a range of clinical and VRE isolates. Genomic analysis shows that all phages are strictly lytic and diverse in terms of genome size and content, quickly and effectively lysing strains at different multiplicity of infections. Detailed analysis of the broad host-range SHEF13 phage revealed the crucial role of the enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA) variable region in its infection of E. faecalis V583. In parallel, the discovery of a carbohydrate-targeting domain (CBM22) found conserved within the three phage genomes indicates a role in cell surface interactions that may be important in phage-bacterial interactons. These findings advance our comprehension of phage-host interactions and pave the way for targeted therapeutic strategies against antibiotic-resistant enterococcal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhassan M Alrafaie
- Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Sciences in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Karolina Pyrzanowska
- School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2TA, UK
| | - Elspeth M Smith
- School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2TA, UK
| | - David G Partridge
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK
| | - John Rafferty
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Stephane Mesnage
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Joanna Shepherd
- School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2TA, UK
| | - Graham P Stafford
- School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, S10 2TA, UK; School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
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2
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Hourigan D, Stefanovic E, Hill C, Ross RP. Promiscuous, persistent and problematic: insights into current enterococcal genomics to guide therapeutic strategy. BMC Microbiol 2024; 24:103. [PMID: 38539119 PMCID: PMC10976773 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-024-03243-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are major opportunistic pathogens and the causative agents of serious diseases, such as urinary tract infections and endocarditis. VRE strains mainly include species of Enterococcus faecium and E. faecalis which can colonise the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of patients and, following growth and persistence in the gut, can transfer to blood resulting in systemic dissemination in the body. Advancements in genomics have revealed that hospital-associated VRE strains are characterised by increased numbers of mobile genetic elements, higher numbers of antibiotic resistance genes and often lack active CRISPR-Cas systems. Additionally, comparative genomics have increased our understanding of dissemination routes among patients and healthcare workers. Since the efficiency of currently available antibiotics is rapidly declining, new measures to control infection and dissemination of these persistent pathogens are urgently needed. These approaches include combinatory administration of antibiotics, strengthening colonisation resistance of the gut microbiota to reduce VRE proliferation through commensals or probiotic bacteria, or switching to non-antibiotic bacterial killers, such as bacteriophages or bacteriocins. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge of the genomics of VRE isolates and state-of-the-art therapeutic advances against VRE infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hourigan
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, Biosciences Research Institute, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
| | - Ewelina Stefanovic
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, Biosciences Research Institute, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Moorepark West, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland
| | - Colin Hill
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, Biosciences Research Institute, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland
| | - R Paul Ross
- APC Microbiome Ireland, Biosciences Institute, Biosciences Research Institute, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland.
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Rd, University College, Cork, Ireland.
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Moorepark West, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland.
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3
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Rubin IMC, Knudsen MJS, Halkjær SI, Ilsby CS, Pinholt M, Petersen AM. Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG Versus Placebo for Eradication of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium in Intestinal Carriers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2804. [PMID: 38004815 PMCID: PMC10673360 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11112804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this review was to assess the efficacy and safety of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) (previously known as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) for the eradication of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in colonized carriers. We searched Cochrane Central, EMBASE, and the PubMed Library from inception to 21 August 2023, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of LGG for the eradication of gastrointestinal carriage of VREfm. An initial screening was performed followed by a full-text evaluation of the papers. Out of 4076 articles in the original screening, six RCTs (167 participants) were included in the review. All were placebo-controlled RCTs. The meta-analysis was inconclusive with regard to the effect of LGG for clearing VREfm colonization. The overall quality of the evidence was low due to inconsistency and the small number of patients in the trials. We found insufficient evidence to support the use of LGG for the eradication of VREfm in colonized carriers. There is a need for larger RCTs with a standardized formulation and dosage of LGG in future trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Maria Cecilia Rubin
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark; (M.J.S.K.); (C.S.I.); (M.P.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Maja Johanne Søndergaard Knudsen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark; (M.J.S.K.); (C.S.I.); (M.P.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Sofie Ingdam Halkjær
- Gastrounit, Medical Section, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark;
| | - Christian Schaadt Ilsby
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark; (M.J.S.K.); (C.S.I.); (M.P.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Mette Pinholt
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark; (M.J.S.K.); (C.S.I.); (M.P.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Andreas Munk Petersen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark; (M.J.S.K.); (C.S.I.); (M.P.); (A.M.P.)
- Gastrounit, Medical Section, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark;
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, 1172 Copenhagen, Denmark
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4
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Wagner TM, Romero-Saavedra F, Laverde D, Johannessen M, Hübner J, Hegstad K. Enterococcal Membrane Vesicles as Vaccine Candidates. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16051. [PMID: 38003243 PMCID: PMC10671723 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is a leading cause of nosocomial infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients. The rise of multidrug-resistant E. faecium, including Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE), is a major concern. Vaccines are promising alternatives to antibiotics, but there is currently no vaccine available against enterococci. In a previous study, we identified six protein vaccine candidates associated with extracellular membrane vesicles (MVs) produced by nosocomial E. faecium. In this study, we immunized rabbits with two different VRE-derived MV preparations and characterized the resulting immune sera. Both anti-MV sera exhibited high immunoreactivity towards the homologous strain, three additional VRE strains, and eight different unrelated E. faecium strains representing different sequence types (STs). Additionally, we demonstrated that the two anti-MV sera were able to mediate opsonophagocytic killing of not only the homologous strain but also three unrelated heterologous VRE strains. Altogether, our results indicate that E. faecium MVs, regardless of the purification method for obtaining them, are promising vaccine candidates against multidrug-resistant E. faecium and suggest that these naturally occurring MVs can be used as a multi-antigen platform to elicit protective immune responses against enterococcal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Maria Wagner
- Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway; (T.M.W.); (M.J.)
| | - Felipe Romero-Saavedra
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany; (F.R.-S.); (D.L.); (J.H.)
| | - Diana Laverde
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany; (F.R.-S.); (D.L.); (J.H.)
| | - Mona Johannessen
- Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway; (T.M.W.); (M.J.)
| | - Johannes Hübner
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80337 Munich, Germany; (F.R.-S.); (D.L.); (J.H.)
| | - Kristin Hegstad
- Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway; (T.M.W.); (M.J.)
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, N-9038 Tromsø, Norway
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5
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Shikov AE, Savina IA, Nizhnikov AA, Antonets KS. Recombination in Bacterial Genomes: Evolutionary Trends. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:568. [PMID: 37755994 PMCID: PMC10534446 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15090568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial organisms have undergone homologous recombination (HR) and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) multiple times during their history. These processes could increase fitness to new environments, cause specialization, the emergence of new species, and changes in virulence. Therefore, comprehensive knowledge of the impact and intensity of genetic exchanges and the location of recombination hotspots on the genome is necessary for understanding the dynamics of adaptation to various conditions. To this end, we aimed to characterize the functional impact and genomic context of computationally detected recombination events by analyzing genomic studies of any bacterial species, for which events have been detected in the last 30 years. Genomic loci where the transfer of DNA was detected pertained to mobile genetic elements (MGEs) housing genes that code for proteins engaged in distinct cellular processes, such as secretion systems, toxins, infection effectors, biosynthesis enzymes, etc. We found that all inferences fall into three main lifestyle categories, namely, ecological diversification, pathogenesis, and symbiosis. The latter primarily exhibits ancestral events, thus, possibly indicating that adaptation appears to be governed by similar recombination-dependent mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton E. Shikov
- Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.E.S.); (I.A.S.); (A.A.N.)
- Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Iuliia A. Savina
- Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.E.S.); (I.A.S.); (A.A.N.)
| | - Anton A. Nizhnikov
- Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.E.S.); (I.A.S.); (A.A.N.)
- Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Kirill S. Antonets
- Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.E.S.); (I.A.S.); (A.A.N.)
- Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
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6
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Maechler F, Weber A, Schwengers O, Schwab F, Denkel L, Behnke M, Gastmeier P, Kola A. Split k-mer analysis compared to cgMLST and SNP-based core genome analysis for detecting transmission of vancomycin-resistant enterococci: results from routine outbreak analyses across different hospitals and hospitals networks in Berlin, Germany. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen000937. [PMID: 36748706 PMCID: PMC9973845 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000937] [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] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The increase of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in recent years has been partially attributed to the rise of specific clonal lineages, which have been identified throughout Germany. To date, there is no gold standard for the interpretation of genomic data for outbreak analyses. New genomic approaches such as split k-mer analysis (SKA) could support cluster attribution for routine outbreak investigation. The aim of this project was to investigate frequent clonal lineages of VREfm identified during suspected outbreaks across different hospitals, and to compare genomic approaches including SKA in routine outbreak investigation. We used routine outbreak laboratory data from seven hospitals and three different hospital networks in Berlin, Germany. Short-read libraries were sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq system. We determined clusters using the published Enterococcus faecium-cgMLST scheme (threshold ≤20 alleles), and assigned sequence and complex types (ST, CT), using the Ridom SeqSphere+ software. For each cluster as determined by cgMLST, we used pairwise core-genome SNP-analysis and SKA at thresholds of ten and seven SNPs, respectively, to further distinguish cgMLST clusters. In order to investigate clinical relevance, we analysed to what extent epidemiological linkage backed the clusters determined with different genomic approaches. Between 2014 and 2021, we sequenced 693 VREfm strains, and 644 (93 %) were associated within cgMLST clusters. More than 74 % (n=475) of the strains belonged to the six largest cgMLST clusters, comprising ST117, ST78 and ST80. All six clusters were detected across several years and hospitals without apparent epidemiological links. Core SNP analysis identified 44 clusters with a median cluster size of three isolates (IQR 2-7, min-max 2-63), as well as 197 singletons (41.4 % of 475 isolates). SKA identified 67 clusters with a median cluster size of two isolates (IQR 2-4, min-max 2-19), and 261 singletons (54.9 % of 475 isolates). Of the isolate pairs attributed to clusters, 7 % (n=3064/45 596) of pairs in clusters determined by standard cgMLST, 15 % (n=1222/8500) of pairs in core SNP-clusters and 51 % (n=942/1880) of pairs in SKA-clusters showed epidemiological linkage. The proportion of epidemiological linkage differed between sequence types. For VREfm, the discriminative ability of the widely used cgMLST based approach at ≤20 alleles difference was insufficient to rule out hospital outbreaks without further analytical methods. Cluster assignment guided by core genome SNP analysis and the reference free SKA was more discriminative and correlated better with obvious epidemiological linkage, at least recently published thresholds (ten and seven SNPs, respectively) and for frequent STs. Besides higher overall discriminative power, the whole-genome approach implemented in SKA is also easier and faster to conduct and requires less computational resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike Maechler
- Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Weber
- Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Schwengers
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Frank Schwab
- Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Luisa Denkel
- Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Behnke
- Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Petra Gastmeier
- Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Axel Kola
- Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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7
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Novel Copper Oxide Bio-Nanocrystals to Target Outer Membrane Lectin of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm): In Silico, Bioavailability, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Potential. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27227957. [PMID: 36432057 PMCID: PMC9696412 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27227957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In present study, we used Olea europaea leaf extract to biosynthesize in situ Copper Oxide nanocrystals (CuO @OVLe NCs) with powerful antibacterial and anti-cancer capabilities. Physio-chemical analyses, such as UV/Vis, FTIR, XRD, EDX, SEM, and TEM, were applied to characterize CuO @OVLe NCs. The UV/Vis spectrum demonstrated a strong peak at 345 nm. Furthermore, FTIR, XRD, and EDX validated the coating operation's contact with colloidal CuO @OVLe NCs. According to TEM and SEM analyses, CuO @OVLe NCs exhibited a spherical shape and uniform distribution of size with aggregation, for an average size of ~75 nm. The nanoparticles demonstrated a considerable antibacterial effect against E. faecium bacterial growth, as well as an increased inhibition rate in a dose-dependent manner on the MCF-7, PC3, and HpeG2 cancer cell lines and a decreased inhibition rate on WRL-68. Molecular docking and MD simulation were used to demonstrate the high binding affinity of a ligand (Oleuropein) toward the lectin receptor complex of the outer membrane to vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VREfm) via amino acids (Leu 195, Thr 288, His 165, and Ser 196). Hence, our results expand the accessibility of OVLe's bioactive components as a promising natural source for the manufacture of physiologically active components and the creation of green biosynthesis of metal nanocrystals.
