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Wei Y, Palacios Araya D, Palmer KL. Enterococcus faecium: evolution, adaptation, pathogenesis and emerging therapeutics. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024:10.1038/s41579-024-01058-6. [PMID: 38890478 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-024-01058-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
The opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus faecium colonizes humans and a wide range of animals, endures numerous stresses, resists antibiotic treatment and stubbornly persists in clinical environments. The widespread application of antibiotics in hospitals and agriculture has contributed to the emergence of vancomycin-resistant E. faecium, which causes many hospital-acquired infections. In this Review, we explore recent discoveries about the evolutionary history, the environmental adaptation and the colonization and dissemination mechanisms of E. faecium and vancomycin-resistant E. faecium. These studies provide critical insights necessary for developing novel preventive and therapeutic approaches against vancomycin-resistant E. faecium and also reveal the intricate interrelationships between the environment, the microorganism and the host, providing knowledge that is broadly relevant to how antibiotic-resistant pathogens emerge and endure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahan Wei
- School of Podiatric Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Harlingen, TX, USA
| | - Dennise Palacios Araya
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Kelli L Palmer
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
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2
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Hallenbeck M, Chua M, Collins J. The role of the universal sugar transport system components PtsI (EI) and PtsH (HPr) in Enterococcus faecium. FEMS MICROBES 2024; 5:xtae018. [PMID: 38988831 PMCID: PMC11234649 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtae018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) pose a serious threat to public health because of their limited treatment options. Therefore, there is an increasing need to identify novel targets to develop new drugs. Here, we examined the roles of the universal PTS components, PtsI and PtsH, in Enterococcus faecium to determine their roles in carbon metabolism, biofilm formation, stress response, and the ability to compete in the gastrointestinal tract. Clean deletion of ptsHI resulted in a significant reduction in the ability to import and metabolize simple sugars, attenuated growth rate, reduced biofilm formation, and decreased competitive fitness both in vitro and in vivo. However, no significant difference in stress survival was observed when compared with the wild type. These results suggest that targeting universal or specific PTS may provide a novel treatment strategy by reducing the fitness of E. faecium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Hallenbeck
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, United States
- Center for Predictive Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, United States
| | - Michelle Chua
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, United States
- Center for Predictive Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, United States
| | - James Collins
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, United States
- Center for Predictive Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, United States
- Center for Microbiomics, Inflammation and Pathogenicity, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, United States
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3
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Sangiorgio G, Calvo M, Migliorisi G, Campanile F, Stefani S. The Impact of Enterococcus spp. in the Immunocompromised Host: A Comprehensive Review. Pathogens 2024; 13:409. [PMID: 38787261 PMCID: PMC11124283 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13050409] [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: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 05/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The immunocompromised host is usually vulnerable to infectious diseases due to broad-spectrum treatments and immunological dysregulation. The Enterococcus genus consists of normal gut commensals, which acquire a leading role in infective processes among individuals with compromised immune systems. These microorganisms may express a potential virulence and resistance spectrum, enabling their function as severe pathogens. The Enterococcus spp. infections in immunocompromised hosts appear to be difficult to resolve due to the immunological response impairment and the possibility of facing antimicrobial-resistant strains. As regards the related risk factors, several data demonstrated that prior antibiotic exposure, medical device insertion, prolonged hospitalization and surgical interventions may lead to Enterococcus overgrowth, antibiotic resistance and spread among critical healthcare settings. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of Enterococcus spp. in the immunocompromised host, summarizing the available knowledge about virulence factors, antimicrobial-resistance mechanisms and host-pathogen interaction. The review ultimately yearns for more substantial support to further investigations about enterococcal infections and immunocompromised host response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Sangiorgio
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 97, 95123 Catania, Italy; (F.C.); (S.S.)
| | - Maddalena Calvo
- U.O.C. Laboratory Analysis Unit, University Hospital Policlinico-San Marco, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.C.); (G.M.)
| | - Giuseppe Migliorisi
- U.O.C. Laboratory Analysis Unit, University Hospital Policlinico-San Marco, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.C.); (G.M.)
| | - Floriana Campanile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 97, 95123 Catania, Italy; (F.C.); (S.S.)
| | - Stefania Stefani
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 97, 95123 Catania, Italy; (F.C.); (S.S.)
- U.O.C. Laboratory Analysis Unit, University Hospital Policlinico-San Marco, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.C.); (G.M.)
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4
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Stege PB, Beekman JM, Hendrickx APA, van Eijk L, Rogers MRC, Suen SWF, Vonk AM, Willems RJL, Paganelli FL. Colonization of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in human-derived colonic epithelium: unraveling the transcriptional dynamics of host-enterococcal interactions. FEMS MICROBES 2024; 5:xtae014. [PMID: 38813098 PMCID: PMC11134301 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtae014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is an opportunistic pathogen able to colonize the intestines of hospitalized patients. This initial colonization is an important step in the downstream pathogenesis, which includes outgrowth of the intestinal microbiota and potential infection of the host. The impact of intestinal overgrowth on host-enterococcal interactions is not well understood. We therefore applied a RNAseq approach in order to unravel the transcriptional dynamics of E. faecium upon co-culturing with human derived colonic epithelium. Co-cultures of colonic epithelium with a hospital-associated vancomycin resistant (vanA-type) E. faecium (VRE) showed that VRE resided on top of the colonic epithelium when analyzed by microscopy. RNAseq revealed that exposure to the colonic epithelium resulted in upregulation of 238 VRE genes compared to the control condition, including genes implicated in pili expression, conjugation (plasmid_2), genes related to sugar uptake, and biofilm formation (chromosome). In total, 260 were downregulated, including the vanA operon located on plasmid_3. Pathway analysis revealed an overall switch in metabolism to amino acid scavenging and reduction. In summary, our study demonstrates that co-culturing of VRE with human colonic epithelium promotes an elaborate gene response in VRE, enhancing our insight in host-E. faecium interactions, which might facilitate the design of novel anti-infectivity strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Stege
- Department of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey M Beekman
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
- Regenerative Medicine Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
| | - Antoni P A Hendrickx
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721MA, The Netherlands
| | - Laura van Eijk
- Department of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
| | - Malbert R C Rogers
- Department of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
| | - Sylvia W F Suen
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
- Regenerative Medicine Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
| | - Annelotte M Vonk
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
- Regenerative Medicine Utrecht, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
| | - Rob J L Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
| | - Fernanda L Paganelli
- Department of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584CX, The Netherlands
- Winclove Probiotics, Amsterdam, 1033JS, The Netherlands
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5
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Wagner TM, Pöntinen AK, Fenzel CK, Engi D, Janice J, Almeida-Santos AC, Tedim AP, Freitas AR, Peixe L, van Schaik W, Johannessen M, Hegstad K. Interactions between commensal Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus lactis and clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium. FEMS MICROBES 2024; 5:xtae009. [PMID: 38606354 PMCID: PMC11008740 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtae009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium (Efm) is a versatile pathogen, responsible for multidrug-resistant infections, especially in hospitalized immunocompromised patients. Its population structure has been characterized by diverse clades (A1, A2, and B (reclassified as E. lactis (Ela)), adapted to different environments, and distinguished by their resistomes and virulomes. These features only partially explain the predominance of clade A1 strains in nosocomial infections. We investigated in vitro interaction of 50 clinical isolates (clade A1 Efm) against 75 commensal faecal isolates from healthy humans (25 clade A2 Efm and 50 Ela). Only 36% of the commensal isolates inhibited clinical isolates, while 76% of the clinical isolates inhibited commensal isolates. The most apparent overall differences in inhibition patterns were presented between clades. The inhibitory activity was mainly mediated by secreted, proteinaceous, heat-stable compounds, likely indicating an involvement of bacteriocins. A custom-made database targeting 76 Bacillota bacteriocins was used to reveal bacteriocins in the genomes. Our systematic screening of the interactions between nosocomial and commensal Efm and Ela on a large scale suggests that, in a clinical setting, nosocomial strains not only have an advantage over commensal strains due to their possession of AMR genes, virulence factors, and resilience but also inhibit the growth of commensal strains.
