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Krzyżewska-Dudek E, Dulipati V, Kapczyńska K, Noszka M, Chen C, Kotimaa J, Książczyk M, Dudek B, Bugla-Płoskońska G, Pawlik K, Meri S, Rybka J. Lipopolysaccharide with long O-antigen is crucial for Salmonella Enteritidis to evade complement activity and to facilitate bacterial survival in vivo in the Galleria mellonella infection model. Med Microbiol Immunol 2024; 213:8. [PMID: 38767707 PMCID: PMC11106168 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-024-00790-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial resistance to serum is a key virulence factor for the development of systemic infections. The amount of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the O-antigen chain length distribution on the outer membrane, predispose Salmonella to escape complement-mediated killing. In Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) a modal distribution of the LPS O-antigen length can be observed. It is characterized by the presence of distinct fractions: low molecular weight LPS, long LPS and very long LPS. In the present work, we investigated the effect of the O-antigen modal length composition of LPS molecules on the surface of S. Enteritidis cells on its ability to evade host complement responses. Therefore, we examined systematically, by using specific deletion mutants, roles of different O-antigen fractions in complement evasion. We developed a method to analyze the average LPS lengths and investigated the interaction of the bacteria and isolated LPS molecules with complement components. Additionally, we assessed the aspect of LPS O-antigen chain length distribution in S. Enteritidis virulence in vivo in the Galleria mellonella infection model. The obtained results of the measurements of the average LPS length confirmed that the method is suitable for measuring the average LPS length in bacterial cells as well as isolated LPS molecules and allows the comparison between strains. In contrast to earlier studies we have used much more precise methodology to assess the LPS molecules average length and modal distribution, also conducted more subtle analysis of complement system activation by lipopolysaccharides of various molecular mass. Data obtained in the complement activation assays clearly demonstrated that S. Enteritidis bacteria require LPS with long O-antigen to resist the complement system and to survive in the G. mellonella infection model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Krzyżewska-Dudek
- Department of Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Vinaya Dulipati
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katarzyna Kapczyńska
- Department of Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Mateusz Noszka
- Department of Microbiology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Carmen Chen
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha Kotimaa
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Espoo, Finland
| | - Marta Książczyk
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Bartłomiej Dudek
- Platform for Unique Models Application (P.U.M.A), Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
| | | | - Krzysztof Pawlik
- Department of Microbiology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Seppo Meri
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- HUSLAB Diagnostic Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jacek Rybka
- Department of Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland.
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Liu Z, Li J, Wang H, Xia F, Xia Y, Wang H, Hu Y, Zou M. Clonal transmission of bla IMP-4-carrying ST196 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates mediated by IncN plasmid in China. J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2024:S2213-7165(24)00081-X. [PMID: 38735531 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2024.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the clinical and molecular epidemiological characteristics of blaIMP-4-carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae in a tertiary hospital in China. METHODS 10 Carbapenem Resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) isolates with blaIMP-4 gene were collected. Molecular characteristics were analyzed using whole-genome sequencing. Plasmid conjugation experiment was used to analyze the conjugation of plasmids. We compared and analyzed K. pneumoniae carrying blaIMP-4 on NCBI with the strains in this study. RESULTS All 10 CRKP isolates with blaIMP-4 were collected from 10 adult patients in the respiratory intensive care unit. These strains were only sensitive to polymyxins and tigecycline due to simultaneously carrying multiple resistance genes, such as blaOKP-A-5, fosA, oqxA and oqxB. Notably, R29 harbored two carbapenemase genes (blaNDM-1 and blaIMP-4). These strains had similar drug-resistant phenotypes and drug-resistant genes, all belonging to ST196. Additionally, the patients had spatiotemporal intersection during hospitalization, suggesting that these strains had clonal transmission, but they belonged to different clonal clusters from the blaIMP-4-positive K. pneumoniae currently published on NCBI. Among the 10 strains, blaIMP-4 was located on the IncN plasmid, and 6 strains had successfully transferred the plasmid to the recipient strain EC600 through plasmid conjugation. CONCLUSIONS The blaIMP-4-positive ST196 CRKP had clonal distribution in the respiratory ICU, which was mediated by IncN plasmid. Consequently, there should be increased monitoring of carbapenem-resistant strains in clinical settings to prevent and control of its transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaojun Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Haolan Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Fengjun Xia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yubing Xia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Haichen Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yongmei Hu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Mingxiang Zou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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Barceló IM, Escobar-Salom M, Cabot G, Perelló-Bauzà P, Jordana-Lluch E, Taltavull B, Torrens G, Rojo-Molinero E, Zamorano L, Pérez A, Oliver A, Juan C. Transferable AmpCs in Klebsiella pneumoniae: interplay with peptidoglycan recycling, mechanisms of hyperproduction, and virulence implications. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0131523. [PMID: 38517189 PMCID: PMC11064642 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01315-23] [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: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal and transferable AmpC β-lactamases represent top resistance mechanisms in different gram-negatives, but knowledge regarding the latter, mostly concerning regulation and virulence-related implications, is far from being complete. To fill this gap, we used Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) and two different plasmid-encoded AmpCs [DHA-1 (AmpR regulator linked, inducible) and CMY-2 (constitutive)] as models to perform a study in which we show that blockade of peptidoglycan recycling through AmpG permease inactivation abolished DHA-1 inducibility but did not affect CMY-2 production and neither did it alter KP pathogenic behavior. Moreover, whereas regular production of both AmpC-type enzymes did not attenuate KP virulence, when blaDHA-1 was expressed in an ampG-defective mutant, Galleria mellonella killing was significantly (but not drastically) attenuated. Spontaneous DHA-1 hyperproducer mutants were readily obtained in vitro, showing slight or insignificant virulence attenuations together with high-level resistance to β-lactams only mildly affected by basal production (e.g., ceftazidime, ceftolozane/tazobactam). By analyzing diverse DHA-1-harboring clinical KP strains, we demonstrate that the natural selection of these hyperproducers is not exceptional (>10% of the collection), whereas mutational inactivation of the typical AmpC hyperproduction-related gene mpl was the most frequent underlying mechanism. The potential silent dissemination of this kind of strains, for which an important fitness cost-related contention barrier does not seem to exist, is envisaged as a neglected threat for most β-lactams effectiveness, including recently introduced combinations. Analyzing whether this phenomenon is applicable to other transferable β-lactamases and species as well as determining the levels of conferred resistance poses an essential topic to be addressed.IMPORTANCEAlthough there is solid knowledge about the regulation of transferable and especially chromosomal AmpC β-lactamases in Enterobacterales, there are still gaps to fill, mainly related to regulatory mechanisms and virulence interplays of the former. This work addresses them using Klebsiella pneumoniae as model, delving into a barely explored conception: the acquisition of a plasmid-encoded inducible AmpC-type enzyme whose production can be increased through selection of chromosomal mutations, entailing dramatically increased resistance compared to basal expression but minor associated virulence costs. Accordingly, we demonstrate that clinical K. pneumoniae DHA-1 hyperproducer strains are not exceptional. Through this study, we warn for the first time that this phenomenon may be a neglected new threat for β-lactams effectiveness (including some recently introduced ones) silently spreading in the clinical context, not only in K. pneumoniae but potentially also in other pathogens. These facts must be carefully considered in order to design future resistance-preventive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel M. Barceló
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Escobar-Salom
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gabriel Cabot
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Pau Perelló-Bauzà
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
| | - Elena Jordana-Lluch
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Biel Taltavull
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gabriel Torrens
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Estrella Rojo-Molinero
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Zamorano
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Astrid Pérez
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Oliver
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Juan
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
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Yang J, Xiong Y, Barkema HW, Tong X, Lin Y, Deng Z, Kastelic JP, Nobrega DB, Wang Y, Han B, Gao J. Comparative genomic analyses of Klebsiella pneumoniae K57 capsule serotypes isolated from bovine mastitis in China. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:3114-3126. [PMID: 37944808 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-23721] [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: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae can cause severe clinical mastitis in dairy cows, with K. pneumoniae type K57 (K57-KP) being the most common capsular serotype. To identify virulence factors and antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) genes of K57-KP with varying virulence, Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth) larvae were infected as a screening model to characterize virulence of 90 K57-KP strains, with 10 and 11 strains defined as virulent or attenuated, respectively, based on larval survival rates. Next, virulence of these 21 isolates was subsequently confirmed in adhesion and lactate dehydrogenase release assays, using bovine mammary epithelial cells cultured in vitro. Finally, genes associated with virulence and AMR were characterize with whole-genome sequencing. These 21 K57-KP strains were designated into 16 sequence types based on multi-locus sequence typing and allocated in phylogenetic analysis based on single nucleotide polymorphisms. We found great genetic diversity among isolates. In addition, adhesion-associated genes (e.g., fimA, sfaA, and focA) aminoglycoside-resistance genes (aph(6)-Id, strAB) were associated with virulence. This study provided new knowledge regarding virulence of K57-KP associated with bovine mastitis, which may inform development of novel diagnostic tools and prevention strategies for bovine mastitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyue Yang
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yindi Xiong
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Herman W Barkema
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Xiaofang Tong
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yushan Lin
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Zhaoju Deng
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - John P Kastelic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Diego B Nobrega
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Bo Han
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Jian Gao
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
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5