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8
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Leigh RJ, McKenna C, McWade R, Lynch B, Walsh F. Comparative genomics and pangenomics of vancomycin-resistant and susceptible Enterococcus faecium from Irish hospitals. J Med Microbiol 2022; 71. [DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction.
Enterococcus faecium
has emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen, which is increasingly difficult to treat due to the genetic acquisition of vancomycin resistance. Ireland has a recalcitrant vancomycin-resistant bloodstream infection rate compared to other developed countries.
Hypothesis/Gap statement. Vancomycin resistance rates persist amongst
E. faecium
isolates from Irish hospitals. The evolutionary genomics governing these trends have not been fully elucidated.
Methodology. A set of 28 vancomycin-resistant isolates was sequenced to construct a dataset alongside 61 other publicly available Irish genomes. This dataset was extensively analysed using in silico methodologies (comparative genomics, pangenomics, phylogenetics, genotypics and comparative functional analyses) to uncover distinct evolutionary, coevolutionary and clinically relevant population trends.
Results. These results suggest that a stable (in terms of genome size, GC% and number of genes), yet genetically diverse population (in terms of gene content) of
E. faecium
persists in Ireland with acquired resistance arising via plasmid acquisition (vanA) or, to a lesser extent, chromosomal recombination (vanB). Population analysis revealed five clusters with one cluster partitioned into four clades which transcend isolation dates. Pangenomic and recombination analyses revealed an open (whole genome and chromosomal specific) pangenome illustrating a rampant evolutionary pattern. Comparative resistomics and virulomics uncovered distinct chromosomal and mobilomal propensity for multidrug resistance, widespread chromosomal point-mutation-mediated resistance and chromosomally harboured arsenals of virulence factors. Interestingly, a potential difference in biofilm formation strategies was highlighted by coevolutionary analysis, suggesting differential biofilm genotypes between vanA and vanB isolates.
Conclusions. These results highlight the evolutionary history of Irish
E. faecium
isolates and may provide insight into underlying infection dynamics in a clinical setting. Due to the apparent ease of vancomycin resistance acquisition over time, susceptible
E. faecium
should be concurrently reduced in Irish hospitals to mitigate potential resistant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Leigh
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Mariavilla, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Chloe McKenna
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Mariavilla, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Robert McWade
- Department of Microbiology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles St., Dublin 7, D07 R2WY, Ireland
| | - Breda Lynch
- Department of Microbiology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles St., Dublin 7, D07 R2WY, Ireland
| | - Fiona Walsh
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Mariavilla, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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9
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Sanderson H, Gray KL, Manuele A, Maguire F, Khan A, Liu C, Navanekere Rudrappa C, Nash JHE, Robertson J, Bessonov K, Oloni M, Alcock BP, Raphenya AR, McAllister TA, Peacock SJ, Raven KE, Gouliouris T, McArthur AG, Brinkman FSL, Fink RC, Zaheer R, Beiko RG. Exploring the mobilome and resistome of Enterococcus faecium in a One Health context across two continents. Microb Genom 2022; 8. [PMID: 36129737 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen that is exhibiting increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Many of the genes that confer resistance and pathogenic functions are localized on mobile genetic elements (MGEs), which facilitate their transfer between lineages. Here, features including resistance determinants, virulence factors and MGEs were profiled in a set of 1273 E. faecium genomes from two disparate geographic locations (in the UK and Canada) from a range of agricultural, clinical and associated habitats. Neither lineages of E. faecium, type A and B, nor MGEs are constrained by geographic proximity, but our results show evidence of a strong association of many profiled genes and MGEs with habitat. Many features were associated with a group of clinical and municipal wastewater genomes that are likely forming a new human-associated ecotype within type A. The evolutionary dynamics of E. faecium make it a highly versatile emerging pathogen, and its ability to acquire, transmit and lose features presents a high risk for the emergence of new pathogenic variants and novel resistance combinations. This study provides a workflow for MGE-centric surveillance of AMR in Enterococcus that can be adapted to other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley Sanderson
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Kristen L Gray
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Colombia, Canada
| | - Alexander Manuele
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Finlay Maguire
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Amjad Khan
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Chaoyue Liu
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Chandana Navanekere Rudrappa
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - John H E Nash
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph and Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - James Robertson
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph and Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kyrylo Bessonov
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph and Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Martins Oloni
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brian P Alcock
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amogelang R Raphenya
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tim A McAllister
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Kathy E Raven
- Department of Medicine, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Andrew G McArthur
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,David Braley Centre for Antibiotic Discovery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fiona S L Brinkman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Colombia, Canada
| | - Ryan C Fink
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Rahat Zaheer
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Robert G Beiko
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Institute for Comparative Genomics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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10
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Shikov AE, Malovichko YV, Nizhnikov AA, Antonets KS. Current Methods for Recombination Detection in Bacteria. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23116257. [PMID: 35682936 PMCID: PMC9181119 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of genetic exchanges, i.e., homologous recombination (HR) and horizontal gene transfer (HGT), in bacteria cannot be overestimated for it is a pivotal mechanism leading to their evolution and adaptation, thus, tracking the signs of recombination and HGT events is importance both for fundamental and applied science. To date, dozens of bioinformatics tools for revealing recombination signals are available, however, their pros and cons as well as the spectra of solvable tasks have not yet been systematically reviewed. Moreover, there are two major groups of software. One aims to infer evidence of HR, while the other only deals with horizontal gene transfer (HGT). However, despite seemingly different goals, all the methods use similar algorithmic approaches, and the processes are interconnected in terms of genomic evolution influencing each other. In this review, we propose a classification of novel instruments for both HR and HGT detection based on the genomic consequences of recombination. In this context, we summarize available methodologies paying particular attention to the type of traceable events for which a certain program has been designed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton E. Shikov
- Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.E.S.); (Y.V.M.); (A.A.N.)
- Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Yury V. Malovichko
- Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.E.S.); (Y.V.M.); (A.A.N.)
- Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Anton A. Nizhnikov
- Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.E.S.); (Y.V.M.); (A.A.N.)
- Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Kirill S. Antonets
- Laboratory for Proteomics of Supra-Organismal Systems, All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology (ARRIAM), 196608 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.E.S.); (Y.V.M.); (A.A.N.)
- Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Correspondence:
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11
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van Hal SJ, Willems RJL, Gouliouris T, Ballard SA, Coque TM, Hammerum AM, Hegstad K, Pinholt M, Howden BP, Malhotra-Kumar S, Werner G, Yanagihara K, Earl AM, Raven KE, Corander J, Bowden R. The interplay between community and hospital Enterococcus faecium clones within health-care settings: a genomic analysis. THE LANCET. MICROBE 2022; 3:e133-e141. [PMID: 35146465 PMCID: PMC8810393 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(21)00236-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genomic relationships among Enterococcus faecium isolates are the subject of ongoing research that seeks to clarify the origins of observed lineages and the extent of horizontal gene transfer between them, and to robustly identify links between genotypes and phenotypes. E faecium is considered to form distinct groups-A and B-corresponding to isolates derived from patients who were hospitalised (A) and isolates from humans in the community (B). The additional separation of A into the so-called clades A1 and A2 remains an area of uncertainty. We aimed to investigate the relationships between A1 and non-A1 groups and explore the potential role of non-A1 isolates in shaping the population structure of hospital E faecium. METHODS We collected short-read sequence data from invited groups that had previously published E faecium genome data. This hospital-based isolate collection could be separated into three groups (or clades, A1, A2, and B) by augmenting the study genomes with published sequences derived from human samples representing the previously defined genomic clusters. We performed phylogenetic analyses, by constructing maximum-likelihood phylogenetic trees, and identified historical recombination events. We assessed the pan-genome, did resistome analysis, and examined the genomic data to identify mobile genetic elements. Each genome underwent chromosome painting by use of ChromoPainter within FineSTRUCTURE software to assess ancestry and identify hybrid groups. We further assessed highly admixed regions to infer recombination directionality. FINDINGS We assembled a collection of 1095 hospital E faecium sequences from 34 countries, further augmented by 33 published sequences. 997 (88%) of 1128 genomes clustered as A1, 92 (8%) as A2, and 39 (4%) as B. We showed that A1 probably emerged as a clone from within A2 and that, because of ongoing gene flow, hospital isolates currently identified as A2 represent a genetic continuum between A1 and community E faecium. This interchange of genetic material between isolates from different groups results in the emergence of hybrid genomes between clusters. Of the 1128 genomes, 49 (4%) hybrid genomes were identified: 33 previously labelled as A2 and 16 previously labelled as A1. These interactions were fuelled by a directional pattern of recombination mediated by mobile genetic elements. By contrast, the contribution of B group genetic material to A1 was limited to a few small regions of the genome and appeared to be driven by genomic sweep events. INTERPRETATION A2 and B isolates coming into the hospital form an important reservoir for ongoing A1 adaptation, suggesting that effective long-term control of the effect of E faecium could benefit from strategies to reduce these genomic interactions, such as a focus on reducing the acquisition of hospital A1 strains by patients entering the hospital. FUNDING Wellcome Trust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiaan J van Hal
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia,Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia,Correspondence to: Sebastiaan J van Hal, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Rob J L Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Susan A Ballard
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Teresa M Coque
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute, Madrid, Spain,Network Research Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Kristin Hegstad
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, University Hospital of North-Norway, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Mette Pinholt
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Benjamin P Howden
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar
- Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, Universiteit Antwerpen, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guido Werner
- National Reference Centre for Staphylococci and Enterococci, Division of Nosocomial Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistances, Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode Branch, Wernigerode, Germany
| | - Katsunori Yanagihara
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Ashlee M Earl
- Infectious Disease & Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway,Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Saffron Walden, UK
| | - Rory Bowden
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia,Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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12
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Peng Z, Yan L, Yang S, Yang D. Antimicrobial-Resistant Evolution and Global Spread of Enterococcus faecium Clonal Complex (CC) 17: Progressive Change from Gut Colonization to Hospital-Adapted Pathogen. China CDC Wkly 2022; 4:17-21. [PMID: 35586520 PMCID: PMC8796730 DOI: 10.46234/ccdcw2021.277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
For a long time, Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) was thought to be a commensal strain in human and animal digestive tracts. However, over the past three decades, some unique E. faecium clones rapidly acquired multiple antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which led these clones to survive hospital environments and become a hospital-adapted E. faecium clonal complex (CC) 17. Since the adaptation of these clones to changes in habitat, vancomycin-resistant E. faecium CC17 has emerged as the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections worldwide. This epidemic hospital-adapted lineage has diverged from other populations approximately 75 years ago. The CC17 lineage originated from animal strains, but not human commensal lines. We reviewed the evolutionary progress and the molecular mechanisms of E. faecium CC17 from a gut commensal to a multi-antimicrobial resistant nosocomial pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixin Peng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, Chinese Academy of Medical Science Research Unit (2019RU014), China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Yan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, Chinese Academy of Medical Science Research Unit (2019RU014), China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing, China
| | - Shuran Yang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, Chinese Academy of Medical Science Research Unit (2019RU014), China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing, China
| | - Dajin Yang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, Chinese Academy of Medical Science Research Unit (2019RU014), China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing, China
- Dajin Yang,
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13
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Ramos Y, Sansone S, Morales DK. Sugarcoating it: Enterococcal polysaccharides as key modulators of host-pathogen interactions. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009822. [PMID: 34499702 PMCID: PMC8428557 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yusibeska Ramos
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Stephanie Sansone
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Diana K. Morales
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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14