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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, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Anna Kaarina Pöntinen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Carolin Kornelia Fenzel
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Daniel Engi
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jessin Janice
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ana C Almeida-Santos
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana P Tedim
- Group for Biomedical Research in Sepsis (BioSepsis), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Respiratorias (CiberES CB22/06/00035), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana R Freitas
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- 1H- TOXRUN – One Health Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, 4584-116 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Mona Johannessen
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kristin Hegstad
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
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6
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Roer L, Kaya H, Tedim AP, Novais C, Coque TM, Aarestrup FM, Peixe L, Hasman H, Hammerum AM, Freitas AR. VirulenceFinder for Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus lactis: an enhanced database for detection of putative virulence markers by using whole-genome sequencing data. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0372423. [PMID: 38329344 PMCID: PMC10913372 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03724-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium (Efm) is a leading cause of hospital-associated (HA) infections, often enriched in putative virulence markers (PVMs). Recently, the Efm clade B was assigned as Enterococcus lactis (Elts), which usually lack HA-Efm infection markers. Available databases for extracting PVM are incomplete and/or present an intermix of genes from Efm and Enterococcus faecalis, with distinct virulence profiles. In this study, we constructed a new database containing 27 PVMs [acm, scm, sgrA, ecbA, fnm, sagA, hylEfm, ptsD, orf1481, fms15, fms21-fms20 (pili gene cluster 1, PGC-1), fms14-fms17-fms13 (PGC-2), empA-empB-empC (PGC-3), fms11-fms19-fms16 (PGC-4), ccpA, bepA, gls20-glsB1, and gls33-glsB] from nine reference genomes (seven Efm + two Elts). The database was validated against these reference genomes and further evaluated using a collection of well-characterized Efm (n = 43) and Elts (n = 7) control strains, by assessing PVM presence/absence and its variants together with a genomic phylogeny constructed as single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We found a high concordance between the phylogeny and in silico findings of the PVM, with Elts clustering separately and mostly carrying Elts-specific PVM gene variants. Based on our validation results, we recommend using the database with raw reads instead of assemblies to avoid missing gene variants. This newly constructed database of 27 PVMs will enable a more comprehensive characterization of Efm and Elts based on WGS data. The developed database exhibits scalability and boasts a range of applications in public health, including diagnostics, outbreak investigations, and epidemiological studies. It can be further used in risk assessment for distinguishing between safe and unsafe enterococci.IMPORTANCEThe newly constructed database, consisting of 27 putative virulence markers, is highly scalable and serves as a valuable resource for the comprehensive characterization of these closely related species using WGS data. It holds significant potential for various public health applications, including hospital outbreak investigations, surveillance, and risk assessment for probiotics and feed additives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Roer
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hülya Kaya
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ana P. Tedim
- Group for Biomedical Research in Sepsis (BioSepsis), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- Grupo de Investigación Biomédica en Sepsis-BioSepsis, Hospital Universitario Río Hortega, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Valladollid, Spain
| | - Carla Novais
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Porto, Portugal
| | - Teresa M. Coque
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Network Research Centre for Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Frank M. Aarestrup
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, Technical University of Denmark, National Food Institute, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Porto, Portugal
| | - Henrik Hasman
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anette M. Hammerum
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ana R. Freitas
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Porto, Portugal
- 1H-TOXRUN—One Health Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, CRL, Gandra, Portugal
| | - On behalf of the ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers (ESGEM)
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Group for Biomedical Research in Sepsis (BioSepsis), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
- Grupo de Investigación Biomédica en Sepsis-BioSepsis, Hospital Universitario Río Hortega, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Valladollid, Spain
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Network Research Centre for Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, Technical University of Denmark, National Food Institute, Lyngby, Denmark
- 1H-TOXRUN—One Health Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, CRL, Gandra, Portugal
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Tan CAZ, Chong KKL, Yeong DYX, Ng CHM, Ismail MH, Yap ZH, Khetrapal V, Tay VSY, Drautz-Moses DI, Ali Y, Chen SL, Kline KA. Purine and carbohydrate availability drive Enterococcus faecalis fitness during wound and urinary tract infections. mBio 2024; 15:e0238423. [PMID: 38078746 PMCID: PMC10790769 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02384-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Although E. faecalis is a common wound pathogen, its pathogenic mechanisms during wound infection are unexplored. Here, combining a mouse wound infection model with in vivo transposon and RNA sequencing approaches, we identified the E. faecalis purine biosynthetic pathway and galactose/mannose MptABCD phosphotransferase system as essential for E. faecalis acute replication and persistence during wound infection, respectively. The essentiality of purine biosynthesis and the MptABCD PTS is driven by the consumption of purine metabolites by E. faecalis during acute replication and changing carbohydrate availability during the course of wound infection. Overall, our findings reveal the importance of the wound microenvironment in E. faecalis wound pathogenesis and how these metabolic pathways can be targeted to better control wound infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casandra Ai Zhu Tan
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kelvin Kian Long Chong
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Daryl Yu Xuan Yeong
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Celine Hui Min Ng
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Muhammad Hafiz Ismail
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhei Hwee Yap
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Varnica Khetrapal
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vanessa Shi Yun Tay
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Daniela I. Drautz-Moses
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yusuf Ali
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Swaine L. Chen
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Laboratory of Bacterial Genomics, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kimberly A. Kline
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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8
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Xu L, Wu Y, Yang X, Pang X, Wu Y, Li X, Liu X, Zhao Y, Yu L, Wang P, Ye B, Jiang S, Ma J, Zhang X. The Fe-S cluster biosynthesis in Enterococcus faecium is essential for anaerobic growth and gastrointestinal colonization. Gut Microbes 2024; 16:2359665. [PMID: 38831611 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2024.2359665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The facultative anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecium is a ubiquitous member of the human gut microbiota. However, it has gradually evolved into a pathogenic and multidrug resistant lineage that causes nosocomial infections. The establishment of high-level intestinal colonization by enterococci represents a critical step of infection. The majority of current research on Enterococcus has been conducted under aerobic conditions, while limited attention has been given to its physiological characteristics in anaerobic environments, which reflects its natural colonization niche in the gut. In this study, a high-density transposon mutant library containing 26,620 distinct insertion sites was constructed. Tn-seq analysis identified six genes that significantly contribute to growth under anaerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions, deletion of sufB (encoding Fe-S cluster assembly protein B) results in more extensive and significant impairments on carbohydrate metabolism compared to aerobic conditions. Consistently, the pathways involved in this utilization-restricted carbohydrates were mostly expressed at significantly lower levels in mutant compared to wild-type under anaerobic conditions. Moreover, deletion of sufB or pflA (encoding pyruvate formate lyase-activating protein A) led to failure of gastrointestinal colonization in mice. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms by which E. faecium maintains proliferation under anaerobic conditions and establishes colonization in the gut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linan Xu
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China
| | - Yajing Wu
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiangpeng Yang
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Xinxin Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yansha Wu
- Institute of Edible Fungi, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xingshuai Li
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Xiayu Liu
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuzhong Zhao
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China
| | - Lumin Yu
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Peikun Wang
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Bin Ye
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Shijin Jiang
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China
| | - Junfei Ma
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Xinglin Zhang
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Linyi University, Linyi, China
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9
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AL Rubaye M, Janice J, Bjørnholt JV, Kacelnik O, Haldorsen BC, Nygaard RM, Hegstad J, Sundsfjord A, Hegstad K. The population structure of vancomycin-resistant and -susceptible Enterococcus faecium in a low-prevalence antimicrobial resistance setting is highly influenced by circulating global hospital-associated clones. Microb Genom 2023; 9:001160. [PMID: 38112685 PMCID: PMC10763505 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001160] [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: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Between 2010 and 2015 the incidence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in Norway increased dramatically. Hence, we selected (1) a random subset of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) from the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases (2010-15; n=239) and (2) Norwegian vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium (VSEfm) bacteraemia isolates from the national surveillance system for antimicrobial resistance in microbes (2008 and 2014; n=261) for further analysis. Whole-genome sequences were collected for population structure, van gene cluster, mobile genetic element and virulome analysis, as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Comparative genomic and phylogeographical analyses were performed with complete genomes of global E. faecium strains from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) (1946-2022; n=272). All Norwegian VREfm and most of the VSEfm clustered with global hospital-associated sequence types (STs) in the phylogenetic subclade A1. The vanB2 subtype carried by chromosomal Tn1549 integrative conjugative elements was the dominant van type. The major Norwegian VREfm cluster types (CTs) were in accordance with concurrent European CTs. The dominant vanB-type VREfm CTs, ST192-CT3/26 and ST117-CT24, were mostly linked to a single hospital in Norway where the clones spread after independent chromosomal acquisition of Tn1549. The less prevalent vanA VRE were associated with more diverse CTs and vanA carrying Inc18 or RepA_N plasmids with toxin-antitoxin systems. Only 5 % of the Norwegian VRE were Enterococcus faecalis, all of which contained vanB. The Norwegian VREfm and VSEfm isolates harboured CT-specific virulence factor (VF) profiles supporting biofilm formation and colonization. The dominant VREfm CTs in general hosted more virulence determinants than VSEfm. The phylogenetic clade B VSEfm isolates (n=21), recently classified as Enterococcus lactis, harboured fewer VFs than E. faecium in general, and particularly subclade A1 isolates. In conclusion, the population structure of Norwegian E. faecium isolates mirrors the globally prevalent clones and particularly concurrent European VREfm/VSEfm CTs. Novel chromosomal acquisition of vanB2 on Tn1549 from the gut microbiota, however, formed a single major hospital VREfm outbreak. Dominant VREfm CTs contained more VFs than VSEfm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mushtaq AL Rubaye
- Research group for Host–Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jessin Janice
- Research group for Host–Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Present address: Section for development, Department of Microbiology, Clinic for Laboratory Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jørgen Vildershøj Bjørnholt
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Oliver Kacelnik
- Department of Antibiotic Resistance and Infection Prevention, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bjørg C. Haldorsen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Randi M. Nygaard
- Department of Microbiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Joachim Hegstad
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Arnfinn Sundsfjord
- Research group for Host–Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kristin Hegstad