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Yu Q, Li H, Du L, Shen L, Zhang J, Yuan L, Yao H, Xiao H, Bai Q, Jia Y, Qiu J, Li Y. Transcriptional regulation of the yersiniabactin receptor fyuA gene by the ferric uptake regulator in Klebsiella pneumoniae NTUH-K2044. J Basic Microbiol 2024:e202400001. [PMID: 38679904 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202400001] [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: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The ferric uptake regulator (Fur) is a global regulator that influences the expression of virulence genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Bioinformatics analysis suggests Fur may involve in iron acquisition via the identified regulatory box upstream of the yersiniabactin receptor gene fyuA. To observe the impact of the gene fyuA on the virulence of K. pneumoniae, the gene fyuA knockout strain and complementation strain were constructed and then conducted a series of phenotypic experiments including chrome azurol S (CAS) detection, crystal violet staining, and wax moth virulence experiment. To examine the regulatory relationship between Fur and the gene fyuA, green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene fusion assay, real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), gel migration assay (EMSA), and DNase I footprinting assay were used to clarify the regulatory mechanism of Fur on fyuA. CAS detection revealed that the gene fyuA could affect the generation of iron carriers in K. pneumoniae. Crystal violet staining experiment showed that fyuA could positively influence biofilm formation. Wax moth virulence experiment indicated that the deletion of the fyuA could weaken bacterial virulence. GFP reporter gene fusion experiment and RT-qPCR analysis revealed that Fur negatively regulated the expression of fyuA in iron-sufficient environment. EMSA experiment demonstrated that Fur could directly bind to the promoter region of fyuA, and DNase I footprinting assay further identified the specific binding site sequences. The study showed that Fur negatively regulated the transcriptional expression of fyuA by binding to upstream of the gene promoter region, and then affected the virulence of K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Yu
- School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hailin Li
- School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ling Du
- Chengdu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lifei Shen
- Jiangbei District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangbei, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiaxue Zhang
- Jiangbei District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangbei, Chongqing, China
| | - Lingyue Yuan
- Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China
| | - Huang Yao
- School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hong Xiao
- School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qunhua Bai
- School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Jia
- School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jingfu Qiu
- School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yingli Li
- School of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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6
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Krueger J, Preusse M, Oswaldo Gomez N, Frommeyer YN, Doberenz S, Lorenz A, Kordes A, Grobe S, Müsken M, Depledge DP, Svensson SL, Weiss S, Kaever V, Pich A, Sharma CM, Ignatova Z, Häussler S. tRNA epitranscriptome determines pathogenicity of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2312874121. [PMID: 38451943 PMCID: PMC10945773 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312874121] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The success of bacterial pathogens depends on the coordinated expression of virulence determinants. Regulatory circuits that drive pathogenesis are complex, multilayered, and incompletely understood. Here, we reveal that alterations in tRNA modifications define pathogenic phenotypes in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We demonstrate that the enzymatic activity of GidA leads to the introduction of a carboxymethylaminomethyl modification in selected tRNAs. Modifications at the wobble uridine base (cmnm5U34) of the anticodon drives translation of transcripts containing rare codons. Specifically, in P. aeruginosa the presence of GidA-dependent tRNA modifications modulates expression of genes encoding virulence regulators, leading to a cellular proteomic shift toward pathogenic and well-adapted physiological states. Our approach of profiling the consequences of chemical tRNA modifications is general in concept. It provides a paradigm of how environmentally driven tRNA modifications govern gene expression programs and regulate phenotypic outcomes responsible for bacterial adaption to challenging habitats prevailing in the host niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Krueger
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Research Core Unit Proteomics and Institute for Toxicology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Matthias Preusse
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, 38124Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Nicolas Oswaldo Gomez
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, 38124Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Yannick Noah Frommeyer
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Sebastian Doberenz
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Anne Lorenz
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, 38124Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Adrian Kordes
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence “Resolving Infection susceptibility” (RESIST), Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Svenja Grobe
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Research Core Unit Metabolomics and Institute of Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Mathias Müsken
- Central Facility for Microscopy, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig38124, Germany
| | - Daniel P. Depledge
- Cluster of Excellence “Resolving Infection susceptibility” (RESIST), Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Sarah L. Svensson
- Department of Molecular Infection Biology II, Institute of Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg97080, Germany
| | - Siegfried Weiss
- Institute of Immunology, Medical School Hannover, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Volkhard Kaever
- Research Core Unit Metabolomics and Institute of Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
| | - Andreas Pich
- Research Core Unit Proteomics and Institute for Toxicology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
| | - Cynthia M. Sharma
- Department of Molecular Infection Biology II, Institute of Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg97080, Germany
| | - Zoya Ignatova
- Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University Hamburg, 20146, Germany
| | - Susanne Häussler