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Lytic bacteriophages facilitate antibiotic sensitization of Enterococcus faecium. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 65:AAC.00143-21. [PMID: 33649110 PMCID: PMC8092871 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00143-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium, a commensal of the human intestine, has emerged as a hospital-adapted, multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogen. Bacteriophages (phages), natural predators of bacteria, have regained attention as therapeutics to stem the rise of MDR bacteria. Despite their potential to curtail MDR E. faecium infections, the molecular events governing E. faecium-phage interactions remain largely unknown. Such interactions are important to delineate because phage selective pressure imposed on E. faecium will undoubtedly result in phage resistance phenotypes that could threaten the efficacy of phage therapy. In an effort to understand the emergence of phage resistance in E. faecium, three newly isolated lytic phages were used to demonstrate that E. faecium phage resistance is conferred through an array of cell wall-associated molecules, including secreted antigen A (SagA), enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (Epa), wall teichoic acids, capsule, and an arginine-aspartate-aspartate (RDD) protein of unknown function. We find that capsule and Epa are important for robust phage adsorption and that phage resistance mutations in sagA, epaR, and epaX enhance E. faecium susceptibility to ceftriaxone, an antibiotic normally ineffective due to its low affinity for enterococcal penicillin binding proteins. Consistent with these findings, we provide evidence that phages potently synergize with cell wall (ceftriaxone and ampicillin) and membrane-acting (daptomycin) antimicrobials to slow or completely inhibit the growth of E. faecium Our work demonstrates that the evolution of phage resistance comes with fitness defects resulting in drug sensitization and that lytic phages could serve as effective antimicrobials for the treatment of E. faecium infections.
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15
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Pöntinen AK, Top J, Arredondo-Alonso S, Tonkin-Hill G, Freitas AR, Novais C, Gladstone RA, Pesonen M, Meneses R, Pesonen H, Lees JA, Jamrozy D, Bentley SD, Lanza VF, Torres C, Peixe L, Coque TM, Parkhill J, Schürch AC, Willems RJL, Corander J. Apparent nosocomial adaptation of Enterococcus faecalis predates the modern hospital era. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1523. [PMID: 33750782 PMCID: PMC7943827 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21749-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis is a commensal and nosocomial pathogen, which is also ubiquitous in animals and insects, representing a classical generalist microorganism. Here, we study E. faecalis isolates ranging from the pre-antibiotic era in 1936 up to 2018, covering a large set of host species including wild birds, mammals, healthy humans, and hospitalised patients. We sequence the bacterial genomes using short- and long-read techniques, and identify multiple extant hospital-associated lineages, with last common ancestors dating back as far as the 19th century. We find a population cohesively connected through homologous recombination, a metabolic flexibility despite a small genome size, and a stable large core genome. Our findings indicate that the apparent hospital adaptations found in hospital-associated E. faecalis lineages likely predate the "modern hospital" era, suggesting selection in another niche, and underlining the generalist nature of this nosocomial pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Pöntinen
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Janetta Top
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sergio Arredondo-Alonso
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Ana R Freitas
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Microbiology, Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla Novais
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Microbiology, Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rebecca A Gladstone
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Maiju Pesonen
- Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Oslo University Hospital Research Support Services, Oslo, Norway
| | - Rodrigo Meneses
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Henri Pesonen
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - John A Lees
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dorota Jamrozy
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Carmen Torres
- Department of Food and Agriculture, Area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain
| | - Luisa Peixe
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Microbiology, Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Teresa M Coque
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
- CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Julian Parkhill
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anita C Schürch
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rob J L Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
- Helsinki Institute of Information Technology, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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16
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Sharma P, Kaur S, Chadha BS, Kaur R, Kaur M, Kaur S. Anticancer and antimicrobial potential of enterocin 12a from Enterococcus faecium. BMC Microbiol 2021; 21:39. [PMID: 33541292 PMCID: PMC7860584 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-021-02086-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increase in the number of infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria in neutropenic cancer patients has prompted the search for novel therapeutic agents having dual anticancer and antimicrobial properties. Bacteriocins are cationic proteins of prokaryotic origin that have emerged as one of the most promising alternative antimicrobial agents with applications as food preservatives and therapeutic agents. Apart from their antimicrobial activities, bacteriocins are also being explored for their anticancer potential. RESULTS In this study, a broad-spectrum, cell membrane-permeabilizing enterocin with a molecular weight of 65 kDa was purified and characterized from the culture supernatant of vaginal Enterococcus faecium 12a. Enterocin 12a inhibited multidrug-resistant strains of various Gram-negative pathogens such as Salmonella enterica, Shigella flexneri, Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli and Gram-positive, Listeria monocytogenes, but had no activities against different strains of gut lactobacilli. The mass spectrometric analysis showed that the enterocin 12a shared partial homology with 4Fe-4S domain-containing redox protein of E. faecalis R712. Further, enterocin 12a selectively inhibited the proliferation of various human cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner but not that of normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Enterocin 12a-treated cancer cells showed apoptosis-like morphological changes. CONCLUSION Enterocin 12a is a novel bacteriocin that has anticancer properties against human cell lines and negligible activity towards non-malignant cells. Therefore, it should be further evaluated for its anticancer potential in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, 143005, India
| | - Sumanpreet Kaur
- Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, 143005, India
| | | | - Raminderjit Kaur
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| | - Manpreet Kaur
- Department of Human Genetics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| | - Sukhraj Kaur
- Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, 143005, India.
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17
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Pinholt M, Bayliss SC, Gumpert H, Worning P, Jensen VVS, Pedersen M, Feil EJ, Westh H. WGS of 1058 Enterococcus faecium from Copenhagen, Denmark, reveals rapid clonal expansion of vancomycin-resistant clone ST80 combined with widespread dissemination of a vanA-containing plasmid and acquisition of a heterogeneous accessory genome. J Antimicrob Chemother 2020; 74:1776-1785. [PMID: 30929020 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkz118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES From 2012 to 2015, a sudden significant increase in vancomycin-resistant (vanA) Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) was observed in the Capital Region of Denmark. Clonal relatedness of VREfm and vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium (VSEfm) was investigated, transmission events between hospitals were identified and the pan-genome and plasmids from the largest VREfm clonal group were characterized. METHODS WGS of 1058 E. faecium isolates was carried out on the Illumina platform to perform SNP analysis and to identify the pan-genome. One isolate was also sequenced on the PacBio platform to close the genome. Epidemiological data were collected from laboratory information systems. RESULTS Phylogeny of 892 VREfm and 166 VSEfm revealed a polyclonal structure, with a single clonal group (ST80) accounting for 40% of the VREfm isolates. VREfm and VSEfm co-occurred within many clonal groups; however, no VSEfm were related to the dominant VREfm group. A similar vanA plasmid was identified in ≥99% of isolates belonging to the dominant group and 69% of the remaining VREfm. Ten plasmids were identified in the completed genome, and ∼29% of this genome consisted of dispensable accessory genes. The size of the pan-genome among isolates in the dominant group was 5905 genes. CONCLUSIONS Most probably, VREfm emerged owing to importation of a successful VREfm clone which rapidly transmitted to the majority of hospitals in the region whilst simultaneously disseminating a vanA plasmid to pre-existing VSEfm. Acquisition of a heterogeneous accessory genome may account for the success of this clone by facilitating adaptation to new environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Pinholt
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sion C Bayliss
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Heidi Gumpert
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Peder Worning
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Veronika V S Jensen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Pedersen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Herlev Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Edward J Feil
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Henrik Westh
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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18
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Zhou J, Ren H, Hu M, Zhou J, Li B, Kong N, Zhang Q, Jin Y, Liang L, Yue J. Characterization of Burkholderia cepacia Complex Core Genome and the Underlying Recombination and Positive Selection. Front Genet 2020; 11:506. [PMID: 32528528 PMCID: PMC7253759 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombination and positive selection are two key factors that play a vital role in pathogenic microorganisms’ population adaptation and diversification. The Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) represents bacterial species with high similarity, which can cause severe infections among cases suffering from the chronic granulomatous disorder and cystic fibrosis (CF). At present, no genome-wide study has been carried out focusing on investigating the core genome of Bcc associated with the two evolutionary forces. The general characteristics of the core genome of Bcc species remain scarce as well. In this study, we explored the core orthologous genes of 116 Bcc strains using comparative genomic analysis and studied the two adaptive evolutionary forces: recombination and positive selection. We estimated 1005 orthogroups consisting entirely of single copy genes. These single copy orthologous genes in some Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG) categories showed significant differences in the comparison of several evolutionary properties, and the encoding proteins were relatively simple and compact. Our findings showed that 5.8% of the core orthologous genes strongly supported recombination; in the meantime, 1.1% supported positive selection. We found that genes involved in protein synthesis as well as material transport and metabolism are favored by selection pressure. More importantly, homologous recombination contributed more genetic variation to a large number of genes and largely maintained the genetic cohesion in Bcc. This high level of recombination between Bcc species blurs their taxonomic boundaries, which leads Bcc species to be difficult or impossible to distinguish phenotypically and genotypically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianglin Zhou
- 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
| | - Mingda Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Zhou
- 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
| | - Na Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China.,Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- 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
| | - Long Liang
- 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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19
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Rios R, Reyes J, Carvajal LP, Rincon S, Panesso D, Echeverri AM, Dinh A, Kolokotronis SO, Narechania A, Tran TT, Munita JM, Murray BE, Planet PJ, Arias CA, Diaz L. Genomic Epidemiology of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in Latin America: Revisiting The Global VRE Population Structure. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5636. [PMID: 32221315 PMCID: PMC7101424 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62371-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the population structure of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in Latin America (LATAM). Here, we provide a complete genomic characterization of 55 representative Latin American VREfm recovered from 1998-2015 in 5 countries. The LATAM VREfm population is structured into two main clinical clades without geographical clustering. Using the LATAM genomes, we reconstructed the global population of VREfm by including 285 genomes from 36 countries spanning from 1946 to 2017. In contrast to previous studies, our results show an early branching of animal related isolates and a further split of clinical isolates into two sub-clades within clade A. The overall phylogenomic structure of clade A was highly dependent on recombination (54% of the genome) and the split between clades A and B was estimated to have occurred more than 2,765 years ago. Furthermore, our molecular clock calculations suggest the branching of animal isolates and clinical clades occurred ~502 years ago whereas the split within the clinical clade occurred ~302 years ago (previous studies showed a more recent split between clinical an animal branches around ~74 years ago). By including isolates from Latin America, we present novel insights into the population structure of VREfm and revisit the evolution of these pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Rios
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jinnethe Reyes
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.,Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lina P Carvajal
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Sandra Rincon
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Diana Panesso
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.,Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Aura M Echeverri
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - An Dinh
- Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Apurva Narechania
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Truc T Tran
- Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jose M Munita
- Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Millennium Initiative for Collaborative Research On Bacterial Resistance (MICROB-R), Santiago, Chile.,Genomics and Resistant Microbes Group, Facultad de Medicina Clinica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Barbara E Murray
- Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Paul J Planet
- Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania & Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Cesar A Arias
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.,Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Millennium Initiative for Collaborative Research On Bacterial Resistance (MICROB-R), Santiago, Chile.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Lorena Diaz
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia. .,Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA. .,Millennium Initiative for Collaborative Research On Bacterial Resistance (MICROB-R), Santiago, Chile.