- Research group for Host–Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - the Norwegian VRE study group
- Research group for Host–Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Antibiotic Resistance and Infection Prevention, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Microbiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Present address: Section for development, Department of Microbiology, Clinic for Laboratory Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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10
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Maritan E, Gallo M, Srutkova D, Jelinkova A, Benada O, Kofronova O, Silva-Soares NF, Hudcovic T, Gifford I, Barrick JE, Schwarzer M, Martino ME. Gut microbe Lactiplantibacillus plantarum undergoes different evolutionary trajectories between insects and mammals. BMC Biol 2022; 20:290. [PMID: 36575413 PMCID: PMC9795633 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01477-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animals form complex symbiotic associations with their gut microbes, whose evolution is determined by an intricate network of host and environmental factors. In many insects, such as Drosophila melanogaster, the microbiome is flexible, environmentally determined, and less diverse than in mammals. In contrast, mammals maintain complex multispecies consortia that are able to colonize and persist in the gastrointestinal tract. Understanding the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of gut microbes in different hosts is challenging. This requires disentangling the ecological factors of selection, determining the timescales over which evolution occurs, and elucidating the architecture of such evolutionary patterns. RESULTS We employ experimental evolution to track the pace of the evolution of a common gut commensal, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, within invertebrate (Drosophila melanogaster) and vertebrate (Mus musculus) hosts and their respective diets. We show that in Drosophila, the nutritional environment dictates microbial evolution, while the host benefits L. plantarum growth only over short ecological timescales. By contrast, in a mammalian animal model, L. plantarum evolution results to be divergent between the host intestine and its diet, both phenotypically (i.e., host-evolved populations show higher adaptation to the host intestinal environment) and genomically. Here, both the emergence of hypermutators and the high persistence of mutated genes within the host's environment strongly differed from the low variation observed in the host's nutritional environment alone. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that L. plantarum evolution diverges between insects and mammals. While the symbiosis between Drosophila and L. plantarum is mainly determined by the host diet, in mammals, the host and its intrinsic factors play a critical role in selection and influence both the phenotypic and genomic evolution of its gut microbes, as well as the outcome of their symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Maritan
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Marialaura Gallo
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Dagmar Srutkova
- grid.418800.50000 0004 0555 4846Laboratory of Gnotobiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Novy Hradek, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Jelinkova
- grid.418800.50000 0004 0555 4846Laboratory of Gnotobiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Novy Hradek, Czech Republic
| | - Oldrich Benada
- grid.418800.50000 0004 0555 4846Laboratory of Molecular Structure Characterization, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Olga Kofronova
- grid.418800.50000 0004 0555 4846Laboratory of Molecular Structure Characterization, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Nuno F. Silva-Soares
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Tomas Hudcovic
- grid.418800.50000 0004 0555 4846Laboratory of Gnotobiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Novy Hradek, Czech Republic
| | - Isaac Gifford
- grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Jeffrey E. Barrick
- grid.89336.370000 0004 1936 9924Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | - Martin Schwarzer
- grid.418800.50000 0004 0555 4846Laboratory of Gnotobiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Novy Hradek, Czech Republic
| | - Maria Elena Martino
- grid.5608.b0000 0004 1757 3470Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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11
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Last Bacteria Standing: VREfm Persistence in the Hospitalized Gut. mBio 2022; 13:e0067022. [PMID: 35762592 PMCID: PMC9426476 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00670-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococci are gram-positive, gastrointestinal (GI) tract commensal bacteria that have recently evolved into multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogens. Enterococci are intrinsically hardy, meaning that they can thrive in challenging environments and outlast other commensal bacteria. Further adaptations enable enterococci to dominate the GI tracts of hospitalized patients, and this domination precedes invasive infection and facilitates transmission to other patients. A recent study by Boumasmoud et al. used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to characterize 69 vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) isolates collected from a Swiss hospital. WGS uncovered a clone that was repeatedly sampled from dozens of patients over multiple years. This persistent clone accumulated mutations as well as a novel linear plasmid, which together likely increased its persistence in the GI tracts of infected patients. This study is one of several recent examples that highlight the genetic plasticity of VREfm as it adapts to the hospitalized gut and becomes a leading nosocomial pathogen.
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12
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Boumasmoud M, Dengler Haunreiter V, Schweizer TA, Meyer L, Chakrakodi B, Schreiber PW, Seidl K, Kühnert D, Kouyos RD, Zinkernagel AS. Genomic Surveillance of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Reveals Spread of a Linear Plasmid Conferring a Nutrient Utilization Advantage. mBio 2022; 13:e0377121. [PMID: 35343787 PMCID: PMC9040824 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03771-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Healthcare-associated outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) are a worldwide problem with increasing prevalence. The genomic plasticity of this hospital-adapted pathogen contributes to its efficient spread despite infection control measures. Here, we aimed to identify the genomic and phenotypic determinants of health care-associated transmission of VREfm. We assessed the VREfm transmission networks at the tertiary-care University Hospital of Zurich (USZ) between October 2014 and February 2018 and investigated microevolutionary dynamics of this pathogen. We performed whole-genome sequencing for the 69 VREfm isolates collected during this time frame and assessed the population structure and variability of the vancomycin resistance transposon. Phylogenomic analysis allowed us to reconstruct transmission networks and to unveil external or wider transmission networks undetectable by routine surveillance. Notably, it unveiled a persistent clone, sampled 31 times over a 29-month period. Exploring the evolutionary dynamics of this clone and characterizing the phenotypic consequences revealed the spread of a variant with decreased daptomycin susceptibility and the acquired ability to utilize N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc), one of the primary constituents of the human gut mucins. This nutrient utilization advantage was conferred by a novel plasmid, termed pELF_USZ, which exhibited a linear topology. This plasmid, which was harbored by two distinct clones, was transferable by conjugation. Overall, this work highlights the potential of combining epidemiological, functional genomic, and evolutionary perspectives to unveil adaptation strategies of VREfm. IMPORTANCE Sequencing microbial pathogens causing outbreaks has become a common practice to characterize transmission networks. In addition to the signal provided by vertical evolution, bacterial genomes harbor mobile genetic elements shared horizontally between clones. While macroevolutionary studies have revealed an important role of plasmids and genes encoding carbohydrate utilization systems in the adaptation of Enterococcus faecium to the hospital environment, mechanisms of dissemination and the specific function of many of these genetic determinants remain to be elucidated. Here, we characterize a plasmid providing a nutrient utilization advantage and show evidence for its clonal and horizontal spread at a local scale. Further studies integrating epidemiological, functional genomics, and evolutionary perspectives will be critical to identify changes shaping the success of this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Boumasmoud
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Vanina Dengler Haunreiter
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tiziano A. Schweizer
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lilly Meyer
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bhavya Chakrakodi
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peter W. Schreiber
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kati Seidl
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Denise Kühnert
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roger D. Kouyos
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Annelies S. Zinkernagel
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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13
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Regulation of Mannitol Metabolism in Enterococcus faecalis and Association with parEF0409 Toxin-Antitoxin Locus Function. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0004722. [PMID: 35404112 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00047-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The parEF0409 type I toxin-antitoxin locus is situated between genes for two paralogous mannitol family phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase systems (PTSs). In order to address the possibility that parEF0409 function was associated with sugar metabolism, genetic and phenotypic analyses were performed on the flanking genes. It was found that the genes were transcribed as two operons: the downstream operon essential for mannitol transport and metabolism and the upstream operon performing a regulatory function. In addition to genes for the PTS components, the upstream operon harbors a gene similar to mtlR, the key regulator of mannitol metabolism in other Gram-positive bacteria. We confirmed that this gene is essential for the regulation of the downstream operon and identified putative phosphorylation sites required for carbon catabolite repression and mannitol-specific regulation. Genomic comparisons revealed that this dual-operon organization of mannitol utilization genes is uncommon in enterococci and that the association with a toxin-antitoxin system is unique to Enterococcus faecalis. Finally, we consider possible links between parEF0409 function and mannitol utilization. IMPORTANCE Enterococcus faecalis is both a common member of the human gut microbiota and an opportunistic pathogen. Its evolutionary success is partially due to its metabolic flexibility, in particular its ability to import and metabolize a wide variety of sugars. While a large number of phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase sugar transport systems have been identified in the E. faecalis genome bioinformatically, the specificity and regulation of most of these systems remain undetermined. Here, we characterize a complex system of two operons flanking a type I toxin-antitoxin system required for the transport and metabolism of the common dietary sugar mannitol. We also determine the phylogenetic distribution of mannitol utilization genes in the enterococcal genus and discuss the significance of the association with toxin-antitoxin systems.
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14
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Daisley BA, Koenig D, Engelbrecht K, Doney L, Hards K, Al KF, Reid G, Burton JP. Emerging connections between gut microbiome bioenergetics and chronic metabolic diseases. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110087. [PMID: 34879270 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The conventional viewpoint of single-celled microbial metabolism fails to adequately depict energy flow at the systems level in host-adapted microbial communities. Emerging paradigms instead support that distinct microbiomes develop interconnected and interdependent electron transport chains that rely on cooperative production and sharing of bioenergetic machinery (i.e., directly involved in generating ATP) in the extracellular space. These communal resources represent an important subset of the microbial metabolome, designated here as the "pantryome" (i.e., pantry or external storage compartment), that critically supports microbiome function and can exert multifunctional effects on host physiology. We review these interactions as they relate to human health by detailing the genomic-based sharing potential of gut-derived bacterial and archaeal reference strains. Aromatic amino acids, metabolic cofactors (B vitamins), menaquinones (vitamin K2), hemes, and short-chain fatty acids (with specific emphasis on acetate as a central regulator of symbiosis) are discussed in depth regarding their role in microbiome-related metabolic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan A Daisley
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics Research, London, ON N6A 4V2, Canada
| | - David Koenig
- Kimberly Clark Corporation, Global Research and Engineering-Life Science, Neenah, WI, USA
| | - Kathleen Engelbrecht
- Kimberly Clark Corporation, Global Research and Engineering-Life Science, Neenah, WI, USA
| | - Liz Doney
- Kimberly Clark Corporation, Global Research and Engineering-Life Science, Neenah, WI, USA
| | - Kiel Hards
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
| | - Kait F Al
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics Research, London, ON N6A 4V2, Canada
| | - Gregor Reid
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics Research, London, ON N6A 4V2, Canada; Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Schulich School of Medicine, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Jeremy P Burton
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics Research, London, ON N6A 4V2, Canada; Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Schulich School of Medicine, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada.
