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Ma A, Ferrato C, Martin I, Smyczek P, Gratrix J, Dingle TC. Use of genome sequencing to resolve differences in gradient diffusion and agar dilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing performance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Alberta, Canada. J Clin Microbiol 2023; 61:e0060623. [PMID: 37882549 PMCID: PMC10662343 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00606-23] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Agar dilution is the gold standard method for phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. However, this method is laborious and requires expertise, so laboratories that perform N. gonorrhoeae AST may choose alternative methods such as disk diffusion and gradient diffusion. In this study, we retrospectively compare the performance of gradient diffusion to agar dilution for 2,394 unique N. gonorrhoeae isolates identified in Alberta from 2017 to 2020 against azithromycin, cefixime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, penicillin, and tetracycline. Genome sequencing was utilized to resolve discrepancies between AST methods, detect antimicrobial resistance markers, and identify trends between error rates and sequence types (STs) of isolates. Over 90% of N. gonorrhoeae isolates were susceptible to azithromycin, cefixime, and ceftriaxone, whereas decreased susceptibility was observed for ciprofloxacin, penicillin, and tetracycline. Categorical (CA) and essential agreement (EA) was poorest between the two methods for penicillin (CA: 86.02%; EA: 77.69%) and tetracycline (CA: 47.22%; EA: 55.96%); however, the low CA was primarily attributed to minor errors. Antimicrobial agents with errors outside of acceptable limits included azithromycin (very major error: 18.42%; major error: 7.73%) and tetracycline (very major error: 6.17%). Genome sequencing on a subset of isolates resolved 30.3% of the azithromycin major errors and confirmed the azithromycin or tetracycline very major errors. Significant associations between certain STs and error types for azithromycin and tetracycline were also identified. Overall, gradient diffusion compared well to agar dilution for cefixime, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin, and genome sequencing was identified as a useful tool to arbitrate discrepant susceptibility testing results between gradient diffusion and agar dilution for N. gonorrhoeae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Ma
- Division of Diagnostic and Applied Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Christina Ferrato
- Alberta Precision Laboratories—Provincial Laboratory for Public Health, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Irene Martin
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Petra Smyczek
- Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Alberta Health Services, STI Services, Edmonton, Canada
| | | | - Tanis C. Dingle
- Alberta Precision Laboratories—Provincial Laboratory for Public Health, Edmonton, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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Radovanovic M, Kekic D, Jovicevic M, Kabic J, Gajic I, Opavski N, Ranin L. Current Susceptibility Surveillance and Distribution of Antimicrobial Resistance in N. gonorrheae within WHO Regions. Pathogens 2022; 11:1230. [PMID: 36364980 PMCID: PMC9697523 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11111230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) is the etiological agent of the second most common sexually transmitted disease in the world, gonorrhoea. Currently recommended and last available first-line therapy is extended-spectrum cephalosporins most often combined with azitromycin. However, misuse of antibiotics and the abilities of N. gonorrhoeae to acquire new genetic and plasmid-borne resistance determinants has gradually led to the situation where this bacterium has become resistant to all major classes of antibiotics. Together with a generally slow update of treatment guidelines globally, as well as with the high capacity of gonococci to develop and retain AMR, this may lead to the global worsening of gonococcal AMR. Since effective vaccines are unavailable, the management of gonorrhoea relies mostly on prevention and accurate diagnosis, together with antimicrobial treatment. The study overviews the latest results of mostly WHO-initiated studies, primarily focusing on the data regarding the molecular basis of the resistance to the current and novel most promising antibacterial agents, which could serve to establish or reinforce the continual, quality-assured and comparable AMR surveillance, including systematic monitoring and treatment with the use of molecular AMR prediction methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Radovanovic
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, University of Belgrade, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Dusan Kekic
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Milos Jovicevic
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Jovana Kabic
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Ina Gajic
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Natasa Opavski
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
| | - Lazar Ranin
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
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Nokchan N, Wongsurawat T, Jenjaroenpun P, Nitayanon P, Tribuddharat C. Whole-genome sequence analysis of high-level penicillin-resistant strains and antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae clinical isolates from Thailand. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271657. [PMID: 35905043 PMCID: PMC9337635 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The increasing rate of antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae poses a considerable public health threat due to the difficulty in treating gonococcal infections. This study examined antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to drugs recommended for gonorrhea treatment between 2015 and 2017, and the AMR determinants and genetic compositions of plasmids in 3 gonococcal strains with high-level penicillin resistance. Methods We collected 117 N. gonorrhoeae isolates from patients with gonococcal infections who attended Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, between 2015 and 2017. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, spectinomycin, cefixime, and ceftriaxone were determined by the agar dilution method. PCR amplification and sequencing of 23S rRNA and mtrR (a negative regulator of MtrCDE efflux pump) were performed. Whole genomes of 3 PPNG strains with high-level penicillin resistance (MIC ≥ 128 μg/ml) were sequenced using Illumina and Nanopore sequencing platforms. Results The proportions of N. gonorrhoeae isolates with resistance were 84.6% for penicillin, 91.5% for tetracycline, and 96.6% for ciprofloxacin. All isolates were susceptible to spectinomycin, azithromycin, cefixime, and ceftriaxone. An adenine deletion within a 13 bp inverted repeat sequence in the mtrR promoter and an H105Y mutation in the mtrR coding region were found in the N. gonorrhoeae isolate with the highest azithromycin MIC value (1 μg/ml). Three high-level penicillin-resistant isolates contained nonmosaic type II penA and had mutations in penB and the mtrR coding region. All isolates with high-level penicillin resistance carried the conjugative plasmids with or without the Dutch type tetM determinant, the beta-lactamase plasmid (Rio/Toronto), and the cryptic plasmid. Conclusions The gonococcal population in Thailand showed high susceptibility to ceftriaxone and azithromycin, current dual therapy recommended for gonorrhea treatment. As elevated MIC of azithromycin has been observed in 1 strain of N. gonorrhoeae, expanded and enhanced surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility and study of genetic resistance determinants are essential to improve treatment guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natakorn Nokchan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Thidathip Wongsurawat
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
- Division of Bioinformatics and Data Management for Research, Department of Research and Development, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Piroon Jenjaroenpun
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
- Division of Bioinformatics and Data Management for Research, Department of Research and Development, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Perapon Nitayanon
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chanwit Tribuddharat
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- * E-mail:
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Zhao L, Liu A, Li R, Zhang Z, Jia Y, Zhao S. High prevalence of blaTEM-135 and genetic epidemiology of blaTEM-135-carrying Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Shandong, China, 2017-19. J Antimicrob Chemother 2022; 77:2406-2413. [PMID: 35706144 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkac192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Only one additional specific SNP in blaTEM-135 in penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) isolates is required for TEM-135 to evolve into an ESBL that is capable of degrading all extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs). METHODS Identification of the blaTEM-135 gene was achieved by performing a mismatch amplification mutation assay PCR. PPNG isolates were then genotyped using MLST and N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) techniques. Finally, phylogenetic analyses based on MLST and NG-MAST were performed on all of the PPNG isolates, and genogroups were classified according to the phylogenetic relatedness on the basis of each MLST and NG-MAST gene typing and the blaTEM allele varieties. RESULTS Among the 197 PPNG isolates, one (0.5%) isolate possessed the blaTEM-220 allele, 90 (45.7%) possessed the blaTEM-135 allele, and 106 (53.8%) possessed the blaTEM-1 allele. Among the blaTEM-135-carrying PPNG isolates, MLST ST8109 (n = 30) and NG-MAST ST12199 (n = 5), ST12754 (n = 5) and ST15073 (n = 5) were the most prevalent in the Shandong province of China. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that MLST ST8109, ST8140 and ST14417, mainly carrying the blaTEM-135 allele, belonged to the same genogroup, G1, while NG-MAST ST12199 and ST15073, mainly carrying the blaTEM-135 allele, belonged to the same genogroup, Ga. CONCLUSIONS This study has shown that the molecular epidemiology of PPNG isolates carrying the blaTEM-135 allele in Shandong has a dynamically changing status. Therefore, it is very pressing to continuously monitor the prevalence and mutation of the blaTEM-135 allele and the genetic epidemiology of PPNG isolates carrying the blaTEM-135 allele in this district.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihong Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an 271000, China
| | - Aihua Liu
- Central Laboratory, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an 271000, China
| | - Ruiying Li
- Department of Gynaecology, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an 271000, China
| | - Zhijun Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an 271000, China
| | - Ying Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an 271000, China
| | - Shuping Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tai'an City Central Hospital, Tai'an 271000, China
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Harrison OB, Maiden MCJ. Recent advances in understanding and combatting Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a genomic perspective. Fac Rev 2021; 10:65. [PMID: 34557869 PMCID: PMC8442004 DOI: 10.12703/r/10-65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhoea remains a major global public health concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 87 million new cases in individuals who were 15 to 49 years of age occurred in 2016. The growing number of gonorrhoea cases is concerning given the rise in gonococci developing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Therefore, a global action plan is needed to facilitate surveillance. Indeed, the WHO has made surveillance leading to the elimination of STIs (including gonorrhoea) a global health priority. The availability of whole genome sequence data offers new opportunities to combat gonorrhoea. This can be through (i) enhanced surveillance of the global prevalence of AMR, (ii) improved understanding of the population biology of the gonococcus, and (iii) opportunities to mine sequence data in the search for vaccine candidates. Here, we review the current status in Neisseria gonorrhoeae genomics. In particular, we explore how genomics continues to advance our understanding of this complex pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odile B Harrison