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20
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Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is one of the most frequent nosocomial pathogens of hospital-acquired infections. E. faecium has gained resistance against most commonly available antibiotics, most notably, against ampicillin, gentamicin, and vancomycin, which renders infections difficult to treat. Many antibiotic resistance traits, in particular, vancomycin resistance, can be encoded in autonomous and extrachromosomal elements called plasmids. These sequences can be disseminated to other isolates by horizontal gene transfer and confer novel mechanisms to source specificity. In our study, we elucidated the total plasmid content, referred to as the plasmidome, of 1,644 E. faecium isolates by using short- and long-read whole-genome technologies with the combination of a machine-learning classifier. This was fundamental to investigate the full collection of plasmid sequences present in our collection (pan-plasmidome) and to observe the potential transfer of plasmid sequences between E. faecium hosts. We observed that E. faecium isolates from hospitalized patients carried a larger number of plasmid sequences compared to that from other sources, and they elucidated different configurations of plasmidome populations in the hospital environment. We assessed the contribution of different genomic components and observed that plasmid sequences have the highest contribution to source specificity. Our study suggests that E. faecium plasmids are regulated by complex ecological constraints rather than physical interaction between hosts. Enterococcus faecium is a gut commensal of humans and animals but is also listed on the WHO global priority list of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Many of its antibiotic resistance traits reside on plasmids and have the potential to be disseminated by horizontal gene transfer. Here, we present the first comprehensive population-wide analysis of the pan-plasmidome of a clinically important bacterium, by whole-genome sequence analysis of 1,644 isolates from hospital, commensal, and animal sources of E. faecium. Long-read sequencing on a selection of isolates resulted in the completion of 305 plasmids that exhibited high levels of sequence modularity. We further investigated the entirety of all plasmids of each isolate (plasmidome) using a combination of short-read sequencing and machine-learning classifiers. Clustering of the plasmid sequences unraveled different E. faecium populations with a clear association with hospitalized patient isolates, suggesting different optimal configurations of plasmids in the hospital environment. The characterization of these populations allowed us to identify common mechanisms of plasmid stabilization such as toxin-antitoxin systems and genes exclusively present in particular plasmidome populations exemplified by copper resistance, phosphotransferase systems, or bacteriocin genes potentially involved in niche adaptation. Based on the distribution of k-mer distances between isolates, we concluded that plasmidomes rather than chromosomes are most informative for source specificity of E. faecium.
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21
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Aka S, Dridi B, Bolotin A, Yapo EA, Koussemon-Camara M, Bonfoh B, Renault P. Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from a traditional Ivoirian beer process to develop starter cultures for safe sorghum-based beverages. Int J Food Microbiol 2020; 322:108547. [PMID: 32097827 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to characterize lactic acid bacteria involved in the different processing steps of tchapalo, a traditional Ivoirian beverage, for their potential application as starter cultures in food and beverages. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were therefore isolated and enumerated at different steps of the process on MRS and BEA agars. Of the 465 isolates, 27 produced bacteriocins that inhibit Lactobacillus delbrueckii F/31 strain. Of those, two also inhibited Listeria innocua ATCC 33090, while two others displayed inhibitory activity against L.innocua ATCC 33090, E. faecalis CIP 105042, E. faecalis ATCC 29212, Streptococcus sp. clinical LNSP, E. faecalis CIP 105042 and E. faecium ATCC 51558. The dominant species involved in tchapalo LAB fermentation, as determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, were Lactobacillus fermentum (64%), followed by Pediococcus acidilactici (14%). Two strains representing the two dominant species, L. fermentum S6 and P. acidilactici S7, and two potential bacteriocin producers, Weissella confusa AB3E41 and Enterococcus faecium AT1E22, were selected for further characterization. First, genome analysis showed that these strains do not display potential harmful genes such as pathogenic factors or transmissible antibiotic resistance genes. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses were performed to assess evidence of eventual links to groups of strains with particular properties. They revealed that (i) L. fermentum S6 and P. acidilactici S7 are closely related to strains that ferment plants, (ii) E. faecium AT1E22 belongs to the environmental clade B of E. faecium, while W. confusa is quite similar to other strains also isolated from plant fermentations. Further genome analysis showed that E. faecium AT1E22 contains the Enterocin P gene probably carried by a megaplasmid, whereas no evidence of a bacteriocin gene was found in W. confusa AB3E41. The metabolic and the first step of the probiotic potentials of the different strains were analyzed. Lactobacillus fermentum S6 and P. acidilactici S7 are good candidates to develop starter cultures, and E. faecium AT1E22 should be further tested to confirm its potential as a probiotic strain in the production of sorghum wort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solange Aka
- UFR des Sciences et Technologies des Aliments, Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d'Ivoire; Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS), BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire.
| | - Bedis Dridi
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Alexandre Bolotin
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Elysée Armel Yapo
- UFR des Sciences et Technologies des Aliments, Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d'Ivoire; Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS), BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Marina Koussemon-Camara
- UFR des Sciences et Technologies des Aliments, Université Nangui Abrogoua, 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Bassirou Bonfoh
- Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS), BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Pierre Renault
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
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22
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de Maat V, Stege PB, Dedden M, Hamer M, van Pijkeren JP, Willems RJL, van Schaik W. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2020; 366:5697197. [PMID: 31905238 PMCID: PMC9189978 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnz256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecium is becoming increasingly prevalent as a cause of hospital-acquired, antibiotic-resistant infections. A fundamental part of research into E. faecium biology relies on the ability to generate targeted mutants but this process is currently labour-intensive and time-consuming, taking 4 to 5 weeks per mutant. In this report, we describe a method relying on the high recombination rates of E. faecium and the application of the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-Cas9 genome editing tool to more efficiently generate targeted mutants in the E. faecium chromosome. Using this tool and the multi-drug resistant clinical E. faecium strain E745, we generated a deletion mutant in the lacL gene, which encodes the large subunit of the E. faeciumβ-galactosidase. Blue/white screening using 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (X-gal) could be used to distinguish between the wild-type and lacL deletion mutant. We also inserted two copies of gfp into the intrinsic E. faecium macrolide resistance gene msrC to generate stable green fluorescent cells. We conclude that CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to generate targeted genome modifications in E. faecium in 3 weeks, with limited hands-on time. This method can potentially be implemented in other Gram-positive bacteria with high intrinsic recombination rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent de Maat
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Paul B Stege
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mark Dedden
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Maud Hamer
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jan-Peter van Pijkeren
- Department of Food Science, A203B Babcock Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Rob J L Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, Biosciences building, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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23
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Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) is a globally significant public health threat and was listed on the World Health Organization's 2017 list of high-priority pathogens for which new treatments are urgently needed. Treatment options for invasive VREfm infections are very limited, and outcomes are often poor. Whole-genome sequencing is providing important new insights into VREfm evolution, drug resistance and hospital adaptation, and is increasingly being used to track VREfm transmission within hospitals to detect outbreaks and inform infection control practices. This mini-review provides an overview of recent data on the use of genomics to understand and respond to the global problem of VREfm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Gorrie
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Charlie Higgs
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Glen Carter
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Timothy P Stinear
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Benjamin Howden
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia.,Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
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24
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Bayjanov JR, Baan J, Rogers MRC, Troelstra A, Willems RJL, van Schaik W. Enterococcus faecium genome dynamics during long-term asymptomatic patient gut colonization. Microb Genom 2019; 5:e000277. [PMID: 31166888 PMCID: PMC6700664 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is a gut commensal of humans and animals. In addition, it has recently emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen through the acquisition of genetic elements that confer resistance to antibiotics and virulence. We performed a whole-genome sequencing-based study on 96 multidrug-resistant E. faecium strains that asymptomatically colonized five patients with the aim of describing the genome dynamics of this species. The patients were hospitalized on multiple occasions and isolates were collected over periods ranging from 15 months to 6.5 years. Ninety-five of the sequenced isolates belonged to E. faecium clade A1, which was previously determined to be responsible for the vast majority of clinical infections. The clade A1 strains clustered into six clonal groups of highly similar isolates, three of which consisted entirely of isolates from a single patient. We also found evidence of concurrent colonization of patients by multiple distinct lineages and transfer of strains between patients during hospitalization. We estimated the evolutionary rate of two clonal groups that each colonized single patients at 12.6 and 25.2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)/genome/year. A detailed analysis of the accessory genome of one of the clonal groups revealed considerable variation due to gene gain and loss events, including the chromosomal acquisition of a 37 kbp prophage and the loss of an element containing carbohydrate metabolism-related genes. We determined the presence and location of 12 different insertion sequence (IS) elements, with ISEfa5 showing a unique pattern of location in 24 of the 25 isolates, suggesting widespread ISEfa5 excision and insertion into the genome during gut colonization. Our findings show that the E. faecium genome is highly dynamic during asymptomatic colonization of the human gut. We observed considerable genomic flexibility due to frequent horizontal gene transfer and recombination, which can contribute to the generation of genetic diversity within the species and, ultimately, can contribute to its success as a nosocomial pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jumamurat R. Bayjanov
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jery Baan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Malbert R. C. Rogers
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Annet Troelstra
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rob J. L. Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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25
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Expansion of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium in an Academic Tertiary Hospital in Southwest Germany: a Large-Scale Whole-Genome-Based Outbreak Investigation. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019; 63:AAC.01978-18. [PMID: 30782988 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01978-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) is a frequent cause of nosocomial outbreaks. In the second half of 2015, a sharp increase in the incidence of VREfm was observed at our university medical center. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to analyze the first isolates of VREfm recovered from patients between 2010 and 2016 (n = 773) in order to decipher epidemiological change, outbreak dynamics, and possible transmission routes. VREfm isolates were analyzed using whole-genome sequencing followed by sequence type extraction and phylogenetic analysis. We examined epidemiological data, room occupancy data, and patient transferals and calculated an intensity score for patient-to-patient contact. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of 38 NGS clusters and 110 single clones. The increase of VREfm was caused mainly by the expansion of two newly introduced NGS clusters, comprising VanB-type strains determined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) as sequence type 80 (ST80) and ST117. By combining phylogenetic information with epidemiological data, intrahospital transmission could be demonstrated, however to a lesser extent than initially expected based solely on epidemiological data. The outbreak clones were continuously imported from other hospitals, suggesting a change in the epidemiological situation at a regional scale. By tracking intrahospital patient transferals, two major axes could be identified that contributed to the spread of VREfm within the hospital. NGS-based outbreak analysis revealed a dramatic change in the local and regional epidemiology of VREfm, emphasizing the role of health care networks in the spread of VREfm.