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15
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Reissier S, Le Neindre K, Bordeau V, Dejoies L, Le Bot A, Felden B, Cattoir V, Revest M. The Regulatory RNA ern0160 Confers a Potential Selective Advantage to Enterococcus faecium for Intestinal Colonization. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:757227. [PMID: 34858368 PMCID: PMC8631354 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.757227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the regulatory small RNA (sRNA) Ern0160 in gastrointestinal tract (GIT) colonization by Enterococcus faecium. For this purpose, four strains of E. faecium were used, Aus0004 (WT), an ern0160-deleted Aus0004 mutant (Δ0160), a trans-complemented Δ0160 strain overexpressing ern0160 (Δ0160_0160), and a strain Δ0160 with an empty pAT29 vector (Δ0160_pAT29). Strains were studied both in vitro and in vivo, alone and in competitive assays. In in vitro experiments, no difference was observed between WT and Δ0160 strains cultured single while Δ0160_0160 strain grew more slowly than Δ0160_pAT29. In competitive assays, the WT strain was predominant compared to the deleted strain Δ0160 at the end of the experiment. Then, in vivo experiments were performed using a GIT colonization mouse model. Several existing models of GIT colonization were compared while a novel one, combining ceftriaxone and amoxicillin, was developed. A GIT colonization was performed with each strain alone, and no significant difference was noticed. By contrast, significant results were obtained with co-colonization experiments. With WT + Δ0160 suspension, a significant advantage for the WT strain was observed from day 5 to the end of the protocol, suggesting the involvement of ern0160 in GIT colonization. With Δ0160_0160 + Δ0160_pAT29 suspension, the strain with the empty vector took the advantage from day 3 to the end of the protocol, suggesting a deleterious effect of ern0160 overexpression. Altogether, these findings demonstrate the potential implication of Ern0160 in GIT colonization of E. faecium. Further investigations are needed for the identification of sRNA target(s) in order to decipher underlying molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Killian Le Neindre
- Unité Inserm U1230, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,Service de Bactériologie-Hygiène Hospitalière & CNR de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques (Laboratoire Associé 'Entérocoques'), CHU de Rennes, Rennes, France
| | | | - Loren Dejoies
- Unité Inserm U1230, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,Service de Bactériologie-Hygiène Hospitalière & CNR de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques (Laboratoire Associé 'Entérocoques'), CHU de Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Audrey Le Bot
- Unité Inserm U1230, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Réanimation Médicale, CHU de Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Brice Felden
- Unité Inserm U1230, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Vincent Cattoir
- Unité Inserm U1230, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,Service de Bactériologie-Hygiène Hospitalière & CNR de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques (Laboratoire Associé 'Entérocoques'), CHU de Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Matthieu Revest
- Unité Inserm U1230, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Réanimation Médicale, CHU de Rennes, Rennes, France
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16
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Top J, Baan J, Bisschop A, Arredondo-Alonso S, van Schaik W, Willems RJL. Functional characterization of a gene cluster responsible for inositol catabolism associated with hospital-adapted isolates of Enterococcus faecium. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2021; 167. [PMID: 34491894 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is a nosocomial, multidrug-resistant pathogen. Whole genome sequence studies revealed that hospital-associated E. faecium isolates are clustered in a separate clade A1. Here, we investigated the distribution, integration site and function of a putative iol gene cluster that encodes for myo-inositol (MI) catabolism. This iol gene cluster was found as part of an ~20 kbp genetic element (iol element), integrated in ICEEfm1 close to its integrase gene in E. faecium isolate E1679. Among 1644 E. faecium isolates, ICEEfm1 was found in 789/1227 (64.3 %) clade A1 and 3/417 (0.7 %) non-clade A1 isolates. The iol element was present at a similar integration site in 180/792 (22.7 %) ICEEfm1-containing isolates. Examination of the phylogenetic tree revealed genetically closely related isolates that differed in presence/absence of ICEEfm1 and/or iol element, suggesting either independent acquisition or loss of both elements. E. faecium iol gene cluster containing isolates E1679 and E1504 were able to grow in minimal medium with only myo-inositol as carbon source, while the iolD-deficient mutant in E1504 (E1504∆iolD) lost this ability and an iol gene cluster negative recipient strain gained this ability after acquisition of ICEEfm1 by conjugation from donor strain E1679. Gene expression profiling revealed that the iol gene cluster is only expressed in the absence of other carbon sources. In an intestinal colonization mouse model the colonization ability of E1504∆iolD mutant was not affected relative to the wild-type E1504 strain. In conclusion, we describe and functionally characterise a gene cluster involved in MI catabolism that is associated with the ICEEfm1 island in hospital-associated E. faecium isolates. We were unable to show that this gene cluster provides a competitive advantage during gut colonisation in a mouse model. Therefore, to what extent this gene cluster contributes to the spread and ecological specialisation of ICEEfm1-carrying hospital-associated isolates remains to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janetta Top
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jery Baan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Adinda Bisschop
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sergio Arredondo-Alonso
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Rob J L Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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17
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Finisterra L, Duarte B, Peixe L, Novais C, Freitas AR. Industrial dog food is a vehicle of multidrug-resistant enterococci carrying virulence genes often linked to human infections. Int J Food Microbiol 2021; 358:109284. [PMID: 34144837 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The increase in the number of pets in recent years has been followed by an exponential growth of the industrial pet food sector, which has been accompanied by new food safety risks, namely antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dog food commercially available in Portugal is a reservoir of clinically-relevant antibiotic resistant Enterococcus. Fifty-five samples (25 brands; 22 wet, 14 raw frozen, 8 dry, 7 treats and 4 semi-wet) were collected on 9 commercial surfaces in the Porto region (September 2019 to January 2020). Most samples were obtained from brands that are commercialized worldwide (n = 21/25). Sample (25 g) processing included pre-enrichment and enrichment steps in culture media without/with 3 antibiotics, and then plating into selective media without/with the same antibiotics. Susceptibility was studied for 13 antibiotics (disk diffusion; Etest; microdilution) according to EUCAST/CLSI. Clinically-relevant species (E. faecium and E. faecalis), antibiotic resistance (vanA, vanB, optrA, poxtA) and virulence (e.g. ptsD, esp, sgrA) genes were identified by PCR. Other species of Enterococcus were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Clonality was established by MLST in selected isolates. Enterococcus (n = 184; 7 species; >85% E. faecium and E. faecalis) were detected in 30 samples (54%) of different types (14 raw, 16 heat treated-7 dry, 6 wet, 3 treats). E. faecium and E. faecalis were more frequent in dry and wet samples, respectively. More than 40% of enterococci recovered were resistant to erythromycin, tetracycline, quinupristin-dalfopristin, streptomycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin or ciprofloxacin, and to a lesser extent to linezolid (23%; optrA, poxtA) or vancomycin and teicoplanin (2% each; vanA). Multidrug-resistant isolates (31%), including to vancomycin and linezolid, were obtained mostly from raw foods, although also detected in wet samples or treats, and mainly from culture media supplemented with antibiotics. Samples subjected to thermal treatment mostly carried non-MDR isolates. The variety of clones observed included strains previously identified in hospitalized patients (E. faecium ST17/ST80; E. faecalis ST40), farm animals, pets and environmental strains. This study shows that dog food from international brands is a vehicle of clinically-relevant enterococci carrying resistance to last resort antibiotics and relevant virulence genes, thus positioning pet food as an important source of antibiotic resistance spread within the One Health context. The high incidence of Enterococcus in a variety of dog food samples indicates the need to review selection of raw materials, manufacturing and hygiene practices in an emerging food sector growing worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Finisterra
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Duarte
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Unidade de Análises Clínicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG)
| | - Carla Novais
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG).
| | - Ana R Freitas
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Departmento de Ciências, Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde (IUCS), Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Politécnico e Universitário (CESPU), CRL, Gandra, Portugal; ESCMID Food- and Water-borne Infections Study Group (EFWISG).
