1
|
Garcia-Fernandez A, Janowicz A, Marotta F, Napoleoni M, Arena S, Primavilla S, Pitti M, Romantini R, Tomei F, Garofolo G, Villa L. Antibiotic resistance, plasmids, and virulence-associated markers in human strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated in Italy. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1293666. [PMID: 38260875 PMCID: PMC10800408 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1293666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Campylobacteriosis, a prevalent foodborne gastrointestinal infection in Europe, is primarily caused by Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, with rising global concerns over antimicrobial resistance in these species. This study comprehensively investigates 133 human-origin Campylobacter spp. strains (102 C. jejuni and 31 C. coli) collected in Italy from 2013 to 2021. The predominant Multilocus Sequence Typing Clonal complexes (CCs) were ST-21 CC and ST-206 CC in C. jejuni and ST-828 CC in C. coli. Ciprofloxacin and tetracycline resistance, mainly attributed to GyrA (T86I) mutation and tet(O) presence, were prevalent, while erythromycin resistance was associated with 23S rRNA gene mutation (A2075G), particularly in C. coli exhibiting multidrug-resistant pattern CipTE. Notable disparities in virulence factors among strains were observed, with C. jejuni exhibiting a higher abundance compared to C. coli. Notably, specific C. jejuni sequence types, including ST-21, ST-5018, and ST-1263, demonstrated significantly elevated counts of virulence genes. This finding underscores the significance of considering both the species and strain-level variations in virulence factor profiles, shedding light on potential differences in the pathogenicity and clinical outcomes associated with distinct C. jejuni lineages. Campylobacter spp. plasmids were classified into three groups comprising pVir-like and pTet-like plasmids families, exhibiting diversity among Campylobacter spp. The study underscores the importance of early detection through Whole Genome Sequencing to identify potential emergent virulence, resistance/virulence plasmids, and new antimicrobial resistance markers. This approach provides actionable public health data, supporting the development of robust surveillance programs in Italy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Janowicz
- National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", Teramo, Italy
| | - Francesca Marotta
- National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", Teramo, Italy
| | - Maira Napoleoni
- Centro di Riferimento Regionale Patogeni Enterici, CRRPE, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “T. Rosati”, Perugia, Italy
| | - Sergio Arena
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Primavilla
- Centro di Riferimento Regionale Patogeni Enterici, CRRPE, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “T. Rosati”, Perugia, Italy
| | - Monica Pitti
- Centro di Riferimento per la Tipizzazione delle Salmonelle, CeRTiS, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Romina Romantini
- National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", Teramo, Italy
| | | | - Giuliano Garofolo
- National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", Teramo, Italy
| | - Laura Villa
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Katz A, Porte L, Weitzel T, Varela C, Muñoz-Rehbein C, Ugalde JA, Grim C, González-Escalona N, Blondel CJ, Bravo V. Whole-genome sequencing reveals changes in genomic diversity and distinctive repertoires of T3SS and T6SS effector candidates in Chilean clinical Campylobacter strains. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1208825. [PMID: 37520433 PMCID: PMC10374022 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1208825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide and an emerging and neglected pathogen in South America. This zoonotic pathogen colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of a wide range of mammals and birds, with poultry as the most important reservoir for human infections. Apart from its high morbidity rates, the emergence of resistant strains is of global concern. The aims of this work were to determine genetic diversity, presence of antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence potential of Campylobacter spp. isolated from patients with acute gastrointestinal disease at 'Clinica Alemana', Santiago de Chile. The study considered the isolation of Campylobacter spp., from stool samples during a 20-month period (January 2020 to September 2021). We sequenced (NextSeq, Illumina) and performed an in-depth analysis of the genome sequences of 88 Campylobacter jejuni and 2 Campylobacter coli strains isolated from clinical samples in Chile. We identified a high genetic diversity among C. jejuni strains and the emergence of prevalent clonal complexes, which were not identified in our previous reports. While ~40% of strains harbored a mutation in the gyrA gene associated with fluoroquinolone resistance, no macrolide-resistance determinants were detected. Interestingly, gene clusters encoding virulence factors such as the T6SS or genes associated with long-term sequelae such as Guillain-Barré syndrome showed lineage-relatedness. In addition, our analysis revealed a high degree of variability regarding the presence of fT3SS and T6SS effector proteins in comparison to type strains 81-176, F38011, and NCTC 11168 and 488. Our study provides important insights into the molecular epidemiology of this emerging foodborne pathogen. In addition, the differences observed regarding the repertoire of fT3SS and T6SS effector proteins could have an impact on the pathogenic potential and transmissibility of these Latin American isolates, posing another challenge in characterizing the infection dynamics of this emergent and neglected bacterial pathogen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Katz
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lorena Porte
- Laboratorio Clínico, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Thomas Weitzel
- Laboratorio Clínico, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina (ICIM), Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carmen Varela
- Laboratorio Clínico, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cristina Muñoz-Rehbein
- Center for Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan A. Ugalde
- Center for Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Christopher Grim
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Narjol González-Escalona
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Carlos J. Blondel
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Verónica Bravo