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26
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Yang J, Yuan Y, Tang M, Liu L, Yang K, Liu J. Phenotypic and genetic characteristics of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Microb Pathog 2019; 128:131-135. [PMID: 30597255 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2018.12.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study was based on 43 vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) strains collected from clinical specimens. Susceptibility testing and resistance gene amplification revealed that these strains had multidrug resistance and all belonged to the VanA phenotype. Furthermore, there were seven ST types, and all belonged to the clonal complex (CC17); ST17 and ST78 were the main ST types. In particular, ST1392 and ST1394 are novel ST types first identified in this research. Genome analysis of SY1, LY19 and LY22 showed that tet(O)and tet(K) were the genes responsible for tetracycline resistance; acc(6')-Ie-aph(2')-Ia and aad(6) led to high-level gentamicin and high-level streptomycin resistance. At the same time, the genomic variation among the strains was large, which is of great significance for the prevention and control of the bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Yang
- Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou City, 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yi Yuan
- Neijiang First People's Hospital, Neijing City, 641000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Min Tang
- Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou City, 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Lian Liu
- Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou City, 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Kui Yang
- Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou City, 646000, Sichuan Province, China.
| | - Jinbo Liu
- Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou City, 646000, Sichuan Province, China.
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27
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Enterococcus faecium produces membrane vesicles containing virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance related proteins. J Proteomics 2018; 187:28-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2018.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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28
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Lee T, Pang S, Abraham S, Coombs GW. Antimicrobial-resistant CC17 Enterococcus faecium: The past, the present and the future. J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2018; 16:36-47. [PMID: 30149193 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2018.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is a robust opportunistic pathogen that is most commonly found as a commensal of the human and animal gut but can also survive in the environment. Since the introduction and use of antimicrobials, E. faecium has been found to rapidly acquire resistance genes that, when expressed, can effectively circumvent the effects of most antimicrobials. The rapid acquisition of multiple antimicrobial resistances has led to the adaptation of specific E. faecium clones in the hospital environment, collectively known as clonal complex 17 (CC17). CC17 E. faecium are responsible for a significant proportion of hospital-associated infections, which can cause severe morbidity and mortality. Here we review the history of E. faecium from commensal to a significant hospital-associated pathogen, its robust phenotypic characteristics, commonly used laboratory typing schemes, and antimicrobial resistances with a focus on vancomycin and its associated mechanism of resistance. Finally, we review the global epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant E. faecium and potential solutions to problems faced in public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terence Lee
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Stanley Pang
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia; PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Sam Abraham
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Geoffrey W Coombs
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia; PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Nedlands, WA, Australia.
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29
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van Hal SJ, Ip CLC, Ansari MA, Wilson DJ, Espedido BA, Jensen SO, Bowden R. Evolutionary dynamics of Enterococcus faecium reveals complex genomic relationships between isolates with independent emergence of vancomycin resistance. Microb Genom 2018; 2. [PMID: 27713836 PMCID: PMC5049587 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium, a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, remains problematic because of its propensity to acquire resistance to vancomycin, which currently is considered first-line therapy. Here, we assess the evolution and resistance acquisition dynamics of E. faecium in a clinical context using a series of 132 bloodstream infection isolates from a single hospital. All isolates, of which 49 (37 %) were vancomycin-resistant, underwent whole-genome sequencing. E. faecium was found to be subject to high rates of recombination with little evidence of sequence importation from outside the local E. faecium population. Apart from disrupting phylogenetic reconstruction, recombination was frequent enough to invalidate MLST typing in the identification of clonal expansion and transmission events, suggesting that, where available, whole-genome sequencing should be used in tracing the epidemiology of E. faecium nosocomial infections and establishing routes of transmission. Several forms of the Tn1549-like element–vanB gene cluster, which was exclusively responsible for vancomycin resistance, appeared and spread within the hospital during the study period. Several transposon gains and losses and instances of in situ evolution were inferred and, although usually chromosomal, the resistance element was also observed on a plasmid background. There was qualitative evidence for clonal expansions of both vancomycin-resistant and vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium with evidence of hospital-specific subclonal expansion. Our data are consistent with continuing evolution of this established hospital pathogen and confirm hospital vancomycin-susceptible and vancomycin-resistant E. faecium patient transmission events, underlining the need for careful consideration before modifying current E. faecium infection control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiaan J van Hal
- 2 Antibiotic Resistance & Mobile Elements Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,1 Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Camilla L C Ip
- 3 Oxford Genomics Centre, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - M Azim Ansari
- 4 Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, 34 Broad Street, Oxford, UK
| | - Daniel J Wilson
- 5 Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Bjorn A Espedido
- 2 Antibiotic Resistance & Mobile Elements Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,6 Molecular Medicine Research Group, School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Slade O Jensen
- 2 Antibiotic Resistance & Mobile Elements Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,6 Molecular Medicine Research Group, School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Rory Bowden
- 3 Oxford Genomics Centre, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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30
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Leinweber H, Alotaibi SMI, Overballe-Petersen S, Hansen F, Hasman H, Bortolaia V, Hammerum AM, Ingmer H. Vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecium isolated from Danish chicken meat is located on a pVEF4-like plasmid persisting in poultry for 18 years. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2018; 52:283-286. [PMID: 29621590 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2018.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The occurrence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in food is relevant to public health as foodborne VREfm may colonize the gut of consumers and transfer vancomycin resistance genes to the indigenous gut microbiota. Therefore, we determined occurrence and elucidated genetic traits of VREfm in Danish retail chicken meat. Three out of 40 samples (7.5%) from two slaughterhouses yielded VREfm (vancomycin MIC > 32 mg/L). This is the first report of VREfm in Danish retail poultry meat since 2010 (DANMAP). All three VREfm belonged to the sequence type ST32, cluster type CT1068. Using whole genome sequencing, we detected transposon Tn1546 harbouring the vanA operon encoding vancomycin resistance. The vanA operon was located on a 43.4 kb plasmid highly similar (99.9% identity across 97.5% of the sequence) to pVEF4, which was observed in VREfm in Norwegian poultry in 1998 and in Danish poultry in 2010. The remarkable persistence of a pVEF4-like plasmid in enterococcal populations may be explained by the presence of two independent plasmid stability systems, the ω/ε/ζ toxin-antitoxin system and the prgOPN gene cluster. Filter mating experiments showed that the pVEF4-like plasmid could transfer between E. faecium strains in vitro and that transfer occurred concomitantly with a larger, co-residing plasmid. The data presented here indicate that poultry meat constitutes a reservoir of VREfm and further investigations are needed to assess the risk of foodborne transmission to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Leinweber
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark; Institute for Microbiology and Biotechnology, Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Germany
| | - Sulaiman M I Alotaibi
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark; Foodborne Diseases Surveillance Center, Executive Department of Surveillance Centers & Crisis Management, Saudi Food & Drug Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Frank Hansen
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Hasman
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Valeria Bortolaia
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anette M Hammerum
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hanne Ingmer
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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31
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Freitas AR, Tedim AP, Novais C, Coque TM, Peixe L. Distribution of putative virulence markers in Enterococcus faecium: towards a safety profile review. J Antimicrob Chemother 2017; 73:306-319. [DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkx387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Freitas
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana P Tedim
- Servicio de Microbiología, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Unidad de Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana (RYC-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBER-ESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carla Novais
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Teresa M Coque
- Servicio de Microbiología, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Unidad de Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana (RYC-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBER-ESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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32
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Carkaci D, Højholt K, Nielsen XC, Dargis R, Rasmussen S, Skovgaard O, Fuursted K, Andersen PS, Stegger M, Christensen JJ. Genomic characterization, phylogenetic analysis, and identification of virulence factors in Aerococcus sanguinicola and Aerococcus urinae strains isolated from infection episodes. Microb Pathog 2017; 112:327-340. [PMID: 28943151 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2017.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Aerococcus sanguinicola and Aerococcus urinae are emerging pathogens in clinical settings mostly being causative agents of urinary tract infections (UTIs), urogenic sepsis and more seldomly complicated infective endocarditis (IE). Limited knowledge exists concerning the pathogenicity of these two species. Eight clinical A. sanguinicola (isolated from 2009 to 2015) and 40 clinical A. urinae (isolated from 1984 to 2015) strains from episodes of UTIs, bacteremia, and IE were whole-genome sequenced (WGS) to analyze genomic diversity and characterization of virulence genes involved in the bacterial pathogenicity. A. sanguinicola genome sizes were 2.06-2.12 Mb with 47.4-47.6% GC-contents, and 1783-1905 genes were predicted whereof 1170 were core-genes. In case of A. urinae strains, the genome sizes were 1.93-2.44 Mb with 41.6-42.6% GC-contents, and 1708-2256 genes of which 907 were core-genes. Marked differences were observed within A. urinae strains with respect to the average genome sizes, number and sequence identity of core-genes, proteome conservations, phylogenetic analysis, and putative capsular polysaccharide (CPS) loci sequences. Strains of A. sanguinicola showed high degree of homology. Phylogenetic analyses showed the 40 A. urinae strains formed two clusters according to two time periods: 1984-2004 strains and 2010-2015 strains. Genes that were homologs to virulence genes associated with bacterial adhesion and antiphagocytosis were identified by aligning A. sanguinicola and A. urinae pan- and core-genes against Virulence Factors of Bacterial Pathogens (VFDB). Bacterial adherence associated gene homologs were present in genomes of A. sanguinicola (htpB, fbpA, lmb, and ilpA) and A. urinae (htpB, lap, lmb, fbp54, and ilpA). Fifteen and 11-16 CPS gene homologs were identified in genomes of A. sanguinicola and A. urinae strains, respectively. Analysis of these genes identified one type of putative CPS locus within all A. sanguinicola strains. In A. urinae genomes, five different CPS loci types were identified with variations in CPS locus sizes, genetic content, and structural organization. In conclusion, this is the first study dealing with WGS and comparative genomics of clinical A. sanguinicola and A. urinae strains from episodes of UTIs, bacteremia, and IE. Gene homologs associated with antiphagocytosis and bacterial adherence were identified and genetic variability was observed within A. urinae genomes. These findings contribute with important knowledge and basis for future molecular and experimental pathogenicity study of UTIs, bacteremia, and IE causing A. sanguinicola and A. urinae strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derya Carkaci
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Slagelse Hospital, Slagelse, Denmark; Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark; Department of Microbiology & Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Katrine Højholt
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Slagelse Hospital, Slagelse, Denmark; Department of Bio and Health Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | | | - Rimtas Dargis
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Slagelse Hospital, Slagelse, Denmark.