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18
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Falgenhauer L, Preuser I, Imirzalioglu C, Falgenhauer J, Fritzenwanker M, Mack D, Best C, Heudorf U, Chakraborty T. Changing epidemiology of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium: Results of a genome-based study at a regional neurological acute hospital with intensive care and early rehabilitation treatment. Infect Prev Pract 2021; 3:100138. [PMID: 34368749 PMCID: PMC8335922 DOI: 10.1016/j.infpip.2021.100138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) are an emerging threat worldwide. In Germany, a VRE-belt with higher VREfm prevalences transversing its central east-west axis and including the state of Hesse was previously described. Recently, we detected a predominant VREfm clone in hospitals throughout the Rhine-Main metropolitan area of Hesse. Aim Here we expanded our study on VREfm to a regional neurological acute hospital outside of the metropolitan area with patient referrals from throughout Hesse and the neighboring federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Material/Methods VREfm isolates obtained between 2016-2018 from a regional neurological acute hospital with intensive care and early rehabilitation units were investigated (n=55). Patient data was collected and analyzed together with whole-genome sequencing data to investigate antibiotic resistance and virulence determinants of the VREfm. The population structure of VREfm was investigated using the Core genome-based multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST). Findings The average age of the patients was 67.1 years. For 96% of the patients, a previous hospital stay was reported. 64% of the patients were treated with antibiotics. All VREfm harbored the vanB vancomycin resistance gene. The multilocus sequence types (STs) detected changed abruptly from four different STs in 2016 to a predominant ST in 2017 and 2018 (ST117). Most of the ST117 isolates were members of the cgMLST type CT71. Conclusion The results indicate a sudden shift of the VREfm population structure from a semi-heterogeneous population to a pre-dominant clone within an interval of two years. Further investigations are warranted to understand the epidemiology and emergence of this clone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Falgenhauer
- Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany
| | - Ingeborg Preuser
- Department of Neurology, Vitos-Weil-Lahn, Weilstrasse 10, Weilmünster, 35789, Germany
| | - Can Imirzalioglu
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany.,Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany
| | - Jane Falgenhauer
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany.,Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany
| | - Moritz Fritzenwanker
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany.,Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany
| | - Dietrich Mack
- Institut für Medizinische Diagnostik GmbH, Bioscientia Labor Ingelheim, Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 17, Ingelheim am Rhein, 55218, Germany
| | - Christoph Best
- Department of Neurology, Vitos-Weil-Lahn, Weilstrasse 10, Weilmünster, 35789, Germany
| | - Ursel Heudorf
- Network on MDRO Rhine-Main, Breite Gasse 28, Frankfurt/Main, 60313, Germany
| | - Trinad Chakraborty
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany.,Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, Giessen, 35392, Germany
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19
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Top J, Arredondo-Alonso S, Schürch AC, Puranen S, Pesonen M, Pensar J, Willems RJL, Corander J. Genomic rearrangements uncovered by genome-wide co-evolution analysis of a major nosocomial pathogen, Enterococcus faecium. Microb Genom 2020; 6:mgen000488. [PMID: 33253085 PMCID: PMC8116687 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is a gut commensal of the gastro-digestive tract, but also known as nosocomial pathogen among hospitalized patients. Population genetics based on whole-genome sequencing has revealed that E. faecium strains from hospitalized patients form a distinct clade, designated clade A1, and that plasmids are major contributors to the emergence of nosocomial E. faecium. Here we further explored the adaptive evolution of E. faecium using a genome-wide co-evolution study (GWES) to identify co-evolving single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We identified three genomic regions harbouring large numbers of SNPs in tight linkage that are not proximal to each other based on the completely assembled chromosome of the clade A1 reference hospital isolate AUS0004. Close examination of these regions revealed that they are located at the borders of four different types of large-scale genomic rearrangements, insertion sites of two different genomic islands and an IS30-like transposon. In non-clade A1 isolates, these regions are adjacent to each other and they lack the insertions of the genomic islands and IS30-like transposon. Additionally, among the clade A1 isolates there is one group of pet isolates lacking the genomic rearrangement and insertion of the genomic islands, suggesting a distinct evolutionary trajectory. In silico analysis of the biological functions of the genes encoded in three regions revealed a common link to a stress response. This suggests that these rearrangements may reflect adaptation to the stringent conditions in the hospital environment, such as antibiotics and detergents, to which bacteria are exposed. In conclusion, to our knowledge, this is the first study using GWES to identify genomic rearrangements, suggesting that there is considerable untapped potential to unravel hidden evolutionary signals from population genomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janetta Top
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Sergio Arredondo-Alonso
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Anita C. Schürch
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Santeri Puranen
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, FI-00076 Espoo, Finland
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Helsinki Institute of Information Technology (HIIT), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Maiju Pesonen
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, FI-00076 Espoo, Finland
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Helsinki Institute of Information Technology (HIIT), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
- Present address: Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Oslo University Hospital Research Support Services, Oslo, Norway
| | - Johan Pensar
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Helsinki Institute of Information Technology (HIIT), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
- Present address: Department of Mathematics, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Rob J. L. Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Helsinki Institute of Information Technology (HIIT), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
- Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway
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20
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Jeckelmann JM, Erni B. The mannose phosphotransferase system (Man-PTS) - Mannose transporter and receptor for bacteriocins and bacteriophages. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2020; 1862:183412. [PMID: 32710850 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mannose transporters constitute a superfamily (Man-PTS) of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carbohydrate Phosphotransferase System (PTS). The membrane complexes are homotrimers of protomers consisting of two subunits, IIC and IID. The two subunits without recognizable sequence similarity assume the same fold, and in the protomer are structurally related by a two fold pseudosymmetry axis parallel to membrane-plane (Liu et al. (2019) Cell Research 29 680). Two reentrant loops and two transmembrane helices of each subunit together form the N-terminal transport domain. Two three-helix bundles, one of each subunit, form the scaffold domain. The protomer is stabilized by a helix swap between these bundles. The two C-terminal helices of IIC mediate the interprotomer contacts. PTS occur in bacteria and archaea but not in eukaryotes. Man-PTS are abundant in Gram-positive bacteria living on carbohydrate rich mucosal surfaces. A subgroup of IICIID complexes serve as receptors for class IIa bacteriocins and as channel for the penetration of bacteriophage lambda DNA across the inner membrane. Some Man-PTS are associated with host-pathogen and -symbiont processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Jeckelmann
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Bernhard Erni
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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21
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Sanchez-Herrero JF, Bernabeu M, Prieto A, Hüttener M, Juárez A. Gene Duplications in the Genomes of Staphylococci and Enterococci. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:160. [PMID: 32850954 PMCID: PMC7396535 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene duplications are a feature of bacterial genomes. In the present work we analyze the extent of gene duplications in the genomes of three microorganisms that belong to the Firmicutes phylum and that are etiologic agents of several nosocomial infections: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, and Enterococcus faecalis. In all three groups, there is an irregular distribution of duplications in the genomes of the strains analyzed. Whereas in some of the strains duplications are scarce, hundreds of duplications are present in others. In all three species, mobile DNA accounts for a large percentage of the duplicated genes: phage DNA in S. aureus, and plasmid DNA in the enterococci. Duplicates also include core genes. In all three species, a reduced group of genes is duplicated in all strains analyzed. Duplication of the deoC and rpmG genes is a hallmark of S. aureus genomes. Duplication of the gene encoding the PTS IIB subunit is detected in all enterococci genomes. In E. faecalis it is remarkable that the genomes of some strains encode duplicates of the prgB and prgU genes. They belong to the prgABCU cluster, which responds to the presence of the peptide pheromone cCF10 by expressing the surface adhesins PrgA, PrgB, and PrgC.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Francisco Sanchez-Herrero
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,High Content Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Campus Can Ruti, Badalona, Spain
| | - Manuel Bernabeu
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alejandro Prieto
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mário Hüttener
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Juárez
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
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22
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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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23
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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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24
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Lee RS, Gonçalves da Silva A, Baines SL, Strachan J, Ballard S, Carter GP, Kwong JC, Schultz MB, Bulach DM, Seemann T, Stinear TP, Howden BP. The changing landscape of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Australia: a population-level genomic study. J Antimicrob Chemother 2019; 73:3268-3278. [PMID: 30189014 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dky331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) represent a major source of nosocomial infection worldwide. In Australia, there has been a recent concerning increase in bacteraemia associated with the vanA genotype, prompting investigation into the genomic epidemiology of VREfm. Methods A population-level study of VREfm (10 November-9 December 2015) was conducted. A total of 321 VREfm isolates (from 286 patients) across Victoria State were collected and sequenced with Illumina NextSeq. SNPs were used to assess relatedness. STs and genes associated with resistance and virulence were identified. The vanA-harbouring plasmid from an isolate from each ST was assembled using long-read data. Illumina reads from remaining isolates were then mapped to these assemblies to identify their probable vanA-harbouring plasmid. Results vanA-VREfm comprised 17.8% of isolates. ST203, ST80 and a pstS(-) clade, ST1421, predominated (30.5%, 30.5% and 37.2%, respectively). Most vanB-VREfm were ST796 (77.7%). vanA-VREfm were more closely related within hospitals versus between them [core SNPs 10 (IQR 1-357) versus 356 (179-416), respectively], suggesting discrete introductions of vanA-VREfm, with subsequent intra-hospital transmission. In contrast, vanB-VREfm had similar core SNP distributions within versus between hospitals, due to widespread dissemination of ST796. Different vanA-harbouring plasmids were found across STs. With the exception of ST78 and ST796, Tn1546 transposons also varied. Phylogenetic analysis revealed Australian strains were often interspersed with those from other countries, suggesting ongoing cross-continental transmission. Conclusions Emerging vanA-VREfm in Australia is polyclonal, indicating repeat introductions of vanA-VREfm into hospitals and subsequent dissemination. The close relationship to global strains reinforces the need for ongoing screening and control of VREfm in Australia and abroad.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn S Lee
- The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Level 5, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anders Gonçalves da Silva
- The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah L Baines
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Janet Strachan
- The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Susan Ballard
- The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Glen P Carter
- The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jason C Kwong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mark B Schultz
- The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Dieter M Bulach
- The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Torsten Seemann
- Melbourne Bioinformatics Group, Lab-14, 700 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Timothy P Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Howden
- The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Infectious Diseases Department, Austin Health, Studley Rd, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
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25