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, Center of Clinical and Experimental Infection Research (TWINCORE), a joint venture of the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Hannover30625, Germany
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, 38124Braunschweig, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence “Resolving Infection susceptibility” (RESIST), Hannover Medical School, Hannover30625, Germany
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen2100, Denmark
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7
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Tiwari V, Sharma A, Braga R, Garcia E, Appiah R, Fleeman R, Abuaita BH, Patrauchan M, Doerrler WT. Klebsiella pneumoniae DedA family proteins have redundant roles in divalent cation homeostasis and resistance to phagocytosis. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0380723. [PMID: 38214522 PMCID: PMC10846249 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03807-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The DedA superfamily is a highly conserved family of membrane proteins. Deletion of Escherichia coli yqjA and yghB, encoding related DedA family proteins, results in sensitivity to elevated temperature, antibiotics, and alkaline pH. The human pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae possesses genes encoding DedA family proteins with >90% amino acid identity to E. coli YqjA and YghB. We hypothesized that the deletion of K. pneumoniae yqjA and yghB will impact its physiology and may reduce its virulence. The K. pneumoniae ΔyqjA ΔyghB mutant (strain VT101) displayed a growth defect at 42°C and alkaline pH sensitivity, not unlike its E. coli counterpart. However, VT101 retained mostly wild-type resistance to antibiotics. We found VT101 was sensitive to the chelating agent EDTA, the anionic detergent SDS, and agents capable of alkalizing the bacterial cytoplasm such as bicarbonate or chloroquine. We could restore growth at alkaline pH and at elevated temperature by addition of 0.5-2 mM Ca2+ or Mg2+ to the culture media. VT101 displayed a slower uptake of calcium, which was dependent upon calcium channel activity. VT201, with similar deletions as VT101 but derived from a virulent K. pneumoniae strain, was highly susceptible to phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages and displayed a defect in the production of capsule. These findings suggest divalent cation homeostasis and virulence are interlinked by common functions of the DedA family.IMPORTANCEKlebsiella pneumoniae is a dangerous human pathogen. The DedA protein family is found in all bacteria and is a membrane transporter often required for virulence and antibiotic resistance. K. pneumoniae possesses homologs of E. coli YqjA and YghB, with 60% amino acid identity and redundant functions, which we have previously shown to be required for tolerance to biocides and alkaline pH. A K. pneumoniae strain lacking yqjA and yghB was found to be sensitive to alkaline pH, elevated temperature, and EDTA/SDS and displayed a defect in calcium uptake. Sensitivity to these conditions was reversed by addition of calcium or magnesium to the growth medium. Introduction of ΔyqjA and ΔyghB mutations into virulent K. pneumoniae resulted in the loss of capsule, increased phagocytosis by macrophages, and a partial loss of virulence. These results show that targeting the Klebsiella DedA family results in impaired divalent cation transport and, in turn, loss of virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Tiwari
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Amit Sharma
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Reygan Braga
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, College of Arts and Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Emily Garcia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Ridhwana Appiah
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Renee Fleeman
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Basel H. Abuaita
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Marianna Patrauchan
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, College of Arts and Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - William T. Doerrler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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8
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Hamed SM, Mohamed HO, Ashour HM, Fahmy LI. Comparative genomic analysis of strong biofilm-forming Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates uncovers novel IS Ecp1-mediated chromosomal integration of a full plasmid-like sequence. Infect Dis (Lond) 2024; 56:91-109. [PMID: 37897710 DOI: 10.1080/23744235.2023.2272624] [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: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The goal of the current study was to elucidate the genomic background of biofilm formation in Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS Clinical isolates were screened for biofilm formation using the crystal violet assay. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles were assessed by disk diffusion and broth microdilution tests. Biofilm formation was correlated to virulence and resistance genes screened by PCR. Draft genomes of three isolates that form strong biofilm were generated by Illumina sequencing. RESULTS Only the siderophore-coding gene iutA was significantly associated with more pronounced biofilm formation. ST1399-KL43-O1/O2v1 and ST11-KL15-O4 were assigned to the multidrug-resistant strain K21 and the extensively drug-resistant strain K237, respectively. ST1999-KL38-O12 was assigned to K57. Correlated with CRISPR/Cas distribution, more plasmid replicons and prophage sequences were identified in K21 and K237 compared to K57. The acquired AMR genes (blaOXA-48, rmtF, aac(6')-Ib and qnrB) and (blaNDM-1, blaCTX-M, aph(3')-VI, qnrS, and aac(6')-Ib-cr) were found in K237 and K21, respectively. The latter showed a novel ISEcp1-mediated chromosomal integration of replicon type IncM1 plasmid-like structure harboring blaCTX-M-14 and aph(3')-VI that uniquely interrupted rcsC. The plasmid-mediated heavy metal resistance genes merACDEPRT and arsABCDR were spotted in K21, which also exclusively carried the acquired virulence genes mrkABCDF and the hypervirulence-associated genes iucABCD-iutA, and rmpA/A2. Pangenome analysis revealed NTUH-K2044 accessory genes most frequently shared with K21. CONCLUSIONS While less virulent to Galleria mellonella than ST1999 (K57), the strong biofilm former, multidrug-resistant, NDM-producer K. pneumoniae K21 (ST1399-KL43-O1/O2v1) carries a novel chromosomally integrated plasmid-like structure and hypervirulence-associated genes and represents a serious threat to countries in the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira M Hamed