| | - Simon Rasmussen
- Department of Bio and Health Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Ole Skovgaard
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Kurt Fuursted
- Department of Microbiology & Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Paal Skytt Andersen
- Department of Microbiology & Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Marc Stegger
- Department of Microbiology & Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Jens Jørgen Christensen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Slagelse Hospital, Slagelse, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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33
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Xing S, Zhang X, Sun Q, Wang J, Mi Z, Pei G, Huang Y, An X, Fu K, Zhou L, Zhao B, Tong Y. Complete genome sequence of a novel, virulent Ahjdlikevirus bacteriophage that infects Enterococcus faecium. Arch Virol 2017; 162:3843-3847. [PMID: 28812171 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-017-3503-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A novel virulent bacteriophage named vB_EfaP_IME199 that specifically infects Enterococcus faecium was isolated and characterized. Its optimal multiplicity of infection was 0.01, and it had a 30 minute outbreak period. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the phage has a dsDNA genome of 18,838 bp with 22 open reading frames. The genome has very low homology to all other bacteriophage sequences in the GenBank database. Run-off sequencing experiments confirmed that vB_EfaP_IME199 has short inverted terminal repeats. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that vB_EfaP_IME199 can be taxonomically classified as a new member of the genus Ahjdlikevirus of family Podoviridae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaozhen Xing
- Life Science Institute, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, Hebei, China
| | - Xianglilan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Qiang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Jian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Zhiqiang Mi
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Guangqian Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Yong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Xiaoping An
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Kaifei Fu
- Central Laboratory, Navy General Hospital, 6 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Lijun Zhou
- Central Laboratory, Navy General Hospital, 6 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100048, China.
| | - Baohua Zhao
- Life Science Institute, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, Hebei, China.
| | - Yigang Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, China.
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Bacigalupe R, Lindsay D, Edwards G, Fitzgerald JR. Population Genomics of Legionella longbeachae and Hidden Complexities of Infection Source Attribution. Emerg Infect Dis 2017; 23:750-757. [PMID: 28418314 PMCID: PMC5403047 DOI: 10.3201/eid2305.161165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella longbeachae is the primary cause of legionellosis in Australasia and Southeast Asia and an emerging pathogen in Europe and the United States; however, our understanding of the population diversity of L. longbeachae from patient and environmental sources is limited. We analyzed the genomes of 64 L. longbeachae isolates, of which 29 were from a cluster of legionellosis cases linked to commercial growing media in Scotland in 2013 and 35 were non-outbreak-associated isolates from Scotland and other countries. We identified extensive genetic diversity across the L. longbeachae species, associated with intraspecies and interspecies gene flow, and a wide geographic distribution of closely related genotypes. Of note, we observed a highly diverse pool of L. longbeachae genotypes within compost samples that precluded the genetic establishment of an infection source. These data represent a view of the genomic diversity of L. longbeachae that will inform strategies for investigating future outbreaks.
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35
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Homologous Recombination within Large Chromosomal Regions Facilitates Acquisition of β-Lactam and Vancomycin Resistance in Enterococcus faecium. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2016; 60:5777-86. [PMID: 27431230 PMCID: PMC5038250 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00488-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The transfer of DNA between Enterococcus faecium strains has been characterized both by the movement of well-defined genetic elements and by the large-scale transfer of genomic DNA fragments. In this work, we report on the whole-genome analysis of transconjugants resulting from mating events between the vancomycin-resistant E. faecium C68 strain and the vancomycin-susceptible D344RRF strain to discern the mechanism by which the transferred regions enter the recipient chromosome. Vancomycin-resistant transconjugants from five independent matings were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing. In all cases but one, the penicillin binding protein 5 (pbp5) gene and the Tn5382 vancomycin resistance transposon were transferred together and replaced the corresponding pbp5 region of D344RRF. In one instance, Tn5382 inserted independently downstream of the D344RRF pbp5 gene. Single nucleotide variant (SNV) analysis suggested that entry of donor DNA into the recipient chromosome occurred by recombination across regions of homology between donor and recipient chromosomes, rather than through insertion sequence-mediated transposition. The transfer of genomic DNA was also associated with the transfer of C68 plasmid pLRM23 and another putative plasmid. Our data are consistent with the initiation of transfer by cointegration of a transferable plasmid with the donor chromosome, with subsequent circularization of the plasmid-chromosome cointegrant in the donor prior to transfer. Entry into the recipient chromosome most commonly occurred across regions of homology between donor and recipient chromosomes.
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36
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Watkins ER, Maiden MC, Gupta S. Metabolic competition as a driver of bacterial population structure. Future Microbiol 2016; 11:1339-1357. [PMID: 27660887 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2016-0079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the processes whereby diversity arises and is maintained in pathogen populations is pivotal for designing disease control interventions. A particular problem is the maintenance of strain structure in bacterial pathogen populations despite frequent genetic exchange. Although several theoretical frameworks have been put forward to explain this widespread phenomenon, few have focused on the role of genes encoding metabolic functions, despite an increasing recognition of their importance in pathogenesis and transmission. In this article, we review the literature for evidence of metabolic niches within the host and discuss theoretical frameworks which examine ecological interactions between metabolic genes. We contend that metabolic competition is an important phenomenon which contributes to the maintenance of population structure and diversity of many bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R Watkins
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Martin Cj Maiden
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Sunetra Gupta
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
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37
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Tolo I, Thomas JC, Fischer RSB, Brown EL, Gray BM, Robinson DA. Do Staphylococcus epidermidis Genetic Clusters Predict Isolation Sources? J Clin Microbiol 2016; 54:1711-1719. [PMID: 27076664 PMCID: PMC4922092 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.03345-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus epidermidis is a ubiquitous colonizer of human skin and a common cause of medical device-associated infections. The extent to which the population genetic structure of S. epidermidis distinguishes commensal from pathogenic isolates is unclear. Previously, Bayesian clustering of 437 multilocus sequence types (STs) in the international database revealed a population structure of six genetic clusters (GCs) that may reflect the species' ecology. Here, we first verified the presence of six GCs, including two (GC3 and GC5) with significant admixture, in an updated database of 578 STs. Next, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay was developed that accurately assigned 545 (94%) of 578 STs to GCs. Finally, the hypothesis that GCs could distinguish isolation sources was tested by SNP typing and GC assignment of 154 isolates from hospital patients with bacteremia and those with blood culture contaminants and from nonhospital carriage. GC5 was isolated almost exclusively from hospital sources. GC1 and GC6 were isolated from all sources but were overrepresented in isolates from nonhospital and infection sources, respectively. GC2, GC3, and GC4 were relatively rare in this collection. No association was detected between fdh-positive isolates (GC2 and GC4) and nonhospital sources. Using a machine learning algorithm, GCs predicted hospital and nonhospital sources with 80% accuracy and predicted infection and contaminant sources with 45% accuracy, which was comparable to the results seen with a combination of five genetic markers (icaA, IS256, sesD [bhp], mecA, and arginine catabolic mobile element [ACME]). Thus, analysis of population structure with subgenomic data shows the distinction of hospital and nonhospital sources and the near-inseparability of sources within a hospital.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaiah Tolo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
| | | | - Rebecca S B Fischer
- Center for Infectious Disease, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Eric L Brown
- Center for Infectious Disease, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Barry M Gray
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, Illinois, USA
| | - D Ashley Robinson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
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38
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Guzman Prieto AM, van Schaik W, Rogers MRC, Coque TM, Baquero F, Corander J, Willems RJL. Global Emergence and Dissemination of Enterococci as Nosocomial Pathogens: Attack of the Clones? Front Microbiol 2016; 7:788. [PMID: 27303380 PMCID: PMC4880559 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococci are Gram-positive bacteria that are found in plants, soil and as commensals of the gastrointestinal tract of humans, mammals, and insects. Despite their commensal nature, they have also become globally important nosocomial pathogens. Within the genus Enterococcus, Enterococcus faecium, and Enterococcus faecalis are clinically most relevant. In this review, we will discuss how E. faecium and E. faecalis have evolved to become a globally disseminated nosocomial pathogen. E. faecium has a defined sub-population that is associated with hospitalized patients and is rarely encountered in community settings. These hospital-associated clones are characterized by the acquisition of adaptive genetic elements, including genes involved in metabolism, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance. In contrast to E. faecium, clones of E. faecalis isolated from hospitalized patients, including strains causing clinical infections, are not exclusively found in hospitals but are also present in healthy individuals and animals. This observation suggests that the division between commensals and hospital-adapted lineages is less clear for E. faecalis than for E. faecium. In addition, genes that are reported to be associated with virulence of E. faecalis are often not unique to clinical isolates, but are also found in strains that originate from commensal niches. As a reflection of more ancient association of E. faecalis with different hosts, these determinants Thus, they may not represent genuine virulence genes but may act as host-adaptive functions that are useful in a variety of intestinal environments. The scope of the review is to summarize recent trends in the emergence of antibiotic resistance and explore recent developments in the molecular epidemiology, population structure and mechanisms of adaptation of E. faecium and E. faecalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Guzman Prieto
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Malbert R C Rogers
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Teresa M Coque
- Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación SanitariaMadrid, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud PúblicaMadrid, Spain; Unidad de Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana Asociada al Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Baquero
- Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación SanitariaMadrid, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud PúblicaMadrid, Spain; Unidad de Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana Asociada al Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rob J L Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands
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39
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The impact of host metapopulation structure on the population genetics of colonizing bacteria. J Theor Biol 2016; 396:53-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2015] [Revised: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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40
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Gong P, Cheng M, Li X, Jiang H, Yu C, Kahaer N, Li J, Zhang L, Xia F, Hu L, Sun C, Feng X, Lei L, Han W, Gu J. Characterization of Enterococcus faecium bacteriophage IME-EFm5 and its endolysin LysEFm5. Virology 2016; 492:11-20. [PMID: 26896930 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2016.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2015] [Revised: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Due to the worldwide prevalence of antibiotic resistant strains, phages therapy has been revitalized recently. In this study, an Enterococcus faecium phage named IME-EFm5 was isolated from hospital sewage. Whole genomic sequence analysis demonstrated that IME-EFm5 belong to the Siphoviridae family, and has a double-stranded genome of 42,265bp (with a 35.51% G+C content) which contains 70 putative coding sequences. LysEFm5, the endolysin of IME-EFm5, contains an amidase domain in its N-terminal and has a wider bactericidal spectrum than its parental phage IME-EFm5, including 7 strains of vancomycin-resistant E. faecium. The mutagenesis analysis revealed that the zinc ion binding residues (H27, H132, and C140), E90, and T138 are required for the catalysis of LysEFm5. However, the antibacterial activity of LysEFm5 is zinc ion independent, which is inconsistent with most of other amidase members. The phage lysin LysEFm5 might be an alternative treatment strategy for infections caused by multidrug-resistant E. faecium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengjuan Gong
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Mengjun Cheng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Xinwei Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Haiyan Jiang
- The first affiliated hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130021, PR China
| | - Chuang Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Nadire Kahaer
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Juecheng Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Lei Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Feifei Xia
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Liyuan Hu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Changjiang Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Xin Feng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Liancheng Lei
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China
| | - Wenyu Han
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, PR China
| | - Jingmin Gu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China.