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Pidot SJ, Gao W, Buultjens AH, Monk IR, Guerillot R, Carter GP, Lee JYH, Lam MMC, Grayson ML, Ballard SA, Mahony AA, Grabsch EA, Kotsanas D, Korman TM, Coombs GW, Robinson JO, Gonçalves da Silva A, Seemann T, Howden BP, Johnson PDR, Stinear TP. Increasing tolerance of hospital Enterococcus faecium to handwash alcohols. Sci Transl Med 2019; 10:10/452/eaar6115. [PMID: 30068573 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aar6115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2017] [Revised: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol-based disinfectants and particularly hand rubs are a key way to control hospital infections worldwide. Such disinfectants restrict transmission of pathogens, such as multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium Despite this success, health care infections caused by E. faecium are increasing. We tested alcohol tolerance of 139 hospital isolates of E. faecium obtained between 1997 and 2015 and found that E. faecium isolates after 2010 were 10-fold more tolerant to killing by alcohol than were older isolates. Using a mouse gut colonization model of E. faecium transmission, we showed that alcohol-tolerant E. faecium resisted standard 70% isopropanol surface disinfection, resulting in greater mouse gut colonization compared to alcohol-sensitive E. faecium We next looked for bacterial genomic signatures of adaptation. Alcohol-tolerant E. faecium accumulated mutations in genes involved in carbohydrate uptake and metabolism. Mutagenesis confirmed the roles of these genes in the tolerance of E. faecium to isopropanol. These findings suggest that bacterial adaptation is complicating infection control recommendations, necessitating additional procedures to prevent E. faecium from spreading in hospital settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sacha J Pidot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Wei Gao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Andrew H Buultjens
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Ian R Monk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Romain Guerillot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Glen P Carter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Jean Y H Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Margaret M C Lam
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - M Lindsay Grayson
- Infectious Diseases Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.,Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Susan A Ballard
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Andrew A Mahony
- Infectious Diseases Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
| | - Elizabeth A Grabsch
- Infectious Diseases Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
| | - Despina Kotsanas
- Monash Infectious Diseases, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Tony M Korman
- Monash Infectious Diseases, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Geoffrey W Coombs
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia.,Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
| | - J Owen Robinson
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia.,Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
| | - Anders Gonçalves da Silva
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Torsten Seemann
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Howden
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.,Infectious Diseases Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.,Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.,Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Paul D R Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. .,Infectious Diseases Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.,Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
| | - Timothy P Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
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26
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Lebreton F, Valentino MD, Schaufler K, Earl AM, Cattoir V, Gilmore MS. Transferable vancomycin resistance in clade B commensal-type Enterococcus faecium. J Antimicrob Chemother 2019; 73:1479-1486. [PMID: 29462403 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dky039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium is a leading cause of MDR hospital infection. Two genetically definable populations of E. faecium have been identified: hospital-adapted MDR isolates (clade A) and vancomycin-susceptible commensal strains (clade B). VanN-type vancomycin resistance was identified in two isolates of E. faecium recovered from blood and faeces of an immunocompromised patient. To understand the genomic context in which VanN occurred in the hospitalized patient, the risk it posed for transmission in the hospital and its origins, it was of interest to determine where these strains placed within the E. faecium population structure. Methods We obtained the genome sequence of the VanN isolates and performed comparative and functional genomics of the chromosome and plasmid content. Results We show that, in these strains, VanN occurs in a genetic background that clusters with clade B E. faecium, which is highly unusual. We characterized the chromosome and the conjugative plasmid that carries VanN resistance in these strains, pUV24. This plasmid exhibits signatures of in-host selection on the vanN operon regulatory system, which are associated with a constitutive expression of vancomycin resistance. VanN resistance in clade B strains may go undetected by current methods. Conclusions We report a case of vancomycin resistance in a commensal lineage of E. faecium responsible for an atypical bacteraemia in an immunocompromised patient. A reservoir of transferable glycopeptide resistance in the community could pose a concern for public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Lebreton
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Infectious Disease & Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael D Valentino
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Infectious Disease & Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Katharina Schaufler
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Infectious Disease & Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ashlee M Earl
- Infectious Disease & Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Vincent Cattoir
- Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, EA4655 U2RM (équipe 'Antibio-résistance'), Caen, France.,CHU de Caen, Service de Microbiologie, Caen, France
| | - Michael S Gilmore
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Infectious Disease & Microbiome Program, The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
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27
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Falgenhauer L, Fritzenwanker M, Imirzalioglu C, Steul K, Scherer M, Heudorf U, Chakraborty T. Near-ubiquitous presence of a vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ST117/CT71/ vanB -clone in the Rhine-Main metropolitan area of Germany. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2019; 8:128. [PMID: 31384433 PMCID: PMC6664515 DOI: 10.1186/s13756-019-0573-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole-genome sequencing analysis of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates from the Frankfurt metropolitan region revealed that 78/94 isolates were MLST type ST117, cgMLST complex type CT71 with a common vanB chromosomal insertion site. This indicates circulation of a single VRE clone in a catchment area of 5,000-km2 with 3 million inhabitants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Falgenhauer
- 1Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Moritz Fritzenwanker
- 1Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Can Imirzalioglu
- 1Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Katrin Steul
- Rhine-Main- Network on MDRO (multidrug-resistant organisms), Breite Gasse 28, 60313 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Marlene Scherer
- Rhine-Main- Network on MDRO (multidrug-resistant organisms), Breite Gasse 28, 60313 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | | | - Ursel Heudorf
- Rhine-Main- Network on MDRO (multidrug-resistant organisms), Breite Gasse 28, 60313 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Trinad Chakraborty
- 1Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Giessen-Marburg-Langen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
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28
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Falgenhauer L, Fritzenwanker M, Imirzalioglu C, Steul K, Scherer M, Heudorf U, Chakraborty T. Near-ubiquitous presence of a vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ST117/CT71/vanB –clone in the Rhine-Main metropolitan area of Germany. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2019. [DOI: 10.1186/s13756-019-0573-8 ecollection 2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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29
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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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30
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Fiore E, Van Tyne D, Gilmore MS. Pathogenicity of Enterococci. Microbiol Spectr 2019; 7:10.1128/microbiolspec.gpp3-0053-2018. [PMID: 31298205 PMCID: PMC6629438 DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.gpp3-0053-2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococci are unusually well adapted for survival and persistence in a variety of adverse environments, including on inanimate surfaces in the hospital environment and at sites of infection. This intrinsic ruggedness undoubtedly played a role in providing opportunities for enterococci to interact with other overtly drug-resistant microbes and acquire additional resistances on mobile elements. The rapid rise of antimicrobial resistance among hospital-adapted enterococci has rendered hospital-acquired infections a leading therapeutic challenge. With about a quarter of a genome of additional DNA conveyed by mobile elements, there are undoubtedly many more properties that have been acquired that help enterococci persist and spread in the hospital setting and cause diseases that have yet to be defined. Much remains to be learned about these ancient and rugged microbes, particularly in the area of pathogenic mechanisms involved with human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Fiore
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA 02114
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Daria Van Tyne
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA 02114
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Michael S Gilmore
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA 02114
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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31
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Contreras GA, Munita JM, Arias CA. Novel Strategies for the Management of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Infections. Curr Infect Dis Rep 2019; 21:22. [PMID: 31119397 DOI: 10.1007/s11908-019-0680-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are important nosocomial pathogens that commonly affect critically ill patients. VRE have a remarkable genetic plasticity allowing them to acquire genes associated with antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, the treatment of deep-seated infections due to VRE has become a challenge for the clinician. The purpose of this review is to assess the current and future strategies for the management of recalcitrant deep-seated VRE infections and efforts for infection control in the hospital setting. RECENT FINDINGS Preventing colonization and decolonization of multidrug-resistant bacteria are becoming the most promising novel strategies to control and eradicate VRE from the hospital environment. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has shown remarkable results on treating colonization and infection due to Clostridiodes difficille and VRE, as well as to recover the integrity of the gut microbiota under antibiotic pressure. Initial reports have shown the efficacy of FMT on reestablishing patient microbiota diversity in the gut and reducing the dominance of VRE in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the use of bacteriophages may be a promising strategy in eradicating VRE from the gut of patients. Until these strategies become widely available in the hospital setting, the implementation of infection control measures and stewardship programs are paramount for the control of this pathogen and each program should provide recommendations for the proper use of antibiotics and develop strategies that help to detect populations at risk of VRE colonization, prevent and control nosocomial transmission of VRE, and develop educational programs for all healthcare workers addressing the epidemiology of VRE and the potential impact of these pathogens on the cost and outcomes of patients. In terms of antibiotic strategies, daptomycin has become the standard of care for the management of deep-seated infections due to VRE. However, recent evidence indicates that the efficacy of this antibiotic is limited, and higher (10-12 mg/kg) doses and/or combination with β-lactams is needed for therapeutic success. Clinical data to support the best use of daptomycin against VRE are urgently needed. This review provides an overview of recent developments regarding the prevention, treatment, control, and eradication of VRE in the hospital setting. We aim to provide an update of the most recent therapeutic strategies to treat deep-seated infections due to VRE.
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Affiliation(s)
- German A Contreras
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics (CARMiG), UTHealth McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, UTHealth McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jose M Munita
- 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
| | - Cesar A Arias
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics (CARMiG), UTHealth McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Internal Medicine, UTHealth McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA.
- Genomics and Resistant Microbes Group, Facultad de Medicina Clinica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile.
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UTHealth McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA.
- Center for Infectious Diseases, UTHealth School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA.
- Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit-International Center for Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.
- University of Texas Health Science Center, 6431 Fannin St. MSB 2.112, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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32
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Sortase-Dependent Proteins Promote Gastrointestinal Colonization by Enterococci. Infect Immun 2019; 87:IAI.00853-18. [PMID: 30804098 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00853-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is inhabited by a dense microbial community of symbionts. Enterococci are among the earliest members of this community and remain core members of the GIT microbiota throughout life. Enterococci have also recently emerged as opportunistic pathogens and major causes of nosocomial infections. Although recognized as a prerequisite for infection, colonization of the GIT by enterococci remains poorly understood. One way that bacteria adapt to dynamic ecosystems like the GIT is through the use of their surface proteins to sense and interact with components of their immediate environment. In Gram-positive bacteria, a subset of surface proteins relies on an enzyme called sortase for covalent attachment to the cell wall. Here, we show that the housekeeping sortase A (SrtA) enzyme promotes intestinal colonization by enterococci. Furthermore, we show that the enzymatic activity of SrtA is key to the ability of Enterococcus faecalis to bind mucin (a major component of the GIT mucus). We also report the GIT colonization phenotypes of E. faecalis mutants lacking selected sortase-dependent proteins (SDPs). Further examination of the mucin binding ability of these mutants suggests that adhesion to mucin contributes to intestinal colonization by E. faecalis.