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Peter Medawar Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Martin CJ Maiden
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Peter Medawar Building, Oxford, UK
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Bodoev I, Malakhova M, Bespyatykh J, Bespiatykh D, Arapidi G, Pobeguts O, Zgoda V, Shitikov E, Ilina E. Substitutions in SurA and BamA Lead to Reduced Susceptibility to Broad Range Antibiotics in Gonococci. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1312. [PMID: 34573293 PMCID: PMC8467665 DOI: 10.3390/genes12091312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing concern about the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. To effectively control antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens, it is necessary to develop new antimicrobials and to understand the resistance mechanisms to existing antibiotics. In this study, we discovered the unexpected onset of drug resistance in N. gonorrhoeae caused by amino acid substitutions in the periplasmic chaperone SurA and the β-barrel assembly machinery component BamA. Here, we investigated the i19.05 clinical isolate with mutations in corresponding genes along with reduced susceptibility to penicillin, tetracycline, and azithromycin. The mutant strain NG05 (surAmut bamAmut, and penAmut) was obtained using the pan-susceptible n01.08 clinical isolate as a recipient in the transformation procedure. Comparative proteomic analysis of NG05 and n01.08 strains revealed significantly increased levels of other chaperones, Skp and FkpA, and some transport proteins. Efflux pump inhibition experiments demonstrated that the reduction in sensitivity was achieved due to the activity of efflux pumps. We hypothesize that the described mutations in the surA and bamA genes cause the qualitative and quantitative changes of periplasmic chaperones, which in turn alters the function of synthesized cell envelope proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Bodoev
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (M.M.); (J.B.); (D.B.); (G.A.); (O.P.); (E.S.); (E.I.)
| | - Maja Malakhova
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (M.M.); (J.B.); (D.B.); (G.A.); (O.P.); (E.S.); (E.I.)
| | - Julia Bespyatykh
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (M.M.); (J.B.); (D.B.); (G.A.); (O.P.); (E.S.); (E.I.)
| | - Dmitry Bespiatykh
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (M.M.); (J.B.); (D.B.); (G.A.); (O.P.); (E.S.); (E.I.)
| | - Georgij Arapidi
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (M.M.); (J.B.); (D.B.); (G.A.); (O.P.); (E.S.); (E.I.)
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, State University, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Olga Pobeguts
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (M.M.); (J.B.); (D.B.); (G.A.); (O.P.); (E.S.); (E.I.)
| | - Victor Zgoda
- Orekhovich Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, 119121 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Egor Shitikov
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (M.M.); (J.B.); (D.B.); (G.A.); (O.P.); (E.S.); (E.I.)
| | - Elena Ilina
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine, 119435 Moscow, Russia; (M.M.); (J.B.); (D.B.); (G.A.); (O.P.); (E.S.); (E.I.)
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Singh R, Kusalik A, Dillon JAR. Bioinformatics tools used for whole-genome sequencing analysis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a literature review. Brief Funct Genomics 2021; 21:78-89. [PMID: 34170311 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elab028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data are well established for the investigation of gonococcal transmission, antimicrobial resistance prediction, population structure determination and population dynamics. A variety of bioinformatics tools, repositories, services and platforms have been applied to manage and analyze Neisseria gonorrhoeae WGS datasets. This review provides an overview of the various bioinformatics approaches and resources used in 105 published studies (as of 30 April 2021). The challenges in the analysis of N. gonorrhoeae WGS datasets, as well as future bioinformatics requirements, are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reema Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology
| | - Anthony Kusalik
- Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan
| | - Jo-Anne R Dillon
- Department of Biochemistry Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, c/o Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, 120 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N5E3, Canada
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Cehovin A, Jolley KA, Maiden MCJ, Harrison OB, Tang CM. Association of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Plasmids With Distinct Lineages and The Economic Status of Their Country of Origin. J Infect Dis 2020; 222:1826-1836. [PMID: 32163577 PMCID: PMC7653084 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are vehicles for horizontal gene transfer between bacteria, and in Neisseria gonorrhoeae plasmids can mediate high-level antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Using genomic and phylogenetic analyses, we show that plasmids are widespread in a collection of 3724 gonococcal isolates from 56 countries, and characterized the conjugative, β-lactamase and cryptic plasmids. We found that variants of the conjugative plasmid (which can mediate tetracycline resistance) and the β-lactamase plasmid expressing TEM-135 are associated with distinct gonococcal lineages. Furthermore, AMR plasmids are significantly more prevalent in gonococci from less wealthy countries, highlighting the need for further studies. More than 94% of gonococci possess the cryptic plasmid, with its absence correlated with the presence of a novel chromosomal type IV secretion system. Our results reveal the extent of plasmid-mediated AMR in the gonococcus, particularly in less wealthy countries, where diagnostic and therapeutic options can be limited, and highlight the risk of their global spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cehovin
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Keith A Jolley
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Odile B Harrison
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph M Tang
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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