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA), Giza, Egypt
| | - Hend O Mohamed
- Department of Biological Control Research, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Hossam M Ashour
- Department of Integrative Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Lamiaa I Fahmy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA), Giza, Egypt
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9
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Fleitas O, Fontes W, De Souza CM, Da Costa MC, Cardoso MH, Castro MS, Sousa MV, Ricart CAO, Ramada MHS, Duque HM, Porto WF, Silva ON, Franco OL. A proteomic perspective on the resistance response of Klebsiella pneumoniae to antimicrobial peptide PaDBS1R1. J Antimicrob Chemother 2024; 79:112-122. [PMID: 37966053 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkad354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The synthetic antimicrobial peptide, PaDBS1R1, has been reported as a powerful anti-Klebsiella pneumoniae antimicrobial. However, there is only scarce knowledge about whether K. pneumoniae could develop resistance against PaDBS1R1 and which resistance mechanisms could be involved. OBJECTIVES Identify via label-free shotgun proteomics the K. pneumoniae resistance mechanisms developed against PaDBS1R1. METHODS An adaptive laboratory evolution experiment was performed to obtain a PaDBS1R1-resistant K. pneumoniae lineage. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined through microdilution assay. Modifications in protein abundances between the resistant and sensitive lineages were measured via label-free quantitative shotgun proteomics. Enriched Gene Ontology terms and KEGG pathways were identified through over-representation analysis. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD033020. RESULTS K. pneumoniae ATCC 13883 parental strain challenged with increased subinhibitory PaDBS1R1 concentrations allowed the PaDBS1R1-resistant K. pneumoniae lineage to emerge. Proteome comparisons between PaDBS1R1-resistant K. pneumoniae and PaDBS1R1-sensitive K. pneumoniae under PaDBS1R1-induced stress conditions enabled the identification and quantification of 1702 proteins, out of which 201 were differentially abundant proteins (DAPs). The profiled DAPs comprised 103 up-regulated proteins (adjusted P value < 0.05, fold change ≥ 2) and 98 down-regulated proteins (adjusted P value < 0.05, fold change ≤ 0.5). The enrichment analysis suggests that PhoPQ-guided LPS modifications and CpxRA-dependent folding machinery could be relevant resistance mechanisms against PaDBS1R1. CONCLUSIONS Based on experimental evolution and a label-free quantitative shotgun proteomic approach, we showed that K. pneumoniae developed resistance against PaDBS1R1, whereas PhoPQ-guided LPS modifications and CpxRA-dependent folding machinery appear to be relevant resistance mechanisms against PaDBS1R1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osmel Fleitas
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Wagner Fontes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Química de Proteínas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Camila M De Souza
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Mylena C Da Costa
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Marlon H Cardoso
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- S-Inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, Brazil
- Instituto de Biociências (INBIO), Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Cidade Universitária, 79070900, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Mariana S Castro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Química de Proteínas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Marcelo V Sousa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Química de Proteínas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Carlos A O Ricart
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Química de Proteínas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Marcelo H S Ramada
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Gerontologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Harry M Duque
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - William F Porto
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Osmar N Silva
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Evangélica de Anapólis, University City, 75083-515 Anápolis-GO, Brazil
| | - Octávio L Franco
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
- S-Inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, Brazil
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Mirza KA, Nietzsche S, Makarewicz O, Pletz MW, Thieme L. Bacteriophage-mediated decolonization of Klebsiella pneumoniae in a novel Galleria mellonella gut colonization model with Enterobacteriaceae. Sci Rep 2024; 14:318. [PMID: 38172281 PMCID: PMC10764950 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50823-9] [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: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Galleria mellonella larvae have emerged as an invertebrate model for investigating bacterial pathogenesis and potential therapies, addressing ethical concerns related to mammalian models. This model has the advantage of having a simple gut microbiome, which is suitable for gut colonization studies. Intestinal colonization by Enterobacteriaceae significantly contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to establish a novel Enterobacteriaceae gut colonization larval model and assess its suitability for evaluating distinct antimicrobial efficacies. Larvae were force-fed sequentially with bacterial doses of K. pneumoniae and E. coli at 0, 24, and 48 h, with survival monitoring at 24 h intervals. Bacterial counts were assessed after 48 h and 120 h of force-feeding. Successfully colonized larvae were subjected to one-time force feeding of a bacteriophage cocktail (107 PFU/larvae) or MIC-based meropenem and ciprofloxacin. The colonized bacterial load was quantified by CFU count. Three doses of 106 CFU/larvae resulted in stable gut colonization, independent of the K. pneumoniae or E. coli strain. Compared with the control, force-feeding of the bacteriophage reduced the colonization of the strain Kp 419614 by 5 log10 CFU/larvae, while antibiotic treatment led to a 3 log10 CFU/larval reduction. This novel G. mellonella model provides a valuable alternative for gut colonization studies, facilitating proof-of-concept investigations and potentially reducing or replacing follow-up experiments in vertebrate models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamran A Mirza
- Jena University Hospital, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747, Jena, Germany.