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Bortolaia V, Espinosa-Gongora C, Guardabassi L. Human health risks associated with antimicrobial-resistant enterococci and Staphylococcus aureus on poultry meat. Clin Microbiol Infect 2015; 22:130-140. [PMID: 26706616 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Revised: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Enterococci and staphylococci are frequent contaminants on poultry meat. Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus are also well-known aetiological agents of a wide variety of infections resulting in major healthcare costs. This review provides an overview of the human health risks associated with the occurrence of these opportunistic human pathogens on poultry meat with particular focus on the risk of food-borne transmission of antimicrobial resistance. In the absence of conclusive evidence of transmission, this risk was inferred using data from scientific articles and national reports on prevalence, bacterial load, antimicrobial resistance and clonal distribution of these three species on poultry meat. The risks associated with ingestion of antimicrobial-resistant enterococci of poultry origin comprise horizontal transfer of resistance genes and transmission of multidrug-resistant E. faecalis lineages such as sequence type ST16. Enterococcus faecium lineages occurring in poultry meat products are distantly related to those causing hospital-acquired infections but may act as donors of quinupristin/dalfopristin resistance and other resistance determinants of clinical interest to the human gut microbiota. Ingestion of poultry meat contaminated with S. aureus may lead to food poisoning. However, antimicrobial resistance in the toxin-producing strains does not have clinical implications because food poisoning is not managed by antimicrobial therapy. Recently methicillin-resistant S. aureus of livestock origin has been reported on poultry meat. In theory handling or ingestion of contaminated meat is a potential risk factor for colonization by methicillin-resistant S. aureus. However, this risk is presently regarded as negligible by public health authorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Bortolaia
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - C Espinosa-Gongora
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - L Guardabassi
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St Kitts, West Indies.
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42
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Core Genome Multilocus Sequence Typing Scheme for High-Resolution Typing of Enterococcus faecium. J Clin Microbiol 2015; 53:3788-97. [DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01946-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Enterococcus faecium
, a common inhabitant of the human gut, has emerged in the last 2 decades as an important multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen. Since the start of the 21st century, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) has been used to study the molecular epidemiology of
E. faecium
. However, due to the use of a small number of genes, the resolution of MLST is limited. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) now allows for high-resolution tracing of outbreaks, but current WGS-based approaches lack standardization, rendering them less suitable for interlaboratory prospective surveillance. To overcome this limitation, we developed a core genome MLST (cgMLST) scheme for
E. faecium
. cgMLST transfers genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) diversity into a standardized and portable allele numbering system that is far less computationally intensive than SNP-based analysis of WGS data. The
E. faecium
cgMLST scheme was built using 40 genome sequences that represented the diversity of the species. The scheme consists of 1,423 cgMLST target genes. To test the performance of the scheme, we performed WGS analysis of 103 outbreak isolates from five different hospitals in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. The cgMLST scheme performed well in distinguishing between epidemiologically related and unrelated isolates, even between those that had the same sequence type (ST), which denotes the higher discriminatory power of this cgMLST scheme over that of conventional MLST. We also show that in terms of resolution, the performance of the
E. faecium
cgMLST scheme is equivalent to that of an SNP-based approach. In conclusion, the cgMLST scheme developed in this study facilitates rapid, standardized, and high-resolution tracing of
E. faecium
outbreaks.
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43
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Spoor LE, Richardson E, Richards AC, Wilson GJ, Mendonca C, Gupta RK, McAdam PR, Nutbeam-Tuffs S, Black NS, O'Gara JP, Lee CY, Corander J, Ross Fitzgerald J. Recombination-mediated remodelling of host-pathogen interactions during Staphylococcus aureus niche adaptation. Microb Genom 2015; 1:e000036. [PMID: 28348819 PMCID: PMC5320625 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Large-scale recombination events have led to the emergence of epidemic clones of several major bacterial pathogens. However, the functional impact of the recombination on clonal success is not understood. Here, we identified a novel widespread hybrid clone (ST71) of livestock-associated Staphylococcus aureus that evolved from an ancestor belonging to the major bovine lineage CC97, through multiple large-scale recombination events with other S. aureus lineages occupying the same ruminant niche. The recombination events, affecting a 329 kb region of the chromosome spanning the origin of replication, resulted in allele replacement and loss or gain of an array of genes influencing host–pathogen interactions. Of note, molecular functional analyses revealed that the ST71 hybrid clone has acquired multiple novel pathogenic traits associated with acquired and innate immune evasion and bovine extracellular matrix adherence. These findings provide a paradigm for the impact of large-scale recombination events on the rapid evolution of bacterial pathogens within defined ecological niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Spoor
- The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Emily Richardson
- The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Amy C Richards
- The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Gillian J Wilson
- The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Chriselle Mendonca
- The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Ravi Kr Gupta
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas School for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Paul R McAdam
- The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Stephen Nutbeam-Tuffs
- The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
| | - Nikki S Black
- Department of Microbiology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
| | - James P O'Gara
- Department of Microbiology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
| | - Chia Y Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas School for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - J Ross Fitzgerald
- The Roslin Institute and Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, UK
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44
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Reuter S, Corander J, de Been M, Harris S, Cheng L, Hall M, Thomson NR, McNally A. Directional gene flow and ecological separation in Yersinia enterocolitica. Microb Genom 2015; 1:e000030. [PMID: 28348815 PMCID: PMC5320568 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Yersinia enterocolitica is a common cause of food-borne gastroenteritis worldwide. Recent work defining the phylogeny of the genus Yersinia subdivided Y. enterocolitica into six distinct phylogroups. Here, we provide detailed analyses of the evolutionary processes leading to the emergence of these phylogroups. The dominant phylogroups isolated from human infections, PG3–5, show very little diversity at the sequence level, but do present marked patterns of gain and loss of functions, including those involved in pathogenicity and metabolism, including the acquisition of phylogroup-specific O-antigen loci. We tracked gene flow across the species in the core and accessory genome, and show that the non-pathogenic PG1 strains act as a reservoir for diversity, frequently acting as donors in recombination events. Analysis of the core and accessory genome also suggested that the different Y. enterocolitica phylogroups may be ecologically separated, in contrast to the long-held belief of common shared ecological niches across the Y. enterocolitica species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Reuter
- Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.,Pathogen Research Group, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mark de Been
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Simon Harris
- Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Lu Cheng
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miquette Hall
- Pathogen Research Group, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Nicholas R Thomson
- Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.,Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Alan McNally
- Pathogen Research Group, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
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45
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Complex Population Structure and Virulence Differences among Serotype 2 Streptococcus suis Strains Belonging to Sequence Type 28. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137760. [PMID: 26375680 PMCID: PMC4574206 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus suis is a major swine pathogen and a zoonotic agent. Serotype 2 strains are the most frequently associated with disease. However, not all serotype 2 lineages are considered virulent. Indeed, sequence type (ST) 28 serotype 2 S. suis strains have been described as a homogeneous group of low virulence. However, ST28 strains are often isolated from diseased swine in some countries, and at least four human ST28 cases have been reported. Here, we used whole-genome sequencing and animal infection models to test the hypothesis that the ST28 lineage comprises strains of different genetic backgrounds and different virulence. We used 50 S. suis ST28 strains isolated in Canada, the United States and Japan from diseased pigs, and one ST28 strain from a human case isolated in Thailand. We report a complex population structure among the 51 ST28 strains. Diversity resulted from variable gene content, recombination events and numerous genome-wide polymorphisms not attributable to recombination. Phylogenetic analysis using core genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms revealed four discrete clades with strong geographic structure, and a fifth clade formed by US, Thai and Japanese strains. When tested in experimental animal models, strains from this latter clade were significantly more virulent than a Canadian ST28 reference strain, and a closely related Canadian strain. Our results highlight the limitations of MLST for both phylogenetic analysis and virulence prediction and raise concerns about the possible emergence of ST28 strains in human clinical cases.
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46
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Distinct SagA from Hospital-Associated Clade A1 Enterococcus faecium Strains Contributes to Biofilm Formation. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015. [PMID: 26209668 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01716-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is an important nosocomial pathogen causing biofilm-mediated infections. Elucidation of E. faecium biofilm pathogenesis is pivotal for the development of new strategies to treat these infections. In several bacteria, extracellular DNA (eDNA) and proteins act as matrix components contributing to biofilm development. In this study, we investigated biofilm formation capacity and the roles of eDNA and secreted proteins for 83 E. faecium strains with different phylogenetic origins that clustered in clade A1 and clade B. Although there was no significant difference in biofilm formation between E. faecium strains from these two clades, the addition of DNase I or proteinase K to biofilms demonstrated that eDNA is essential for biofilm formation in most E. faecium strains, whereas proteolysis impacted primarily biofilms of E. faecium clade A1 strains. Secreted antigen A (SagA) was the most abundant protein in biofilms from E. faecium clade A1 and B strains, although its localization differed between the two groups. sagA was present in all sequenced E. faecium strains, with a consistent difference in the repeat region between the clades, which correlated with the susceptibility of biofilms to proteinase K. This indicates an association between the SagA variable repeat profile and the localization and contribution of SagA in E. faecium biofilms.