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Aplicadas (CIBAP), Escuela de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cooke MB, Herman C. Conjugation's Toolkit: the Roles of Nonstructural Proteins in Bacterial Sex. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0043822. [PMID: 36847532 PMCID: PMC10029717 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00438-22] [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] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial conjugation, a form of horizontal gene transfer, relies on a type 4 secretion system (T4SS) and a set of nonstructural genes that are closely linked. These nonstructural genes aid in the mobile lifestyle of conjugative elements but are not part of the T4SS apparatus for conjugative transfer, such as the membrane pore and relaxosome, or the plasmid maintenance and replication machineries. While these nonstructural genes are not essential for conjugation, they assist in core conjugative functions and mitigate the cellular burden on the host. This review compiles and categorizes known functions of nonstructural genes by the stage of conjugation they modulate: dormancy, transfer, and new host establishment. Themes include establishing a commensalistic relationship with the host, manipulating the host for efficient T4SS assembly and function and assisting in conjugative evasion of recipient cell immune functions. These genes, taken in a broad ecological context, play important roles in ensuring proper propagation of the conjugation system in a natural environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B. Cooke
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Christophe Herman
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Long J, Zhang J, Xi Y, Zhao J, Jin Y, Yang H, Chen S, Duan G. Genomic Insights into CRISPR-Harboring Plasmids in the Klebsiella Genus: Distribution, Backbone Structures, Antibiotic Resistance, and Virulence Determinant Profiles. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0118922. [PMID: 36790185 PMCID: PMC10019312 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01189-22] [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: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR systems are often encoded by many prokaryotes as adaptive defense against mobile genetic elements (MGEs), but several MGEs also recruit CRISPR components to perform additional biological functions. Type IV-A systems are identified in Klebsiella plasmids, yet the distribution, characterization, and role of these plasmids carrying CRISPR systems in the whole Klebsiella genus remain unclear. Here, we performed large-scale comparative analysis of these plasmids using publicly available plasmid genomes. CRISPR-harboring plasmids were mainly distributed in Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.09%), covering 19.23% of sequence types, but sparse in Klebsiella species outside Klebsiella pneumoniae (3.92%). Plasmid genome comparison reiterated that these plasmids often carried the cointegrates of IncFIB and IncHI1B replicons, occasionally linked to other replicons, such as IncFIA, IncFII, IncR, IncQ, and IncU. Comparative genome analysis showed that CRISPR-carrying Klebsiella plasmids shared a conserved pNDM-MAR-like conjugation module as their backbones and served as an important vector for the accretion of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and even virulence genes (VGs). Moreover, compared with CRISPR-negative IncFIB/IncHIB plasmids, CRISPR-positive IncFIB/IncHIB plasmids displayed high divergences in terms of ARGs, VGs, GC content, plasmid length, and backbone structures, suggesting their divergent evolutionary paths. The network analysis revealed that CRISPR-positive plasmids yielded fierce competitions with other plasmid types, especially conjugative plasmids, thereby affecting the dynamics of plasmid transmission. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the role of CRISPR-positive plasmids in the spread of ARGs and VGs in Klebsiella genus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinzhao Long
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiangfeng Zhang
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yanyan Xi
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiaxue Zhao
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuefei Jin
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Haiyan Yang
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuaiyin Chen
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guangcai Duan
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Genomic Screening of Antimicrobial Resistance Markers in UK and US Campylobacter Isolates Highlights Stability of Resistance over an 18-Year Period. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0168721. [PMID: 35404076 PMCID: PMC9112873 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01687-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are important bacterial causes of human foodborne illness. Despite several years of reduced antibiotics usage in livestock production in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US), a high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) persists in Campylobacter. Both countries have instigated genome sequencing-based surveillance programs for Campylobacter, and in this study, we have identified AMR genes in 32,256 C. jejuni and 8,776 C. coli publicly available genome sequences to compare the prevalence and trends of AMR in Campylobacter isolated in the UK and US between 2001 and 2018. AMR markers were detected in 68% of C. coli and 53% of C. jejuni isolates, with 15% of C. coli isolates being multidrug resistant (MDR), compared to only 2% of C. jejuni isolates. The prevalence of aminoglycoside, macrolide, quinolone, and tetracycline resistance remained fairly stable from 2001 to 2018 in both C. jejuni and C. coli, but statistically significant differences were observed between the UK and US. There was a statistically significant higher prevalence of aminoglycoside and tetracycline resistance for US C. coli and C. jejuni isolates and macrolide resistance for US C. coli isolates. In contrast, UK C. coli and C. jejuni isolates showed a significantly higher prevalence of quinolone resistance. Specific multilocus sequence type (MLST) clonal complexes (e.g., ST-353/464) showed >95% quinolone resistance. This large-scale comparison of AMR prevalence has shown that the prevalence of AMR remains stable for Campylobacter in the UK and the US. This suggests that antimicrobial stewardship and restricted antibiotic usage may help contain further expansion of AMR prevalence in Campylobacter but are unlikely to reduce it in the short term.
Collapse
|