- Jena University Hospital, Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07747, Jena, Germany.
| | - Sandor Nietzsche
- Center for Electron Microscope, Jena University Hospital, Ziegelmühlenweg 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Oliwia Makarewicz
- Jena University Hospital, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747, Jena, Germany
- Jena University Hospital, Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07747, Jena, Germany
| | - Mathias W Pletz
- Jena University Hospital, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747, Jena, Germany
| | - Lara Thieme
- Jena University Hospital, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747, Jena, Germany
- Jena University Hospital, Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07747, Jena, Germany
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Wang X, Li T, Zhou L, Tu F, Rui X, Xu Z, Liu J, Cao F. Adult zebrafish infected by clinically isolated Klebsiella pneumoniae with different virulence showed increased intestinal inflammation and disturbed intestinal microbial biodiversity. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:899. [PMID: 38129788 PMCID: PMC10740243 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08766-z] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Klebsiella pneumoniae is a pathogen that often infects patients in clinical practice. Due to its high virulent and drug resistance, infected patients are difficult to treat. In clinical practice, Klebsiella pneumoniae can infect patients' intestines, intestines, blood, etc., causing pathological changes. However, there is relatively little information on the impact of Klebsiella pneumoniae on intestinal inflammation and microbial populations. Zebrafish is an excellent biomedical model that has been successfully applied to the virulence assessment of Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS In this study, three clinically isolated representative strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae (high virulence non-resistant, high virulence resistant, and low virulence resistant) were used to infect zebrafish, and their effects on intestinal colonization, inflammation, pathology, and microbial diversity were tested. RESULTS Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) showed that Klebsiella pneumoniae significantly increased levels of the cytokines interleukin-1α (Il-1α), interleukin-1β (Il-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (Tnf-α), which increased inflammatory symptoms. Hematoxylin eosin staining(H&S) showed that Klebsiella pneumoniae treatment caused intestinal lesions in zebrafish, in which KP1053 exposure significantly decreased the number of goblet cells, KP1195 caused epithelial dissolution and exfoliation. In addition, Klebsiella pneumoniae disturbed the composition of intestinal microbiota, and the Shannon index increased, which increased the number of harmful bacteria. CONCLUSIONS Klebsiella pneumoniae infection can lead to intestinal colonization, inflammation, pathological changes, and changes in microbial biodiversity. This study provides a reference for the intestinal pathology of clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Wuxi Fifth Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214005, China
| | - Ting Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Wuxi No.8 People's Hospital, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214005, China
| | - Lu Zhou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Fan Tu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Wuxi Fifth Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214005, China
| | - Xiaohong Rui
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Wuxi Fifth Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214005, China
| | - Ze Xu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214005, China.
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Wuxi Fifth Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214005, China.
| | - Futao Cao
- Emergency Department, Jiangnan University Medical Center, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214000, China.
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12
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Wang T, Wang X, Chen S, Zhu J, Zhu Z, Qu F, Chen L, Du H. Emergence of colistin-heteroresistant and carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2023; 35:237-243. [PMID: 37858865 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2023.09.020] [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: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the clinical emergence of colistin-heteroresistant, hypervirulent, and multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, and characterize the underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS The population analysis profiles (PAPs) method was used to detect colistin heteroresistance. The time-killing assay was used to examine the effect of colistin on carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) in vitro. Galleria mellonella larvae infection model was used to test the potential virulence. qRT-PCR assay was conducted to compare the expression levels of efflux pump genes. Next and third-generation sequencing were conducted to analyse the genomic features. RESULTS Two colistin-heteroresistant isolates were detected from a multi-center carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) surveillance study in China, which exhibited similar survival rates as the K2 hypervirulent reference strain ATCC 43816 in a G. mellonella larvae model. The two isolates belonged to ST11, harbouring the iucABCD, iutA, iroBCD, and rpmA2 hypervirulent genes and pLVPK-like virulence plasmids. Colistin showed a weak effect on the heteroresistant strains in vitro. The efflux pump genes acrA, acrB, tolC, oqxA, and oqxB were upregulated in this subpopulation compared to the parental strains. CONCLUSIONS This study showed the clinical emergence of colistin-heteroresistant, hypervirulent, and multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. AcrAB-TolC and OqxAB efflux overexpression were involved in mediating colistin heteroresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China; Center of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Suzhou Wuzhong People's Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Suming Chen
- The Clinical Laboratory, Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Zhichen Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Fen Qu
- Laboratory Medicine Center Aviation General Hospital, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, New Jersey; Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey
| | - Hong Du
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China.