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47
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Fraqueza MJ. Antibiotic resistance of lactic acid bacteria isolated from dry-fermented sausages. Int J Food Microbiol 2015; 212:76-88. [PMID: 26002560 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2015.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2014] [Revised: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Dry-fermented sausages are meat products highly valued by many consumers. Manufacturing process involves fermentation driven by natural microbiota or intentionally added starter cultures and further drying. The most relevant fermentative microbiota is lactic acid bacteria (LAB) such as Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and Enterococcus, producing mainly lactate and contributing to product preservation. The great diversity of LAB in dry-fermented sausages is linked to manufacturing practices. Indigenous starters development is considered to be a very promising field, because it allows for high sanitary and sensorial quality of sausage production. LAB have a long history of safe use in fermented food, however, since they are present in human gastrointestinal tract, and are also intentionally added to the diet, concerns have been raised about the antimicrobial resistance in these beneficial bacteria. In fact, the food chain has been recognized as one of the key routes of antimicrobial resistance transmission from animal to human bacterial populations. The World Health Organization 2014 report on global surveillance of antimicrobial resistance reveals that this issue is no longer a future prediction, since evidences establish a link between the antimicrobial drugs use in food-producing animals and the emergence of resistance among common pathogens. This poses a risk to the treatment of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. This review describes the possible sources and transmission routes of antibiotic resistant LAB of dry-fermented sausages, presenting LAB antibiotic resistance profile and related genetic determinants. Whenever LAB are used as starters in dry-fermented sausages processing, safety concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance should be addressed since antibiotic resistant genes could be mobilized and transferred to other bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Fraqueza
- CIISA, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
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48
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Méric G, Miragaia M, de Been M, Yahara K, Pascoe B, Mageiros L, Mikhail J, Harris LG, Wilkinson TS, Rolo J, Lamble S, Bray JE, Jolley KA, Hanage WP, Bowden R, Maiden MCJ, Mack D, de Lencastre H, Feil EJ, Corander J, Sheppard SK. Ecological Overlap and Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 7:1313-28. [PMID: 25888688 PMCID: PMC4453061 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evv066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The opportunistic pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis represent major causes of severe nosocomial infection, and are associated with high levels of mortality and morbidity worldwide. These species are both common commensals on the human skin and in the nasal pharynx, but are genetically distinct, differing at 24% average nucleotide divergence in 1,478 core genes. To better understand the genome dynamics of these ecologically similar staphylococcal species, we carried out a comparative analysis of 324 S. aureus and S. epidermidis genomes, including 83 novel S. epidermidis sequences. A reference pan-genome approach and whole genome multilocus-sequence typing revealed that around half of the genome was shared between the species. Based on a BratNextGen analysis, homologous recombination was found to have impacted on 40% of the core genes in S. epidermidis, but on only 24% of the core genes in S. aureus. Homologous recombination between the species is rare, with a maximum of nine gene alleles shared between any two S. epidermidis and S. aureus isolates. In contrast, there was considerable interspecies admixture of mobile elements, in particular genes associated with the SaPIn1 pathogenicity island, metal detoxification, and the methicillin-resistance island SCCmec. Our data and analysis provide a context for considering the nature of recombinational boundaries between S. aureus and S. epidermidis and, the selective forces that influence realized recombination between these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Méric
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Miragaia
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal Laboratory of Bacterial Evolution and Molecular Epidemiology, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Mark de Been
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Koji Yahara
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom The Biostatistics Center, Kurume University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Ben Pascoe
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom MRC CLIMB Consortium, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Leonardos Mageiros
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Mikhail
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Llinos G Harris
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas S Wilkinson
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Joana Rolo
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal Laboratory of Bacterial Evolution and Molecular Epidemiology, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Sarah Lamble
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - James E Bray
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Keith A Jolley
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - William P Hanage
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Harvard School of Public Health
| | - Rory Bowden
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Dietrich Mack
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Hermínia de Lencastre
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Edward J Feil
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Jukka Corander
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel K Sheppard
- College of Medicine, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom MRC CLIMB Consortium, Institute of Life Science, Swansea University, United Kingdom
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49
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Morgan XC, Kabakchiev B, Waldron L, Tyler AD, Tickle TL, Milgrom R, Stempak JM, Gevers D, Xavier RJ, Silverberg MS, Huttenhower C. Associations between host gene expression, the mucosal microbiome, and clinical outcome in the pelvic pouch of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Genome Biol 2015; 16:67. [PMID: 25887922 PMCID: PMC4414286 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-015-0637-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pouchitis is common after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) surgery for ulcerative colitis (UC). Similar to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), both host genetics and the microbiota are implicated in its pathogenesis. We use the IPAA model of IBD to associate mucosal host gene expression with mucosal microbiomes and clinical outcomes. We analyze host transcriptomic data and 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from paired biopsies from IPAA patients with UC and familial adenomatous polyposis. To achieve power for a genome-wide microbiome-transcriptome association study, we use principal component analysis for transcript and clade reduction, and identify significant co-variation between clades and transcripts. RESULTS Host transcripts co-vary primarily with biopsy location and inflammation, while microbes co-vary primarily with antibiotic use. Transcript-microbe associations are surprisingly modest, but the most strongly microbially-associated host transcript pattern is enriched for complement cascade genes and for the interleukin-12 pathway. Activation of these host processes is inversely correlated with Sutterella, Akkermansia, Bifidobacteria, and Roseburia abundance, and positively correlated with Escherichia abundance. CONCLUSIONS This study quantifies the effects of inflammation, antibiotic use, and biopsy location upon the microbiome and host transcriptome during pouchitis. Understanding these effects is essential for basic biological insights as well as for well-designed and adequately-powered studies. Additionally, our study provides a method for profiling host-microbe interactions with appropriate statistical power using high-throughput sequencing, and suggests that cross-sectional changes in gut epithelial transcription are not a major component of the host-microbiome regulatory interface during pouchitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xochitl C Morgan
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main St, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
| | - Boyko Kabakchiev
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases, University of Toronto, 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X5, Canada.
| | - Levi Waldron
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,City University of New York School of Public Health, Hunter College, 2180 3rd Ave Rm 538, New York, NY, 10035-4003, USA.
| | - Andrea D Tyler
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases, University of Toronto, 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X5, Canada.
| | - Timothy L Tickle
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main St, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
| | - Raquel Milgrom
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases, University of Toronto, 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X5, Canada.
| | - Joanne M Stempak
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases, University of Toronto, 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X5, Canada.
| | - Dirk Gevers
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main St, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
| | - Ramnik J Xavier
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main St, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
| | - Mark S Silverberg
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Zane Cohen Centre for Digestive Diseases, University of Toronto, 600 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X5, Canada.
| | - Curtis Huttenhower
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main St, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
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50
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Zischka M, Künne CT, Blom J, Wobser D, Sakιnç T, Schmidt-Hohagen K, Dabrowski PW, Nitsche A, Hübner J, Hain T, Chakraborty T, Linke B, Goesmann A, Voget S, Daniel R, Schomburg D, Hauck R, Hafez HM, Tielen P, Jahn D, Solheim M, Sadowy E, Larsen J, Jensen LB, Ruiz-Garbajosa P, Quiñones Pérez D, Mikalsen T, Bender J, Steglich M, Nübel U, Witte W, Werner G. Comprehensive molecular, genomic and phenotypic analysis of a major clone of Enterococcus faecalis MLST ST40. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:175. [PMID: 25887115 PMCID: PMC4374294 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1367-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Enterococcus faecalis is a multifaceted microorganism known to act as a beneficial intestinal commensal bacterium. It is also a dreaded nosocomial pathogen causing life-threatening infections in hospitalised patients. Isolates of a distinct MLST type ST40 represent the most frequent strain type of this species, distributed worldwide and originating from various sources (animal, human, environmental) and different conditions (colonisation/infection). Since enterococci are known to be highly recombinogenic we determined to analyse the microevolution and niche adaptation of this highly distributed clonal type. Results We compared a set of 42 ST40 isolates by assessing key molecular determinants, performing whole genome sequencing (WGS) and a number of phenotypic assays including resistance profiling, formation of biofilm and utilisation of carbon sources. We generated the first circular closed reference genome of an E. faecalis isolate D32 of animal origin and compared it with the genomes of other reference strains. D32 was used as a template for detailed WGS comparisons of high-quality draft genomes of 14 ST40 isolates. Genomic and phylogenetic analyses suggest a high level of similarity regarding the core genome, also demonstrated by similar carbon utilisation patterns. Distribution of known and putative virulence-associated genes did not differentiate between ST40 strains from a commensal and clinical background or an animal or human source. Further analyses of mobile genetic elements (MGE) revealed genomic diversity owed to: (1) a modularly structured pathogenicity island; (2) a site-specifically integrated and previously unknown genomic island of 138 kb in two strains putatively involved in exopolysaccharide synthesis; and (3) isolate-specific plasmid and phage patterns. Moreover, we used different cell-biological and animal experiments to compare the isolate D32 with a closely related ST40 endocarditis isolate whose draft genome sequence was also generated. D32 generally showed a greater capacity of adherence to human cell lines and an increased pathogenic potential in various animal models in combination with an even faster growth in vivo (not in vitro). Conclusion Molecular, genomic and phenotypic analysis of representative isolates of a major clone of E. faecalis MLST ST40 revealed new insights into the microbiology of a commensal bacterium which can turn into a conditional pathogen. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1367-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Zischka
- Division of Nosocomial Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistances, Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode Branch, Burgstr. 37, D-38855, Wernigerode, Germany. .,Present address: Institute for Pathology, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany.
| | - Carsten T Künne
- Functional Genomics of Bacterial Pathogens, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Campus Giessen, Giessen, Germany. .,Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany.
| | - Jochen Blom
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)/University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany. .,Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Dominique Wobser
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Türkân Sakιnç
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Kerstin Schmidt-Hohagen
- Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - P Wojtek Dabrowski
- Robert Koch Institute, ZBS 1 Highly Pathogenic Viruses, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Andreas Nitsche
- Robert Koch Institute, ZBS 1 Highly Pathogenic Viruses, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Johannes Hübner
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. .,Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.
| | - Torsten Hain
- Functional Genomics of Bacterial Pathogens, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Campus Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Trinad Chakraborty
- Functional Genomics of Bacterial Pathogens, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Campus Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Burkhard Linke
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)/University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany. .,Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Alexander Goesmann
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)/University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany. .,Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Sonja Voget
- Goettingen Genomics Laboratory, Georg August University, Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Goettingen Genomics Laboratory, Georg August University, Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Dietmar Schomburg
- Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Rüdiger Hauck
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Poultry Diseases, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Hafez M Hafez
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Poultry Diseases, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Petra Tielen
- Institute for Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Dieter Jahn
- Institute for Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Margrete Solheim
- Laboratory of Microbial Gene Technology and Food Microbiology, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
| | - Ewa Sadowy
- National Medicines Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
| | | | - Lars B Jensen
- Division of Microbiology, National Food Institute, Danish Technical University, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | | | - Dianelys Quiñones Pérez
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí, Servicio de Bacteriología-Micología, La Habana, Cuba.
| | - Theresa Mikalsen
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Research Group for Host Microbe Interactions, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Jennifer Bender
- Division of Nosocomial Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistances, Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode Branch, Burgstr. 37, D-38855, Wernigerode, Germany.
| | - Matthias Steglich
- Division of Nosocomial Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistances, Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode Branch, Burgstr. 37, D-38855, Wernigerode, Germany.
| | - Ulrich Nübel
- Division of Nosocomial Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistances, Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode Branch, Burgstr. 37, D-38855, Wernigerode, Germany. .,Leibniz-Institut DSMZ - Deutsche Sammlung von Mikrorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Wolfgang Witte
- Division of Nosocomial Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistances, Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode Branch, Burgstr. 37, D-38855, Wernigerode, Germany.
| | - Guido Werner
- Division of Nosocomial Pathogens and Antibiotic Resistances, Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode Branch, Burgstr. 37, D-38855, Wernigerode, Germany.
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