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Enterococcus faecium TIR-Domain Genes Are Part of a Gene Cluster Which Promotes Bacterial Survival in Blood. Int J Microbiol 2019; 2018:1435820. [PMID: 30631364 PMCID: PMC6304867 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1435820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium has undergone a transition to a multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen. The population structure of E. faecium is characterized by a sharp distinction of clades, where the hospital-adapted lineage is primarily responsible for bacteremia. So far, factors that were identified in hospital-adapted strains and that promoted pathogenesis of nosocomial E. faecium mainly play a role in adherence and biofilm production, while less is known about factors contributing to survival in blood. This study identified a gene cluster, which includes genes encoding bacterial Toll/interleukin-1 receptor- (TIR-) domain-containing proteins (TirEs). The cluster was found to be unique to nosocomial strains and to be located on a putative mobile genetic element of phage origin. The three genes within the cluster appeared to be expressed as an operon. Expression was detected in bacterial culture media and in the presence of human blood. TirEs are released into the bacterial supernatant, and TirE2 is associated with membrane vesicles. Furthermore, the tirE-gene cluster promotes bacterial proliferation in human blood, indicating that TirE may contribute to the pathogenesis of bacteremia.
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34
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Banla LI, Salzman NH, Kristich CJ. Colonization of the mammalian intestinal tract by enterococci. Curr Opin Microbiol 2018; 47:26-31. [PMID: 30439685 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Enterococci are colonizers of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and normally live in healthy association with their human host. However, enterococci are also major causes of healthcare-acquired infections, prompting the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to declare vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) a serious threat to public health. Because of both intrinsic and acquired antibiotic resistance, enterococci proliferate in the GIT during antibiotic therapy, leading to dissemination and disease. The recognition that colonization of the GIT is a pre-requisite for enterococcal infections has prompted research to study mechanisms used by enterococci to colonize this niche. This review discusses major findings of recent research to understand GIT colonization by enterococci using diverse experimental models, each of which exhibits unique strengths. This work has revealed enterococcal transcriptional reprogramming in the GIT, contributions of specific enterococcal genes encoded by the core genome to GIT colonization, the impact of genome plasticity, and roles for intra-species and inter-species interactions in modulation of GIT colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leou Ismael Banla
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States; Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Nita H Salzman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States; Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
| | - Christopher J Kristich
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
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35
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Abstract
Enterococcus faecium has a highly variable genome prone to recombination and horizontal gene transfer. Here, we have identified a novel genetic island with an insertion locus and mobilization genes similar to those of staphylococcus cassette chromosome elements SCCmec This novel element termed the enterococcus cassette chromosome (ECC) element was located in the 3' region of rlmH and encoded large serine recombinases ccrAB similar to SCCmec Horizontal transfer of an ECC element termed ECC::cat containing a knock-in cat chloramphenicol resistance determinant occurred in the presence of a conjugative rep pLG1 plasmid. We determined the ECC::cat insertion site in the 3' region of rlmH in the E. faecium recipient by long-read sequencing. ECC::cat also mobilized by homologous recombination through sequence identity between flanking insertion sequence (IS) elements in ECC::cat and the conjugative plasmid. The ccrABEnt genes were found in 69 of 516 E. faecium genomes in GenBank. Full-length ECC elements were retrieved from 32 of these genomes. ECCs were flanked by attR and attL sites of approximately 50 bp. The attECC sequences were found by PCR and sequencing of circularized ECCs in three strains. The genes in ECCs contained an amalgam of common and rare E. faecium genes. Taken together, our data imply that ECC elements act as hot spots for genetic exchange and contribute to the large variation of accessory genes found in E. faecium IMPORTANCE Enterococcus faecium is a bacterium found in a great variety of environments, ranging from the clinic as a nosocomial pathogen to natural habitats such as mammalian intestines, water, and soil. They are known to exchange genetic material through horizontal gene transfer and recombination, leading to great variability of accessory genes and aiding environmental adaptation. Identifying mobile genetic elements causing sequence variation is important to understand how genetic content variation occurs. Here, a novel genetic island, the enterococcus cassette chromosome, is shown to contain a wealth of genes, which may aid E. faecium in adapting to new environments. The transmission mechanism involves the only two conserved genes within ECC, ccrAB Ent, large serine recombinases that insert ECC into the host genome similarly to SCC elements found in staphylococci.
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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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Group IIA-Secreted Phospholipase A 2 in Human Serum Kills Commensal but Not Clinical Enterococcus faecium Isolates. Infect Immun 2018; 86:IAI.00180-18. [PMID: 29784864 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00180-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human innate immunity employs cellular and humoral mechanisms to facilitate rapid killing of invading bacteria. The direct killing of bacteria by human serum is attributed mainly to the activity of the complement system, which forms pores in Gram-negative bacteria. Although Gram-positive bacteria are considered resistant to killing by serum, we uncover here that normal human serum effectively kills Enterococcus faecium Comparison of a well-characterized collection of commensal and clinical E. faecium isolates revealed that human serum specifically kills commensal E. faecium strains isolated from normal gut microbiota but not clinical isolates. Inhibitor studies show that the human group IIA secreted phospholipase A2 (hGIIA), but not complement, is responsible for killing of commensal E. faecium strains in human normal serum. This is remarkable since the hGIIA concentration in "noninflamed" serum was considered too low to be bactericidal against Gram-positive bacteria. Mechanistic studies showed that serum hGIIA specifically causes permeabilization of commensal E. faecium membranes. Altogether, we find that a normal concentration of hGIIA in serum effectively kills commensal E. faecium and that resistance of clinical E. faecium to hGIIA could have contributed to the ability of these strains to become opportunistic pathogens in hospitalized patients.
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38
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Modulators of Enterococcus faecalis Cell Envelope Integrity and Antimicrobial Resistance Influence Stable Colonization of the Mammalian Gastrointestinal Tract. Infect Immun 2017; 86:IAI.00381-17. [PMID: 29038125 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00381-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecalis is both a colonizer of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and an agent of serious nosocomial infections. Although it is typically required for pathogenesis, GIT colonization by E. faecalis is poorly understood. E. faecalis tolerates high concentrations of GIT antimicrobials, like cholate and lysozyme, leading us to hypothesize that resistance to intestinal antimicrobials is essential for long-term GIT colonization. Analyses of E. faecalis mutants exhibiting defects in antimicrobial resistance revealed that IreK, a determinant of envelope integrity and antimicrobial resistance, is required for long-term GIT colonization. IreK is a member of the PASTA kinase protein family, bacterial transmembrane signaling proteins implicated in the regulation of cell wall homeostasis. Among several determinants of cholate and lysozyme resistance in E. faecalis, IreK was the only one found to be required for intestinal colonization, emphasizing the importance of this protein to enterococcal adaptation to the GIT. By studying ΔireK suppressor mutants that recovered the ability to colonize the GIT, we identified two conserved enterococcal proteins (OG1RF_11271 and OG1RF_11272) that function antagonistically to IreK and interfere with cell envelope integrity, antimicrobial resistance, and GIT colonization. Our data suggest that IreK, through its kinase activity, inhibits the actions of these proteins. IreK, OG1RF_11271, and OG1RF_11272 are found in all enterococci, suggesting that their effect on GIT colonization is universal across enterococci. Thus, we have defined conserved genes in the enterococcal core genome that influence GIT colonization through their effect on enterococcal envelope integrity and antimicrobial resistance.