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13
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Hu C, Yang W. Alternatives to animal models to study bacterial infections. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 2023; 68:703-739. [PMID: 37632640 DOI: 10.1007/s12223-023-01084-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Animal testing has made a significant and unequalled contribution to important discoveries and advancements in the fields of research, medicine, vaccine development, and drug discovery. Each year, millions of animals are sacrificed for various experiments, and this is an ongoing process. However, the debate on the ethical and sensible usage of animals in in vivo experimentation is equally important. The need to explore and adopt newer alternatives to animals so as to comply with the goal of reduce, refine, and replace needs attention. Besides the ever-increasing debate on ethical issues, animal research has additional drawbacks (need of trained labour, requirement of breeding area, lengthy protocols, high expenses, transport barriers, difficulty to extrapolate data from animals to humans, etc.). With this scenario, the present review has been framed to give a comprehensive insight into the possible alternative options worth exploring in this direction especially targeting replacements for animal models of bacterial infections. There have been some excellent reviews discussing on the alternate methods for replacing and reducing animals in drug research. However, reviews that discuss the replacements in the field of medical bacteriology with emphasis on animal bacterial infection models are purely limited. The present review discusses on the use of (a) non-mammalian models and (b) alternative systems such as microfluidic chip-based models and microdosing aiming to give a detailed insight into the prospects of these alternative platforms to reduce the number of animals being used in infection studies. This would enlighten the scientific community working in this direction to be well acquainted with the available new approaches and alternatives so that the 3R strategy can be successfully implemented in the field of antibacterial drug research and testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengming Hu
- Queen Mary College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Wenlong Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
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14
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Song S, Zhao S, Wang W, Jiang F, Sun J, Ma P, Kang H. Characterization of ST11 and ST15 Carbapenem-Resistant Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae from Patients with Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia. Infect Drug Resist 2023; 16:6017-6028. [PMID: 37705511 PMCID: PMC10496924 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s426901] [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: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hv-CRKP) is a serious public threat globally. Here, we performed clinical, molecular, and phenotypic monitoring of hv-CRKP strains isolated from the intensive care unit (ICU) to offer evidence for prevention and control in hospitals. Methods Data analysis of ICU patients suffering from ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) because of hv-CRKP infection, admitted at the Chinese Teaching Hospital between March 2019 and September 2021 was performed. Patients' antibiotic-resistance genes, virulence-associated genes, and capsular serotypes of these isolates were detected. Homology analysis of the strains was performed by MLST and PFGE. Six different strains were tested for their virulence traits using the serum killing test and the Galleria mellonella infection assay. For whole genome sequencing, KP3 was selected as a representative strain. Results Clinical data of 19 hv-CRKP-VAP patients were collected and their hv-CRKP were isolated, including 10 of ST11-KL64, 4 of ST15-KL112, 2 of ST11-KL47, 1 of ST15-KL19, 1 of ST17-KL140, and 1 of ST48-KL62. Four ST15 and 8 ST11 isolates revealed high homology, respectively. Most strains carried the carbapenemase gene blaKPC-2 (14/19, 73.68%), followed by blaOXA-232 (4/19, 21.05%). All strains were resistant to almost all the antibiotics except polymyxin and tigacycline. Ten patients were treated with polymyxin or tigacycline based on their susceptibility results, and unfortunately 6 patients died. All strains exhibited a hyper-viscous phenotype, and the majority (17/19, 89.47%) of them contained rmpA and rmpA2. The serum killing test showed that KP9 was resistant to normal healthy serum, others were intermediately or highly sensitive. G. mellonella larvae infection assay suggested that the strains in this study were hypervirulent. Conclusion This study highlights the dominant strain and molecular epidemiology of hv-CRKP in a hospital in China. We should pay more attention to the effect of hv-CRKP on VAP, strengthen monitoring and control transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Song
- Medical Technology School, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shulong Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wei Wang
- Medical Technology School, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fei Jiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jingfang Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ping Ma
- Medical Technology School, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Haiquan Kang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People’s Republic of China
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Borghi M, Pereira MF, Schuenck RP. The Presence of Virulent and Multidrug-Resistant Clones of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Southeastern Brazil. Curr Microbiol 2023; 80:286. [PMID: 37453006 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-023-03403-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) represents an urgent threat to global public health due to the limited therapeutic options available to control this pathogen. This study aims to analyze the molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance and virulence profile of CRKP isolated from patients at hospitals in Southeastern Brazil. KPC and other beta-lactamase genes were detected in all strains, which were also multidrug-resistant (MDR). In addition, 11 strains showed resistance to last-resort antimicrobials, such as colistin and tigecycline. MLST analysis revealed eight different sequence types (ST11, ST37, ST147, ST340, ST384, ST394, ST437, and ST628), being two (ST628 and ST394) reported for the first time in Brazil. Strains belonging to the clonal complex 258 (CC258) "high-risk clones" were prevalent in this study. The Galleria mellonella model showed the emergence of virulent CRKP strains in the healthcare environment and, suggests that colistin-resistant strains were associated with higher virulence. This study shows the presence of virulent CRKP-MDR strains in hospitals across Southeastern Brazil, and draws attention to the presence of highly virulent emerging CRKP-MDR ST628 strains, showing that virulent and resistant clones can emerge quickly, requiring constant monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirla Borghi
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Biology and Bacterial Virulence Laboratory, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, s/no, Maruípe, Vitória, ES, 29043-900, Brazil
| | - Monalessa Fábia Pereira
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Biology and Bacterial Virulence Laboratory, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, s/no, Maruípe, Vitória, ES, 29043-900, Brazil
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of Minas Gerais, Carangola, MG, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Pinto Schuenck
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Biology and Bacterial Virulence Laboratory, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, s/no, Maruípe, Vitória, ES, 29043-900, Brazil.