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Gao W, Howden BP, Stinear TP. Evolution of virulence in Enterococcus faecium, a hospital-adapted opportunistic pathogen. Curr Opin Microbiol 2017; 41:76-82. [PMID: 29227922 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Enterococci are long-standing members of the human microbiome and they are also widely distributed in nature. However, with the surge of antibiotic-resistance in recent decades, two enterococcal species (Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium) have emerged to become significant nosocomial pathogens, acquiring extensive antibiotic resistance. In this review, we summarize what is known about the evolution of virulence in E. faecium, highlighting a specific clone of E. faecium called ST796 that has emerged recently and spread globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Gao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Howden
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; Infectious Diseases Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia
| | - Timothy P Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
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Zhang X, de Maat V, Guzmán Prieto AM, Prajsnar TK, Bayjanov JR, de Been M, Rogers MRC, Bonten MJM, Mesnage S, Willems RJL, van Schaik W. RNA-seq and Tn-seq reveal fitness determinants of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium during growth in human serum. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:893. [PMID: 29162049 PMCID: PMC5699109 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-4299-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecium is a commensal of the human gastrointestinal tract and a frequent cause of bloodstream infections in hospitalized patients. The mechanisms by which E. faecium can survive and grow in blood during an infection have not yet been characterized. Here, we identify genes that contribute to growth of E. faecium in human serum through transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) and a high-throughput transposon mutant library sequencing approach (Tn-seq). Results We first sequenced the genome of E. faecium E745, a vancomycin-resistant clinical isolate, using a combination of short- and long read sequencing, revealing a 2,765,010 nt chromosome and 6 plasmids, with sizes ranging between 9.3 kbp and 223.7 kbp. We then compared the transcriptome of E. faecium E745 during exponential growth in rich medium and in human serum by RNA-seq. This analysis revealed that 27.8% of genes on the E. faecium E745 genome were differentially expressed in these two conditions. A gene cluster with a role in purine biosynthesis was among the most upregulated genes in E. faecium E745 upon growth in serum. The E. faecium E745 transposon mutant library was then used to identify genes that were specifically required for growth of E. faecium in serum. Genes involved in de novo nucleotide biosynthesis (including pyrK_2, pyrF, purD, purH) and a gene encoding a phosphotransferase system subunit (manY_2) were thus identified to be contributing to E. faecium growth in human serum. Transposon mutants in pyrK_2, pyrF, purD, purH and manY_2 were isolated from the library and their impaired growth in human serum was confirmed. In addition, the pyrK_2 and manY_2 mutants were tested for their virulence in an intravenous zebrafish infection model and exhibited significantly attenuated virulence compared to E. faecium E745. Conclusions Genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and nucleotide biosynthesis of E. faecium are essential for growth in human serum and contribute to the pathogenesis of this organism. These genes may serve as targets for the development of novel anti-infectives for the treatment of E. faecium bloodstream infections. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-017-4299-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinglin Zhang
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.,Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Vincent de Maat
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Ana M Guzmán Prieto
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Tomasz K Prajsnar
- Krebs Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Jumamurat R Bayjanov
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mark de Been
- 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
| | - Marc J M Bonten
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Stéphane Mesnage
- Krebs Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - 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, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
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41
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Goh HMS, Yong MHA, Chong KKL, Kline KA. Model systems for the study of Enterococcal colonization and infection. Virulence 2017; 8:1525-1562. [PMID: 28102784 PMCID: PMC5810481 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2017.1279766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Revised: 12/30/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are common inhabitants of the human gastrointestinal tract, as well as frequent opportunistic pathogens. Enterococci cause a range of infections including, most frequently, infections of the urinary tract, catheterized urinary tract, bloodstream, wounds and surgical sites, and heart valves in endocarditis. Enterococcal infections are often biofilm-associated, polymicrobial in nature, and resistant to antibiotics of last resort. Understanding Enterococcal mechanisms of colonization and pathogenesis are important for identifying new ways to manage and intervene with these infections. We review vertebrate and invertebrate model systems applied to study the most common E. faecalis and E. faecium infections, with emphasis on recent findings examining Enterococcal-host interactions using these models. We discuss strengths and shortcomings of each model, propose future animal models not yet applied to study mono- and polymicrobial infections involving E. faecalis and E. faecium, and comment on the significance of anti-virulence strategies derived from a fundamental understanding of host-pathogen interactions in model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. M. Sharon Goh
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - M. H. Adeline Yong
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Kelvin Kian Long Chong
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Interdisciplinary Graduate School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Kimberly A. Kline
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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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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Sinel C, Augagneur Y, Sassi M, Bronsard J, Cacaci M, Guérin F, Sanguinetti M, Meignen P, Cattoir V, Felden B. Small RNAs in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium involved in daptomycin response and resistance. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11067. [PMID: 28894187 PMCID: PMC5593968 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11265-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections and outbreaks. Regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are major players in adaptive responses, including antibiotic resistance. They were extensively studied in gram-negative bacteria, but less information is available for gram-positive pathogens. No sRNAs are described in E. faecium. We sought to identify a set of sRNAs expressed in vancomycin-resistant E. faecium Aus0004 strain to assess their roles in daptomycin response and resistance. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed a set of 61 sRNA candidates, including 10 that were further tested and validated by Northern and qPCR. RNA-seq was performed with and without subinhibitory concentrations (SICs) of daptomycin, an antibiotic used to treat enterococcal infections. After daptomycin SIC exposure, the expression of 260 coding and srna genes was altered, with 80 upregulated and 180 downregulated, including 51% involved in carbohydrate and transport metabolisms. Daptomycin SIC exposure significantly affected the expression of seven sRNAs, including one experimentally confirmed, sRNA_0160. We studied sRNA expression in isogenic mutants with increasing levels of daptomycin resistance and observed that expression of several sRNAs, including sRNA_0160, was modified in the stepwise mutants. This first genome-wide sRNA identification in E. faecium suggests that some sRNAs are linked to antibiotic stress response and resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Sinel
- University of Caen Normandie, EA4655, Caen, France
| | - Yoann Augagneur
- Inserm U1230-Biochimie pharmaceutique, Rennes University, Rennes, France
| | - Mohamed Sassi
- Inserm U1230-Biochimie pharmaceutique, Rennes University, Rennes, France
| | - Julie Bronsard
- Inserm U1230-Biochimie pharmaceutique, Rennes University, Rennes, France
| | - Margherita Cacaci
- Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Institute of Microbiology, Rome, Italy
| | - François Guérin
- University of Caen Normandie, EA4655, Caen, France.,Caen University Hospital, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Caen, France
| | | | - Pierrick Meignen
- University of Caen Normandie, IUT (department "STID"), Caen, France
| | - Vincent Cattoir
- University of Caen Normandie, EA4655, Caen, France. .,Caen University Hospital, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Caen, France. .,National Reference Center for Antimicrobial Resistance (lab Enterococci), Caen, France. .,Inserm U1230-Biochimie pharmaceutique, Rennes University, Rennes, France.
| | - Brice Felden
- Inserm U1230-Biochimie pharmaceutique, Rennes University, Rennes, France.
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Characterization of Class IIa Bacteriocin Resistance in Enterococcus faecium. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017; 61:AAC.02033-16. [PMID: 28115354 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02033-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci, particularly resistant Enterococcus faecium, pose an escalating threat in nosocomial environments because of their innate resistance to many antibiotics, including vancomycin, a treatment of last resort. Many class IIa bacteriocins strongly target these enterococci and may offer a potential alternative for the management of this pathogen. However, E. faecium's resistance to these peptides remains relatively uncharacterized. Here, we explored the development of resistance of E. faecium to a cocktail of three class IIa bacteriocins: enterocin A, enterocin P, and hiracin JM79. We started by quantifying the frequency of resistance to these peptides in four clinical isolates of E. faecium We then investigated the levels of resistance of E. faecium 6E6 mutants as well as their fitness in different carbon sources. In order to elucidate the mechanism of resistance of E. faecium to class IIa bacteriocins, we completed whole-genome sequencing of resistant mutants and performed reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) of a suspected target mannose phosphotransferase (ManPTS). We then verified this ManPTS's role in bacteriocin susceptibility by showing that expression of the ManPTS in Lactococcus lactis results in susceptibility to the peptide cocktail. Based on the evidence found from these studies, we conclude that, in accord with other studies in E. faecalis and Listeria monocytogenes, resistance to class IIa bacteriocins in E. faecium 6E6 is likely caused by the disruption of a particular ManPTS, which we believe we have identified.
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Abstract
Enterococci are ancient commensal bacteria that recently emerged as leading causes of antibiotic-resistant, hospital-acquired infection. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) epitomize why drug-resistant enterococcal infections are a problem: VRE readily colonize the antibiotic-perturbed gastrointestinal (GI) tract where they amplify to large numbers, and from there, they infect other body sites, including the bloodstream, urinary tract, and surgical wounds. VRE are resistant to many antimicrobials and host defenses, which facilitates establishment at the site of infection and confounds therapeutic clearance. Having evolved to colonize the GI tract, VRE are comparatively ill adapted to the human bloodstream. A recent study by Honsa and colleagues (E. S. Honsa et al., mBio 8:e02124-16, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02124-16) found that a strain of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium evolved antibiotic tolerance within the bloodstream of an immunocompromised host by activating the stringent response through mutation of relA Precisely how VRE colonize and infect and the selective pressures that led to the outgrowth of relA mutants are the subjects of ongoing research.
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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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Montealegre MC, Singh KV, Murray BE. Gastrointestinal Tract Colonization Dynamics by Different Enterococcus faecium Clades. J Infect Dis 2016; 213:1914-22. [PMID: 26671890 PMCID: PMC4878718 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiv597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) generally precedes infection with antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faecium We used a mouse GIT colonization model to test differences in the colonization levels by strains from different E. faecium lineages: clade B, part of the healthy human microbiota; subclade A1, associated with infections; and subclade A2, primarily associated with animals. After mono-inoculation, there was no significant difference in colonization (measured as the geometric mean number of colony-forming units per gram) by the E. faecium clades at any time point (P > .05). However, in competition assays, with 6 of the 7 pairs, clade B strains outcompeted clade A strains in their ability to persist in the GIT; this difference was significant in some pairs by day 2 and in all pairs by day 14 (P < .0008-.0283). This observation may explain the predominance of clade B in the community and why antibiotic-resistant hospital-associated E. faecium are often replaced by clade B strains once patients leave the hospital.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Camila Montealegre
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases Center for the Study of Emerging and Re-emerging Pathogens Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
| | - Kavindra V Singh
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases Center for the Study of Emerging and Re-emerging Pathogens
| | - Barbara E Murray
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases Center for the Study of Emerging and Re-emerging Pathogens Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
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48
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Yang J, Jiang Y, Guo L, Ye LI, Ma Y, Luo Y. Prevalence of Diverse Clones of Vancomycin-ResistantEnterococcus faeciumST78 in a Chinese Hospital. Microb Drug Resist 2016; 22:294-300. [PMID: 26652286 DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2015.0069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jiyong Yang
- Department of Microbiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yufeng Jiang
- Wound Healing Unit, Trauma Center of Postgraduate Medical School, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ling Guo
- Department of Microbiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - LIyan Ye
- Department of Microbiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yanning Ma
- Department of Microbiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yanping Luo
- Department of Microbiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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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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Genome Sequence of the Multiantibiotic-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Strain C68 and Insights on the pLRM23 Colonization Plasmid. GENOME ANNOUNCEMENTS 2016; 4:4/3/e01719-15. [PMID: 27151808 PMCID: PMC4859190 DOI: 10.1128/genomea.01719-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium infections are a rising concern in hospital settings. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci colonize the gastrointestinal tract and replace nonresistant strains, complicating the treatment of debilitated patients. Here, we present a polished genome of the multiantibiotic-resistant strain C68, which was obtained as a clinical isolate and is a useful experimental strain.
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