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Bugyna L, Kendra S, Bujdáková H. Galleria mellonella-A Model for the Study of aPDT-Prospects and Drawbacks. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1455. [PMID: 37374956 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Galleria mellonella is a promising in vivo model insect used for microbiological, medical, and pharmacological research. It provides a platform for testing the biocompatibility of various compounds and the kinetics of survival after an infection followed by subsequent treatment, and for the evaluation of various parameters during treatment, including the host-pathogen interaction. There are some similarities in the development of pathologies with mammals. However, a limitation is the lack of adaptive immune response. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is an alternative approach for combating microbial infections, including biofilm-associated ones. aPDT is effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, regardless of whether they are resistant to conventional treatment. The main idea of this comprehensive review was to collect information on the use of G. mellonella in aPDT. It provides a collection of references published in the last 10 years from this area of research, complemented by some practical experiences of the authors of this review. Additionally, the review summarizes in brief information on the G. mellonella model, its advantages and methods used in the processing of material from these larvae, as well as basic knowledge of the principles of aPDT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larysa Bugyna
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Virology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovicova 6, 84215 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Samuel Kendra
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Virology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovicova 6, 84215 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Helena Bujdáková
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Virology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovicova 6, 84215 Bratislava, Slovakia
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Park S, Kim H, Ko KS. Reduced virulence in tigecycline-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae caused by overexpression of ompR and down-regulation of ompK35. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:22. [PMID: 37004036 PMCID: PMC10064660 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00910-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of tigecycline resistance in hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae strains has resulted in decreased virulence that is associated with reduced production of capsular polysaccharides (CPS). In this study, we investigated the mechanisms that link tigecycline susceptibility to decreased virulence. METHODS We compared transcriptomes from tigecycline-susceptible wild-type strains and tigecycline-resistant mutants using mRNA sequencing. ompR-overexpressed and ompR-deleted mutants were constructed from wild-type strains and tigecycline-resistant mutants, respectively. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed, and string tests and precipitation assays were conducted to identify phenotypic changes related to tigecycline susceptibility and ompR expression. Bacterial virulence was assessed by serum resistance and Galleria mellonella infection assays. RESULTS Transcriptomic analyses demonstrated a significant decrease in the expression of ompK35 in the tigecycline-resistant mutants. We observed that tigecycline-resistant mutants overexpressed ompR, and that the expression of ompK35 was regulated negatively by ompR. While tigecycline-resistant mutants and ompR-overexpressed mutants exhibited reduced hypermucoviscosity and virulence, deletion of ompR from tigecycline-resistant mutants restored their hypermucoviscosity and virulence. CONCLUSIONS In hypervirulent K. pneumoniae strains, ompR expression, which is regulated by exposure to tigecycline, may affect the production of CPS, leading to bacterial virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suyeon Park
- Department of Microbiology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunkeun Kim
- Department of Advanced Bioconvergence Product, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Cheongju, 28159, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwan Soo Ko
- Department of Microbiology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
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18
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Clonal transmission of polymyxin B-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates coharboring bla NDM-1 and bla KPC-2 in a tertiary hospital in China. BMC Microbiol 2023; 23:64. [PMID: 36882683 PMCID: PMC9990273 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-02808-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prevalence of multidrug-resistant hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (MDR-hvKP) has gradually increased. It poses a severe threat to human health. However, polymyxin-resistant hvKP is rare. Here, we collected eight polymyxin B-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from a Chinese teaching hospital as a suspected outbreak. RESULTS The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by the broth microdilution method. HvKP was identified by detecting virulence-related genes and using a Galleria mellonella infection model. Their resistance to serum, growth, biofilm formation, and plasmid conjugation were analyzed in this study. Molecular characteristics were analyzed using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and mutations of chromosome-mediated two-component systems pmrAB and phoPQ, and the negative phoPQ regulator mgrB to cause polymyxin B (PB) resistance were screened. All isolates were resistant to polymyxin B and sensitive to tigecycline; four were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam. Except for KP16 (a newly discovered ST5254), all were of the K64 capsular serotype and belonged to ST11. Four strains co-harbored blaKPC-2, blaNDM-1, and the virulence-related genes prmpA, prmpA2, iucA, and peg344, and were confirmed to be hypervirulent by the G. mellonella infection model. According to WGS analysis, three hvKP strains showed evidence of clonal transmission (8-20 single nucleotide polymorphisms) and had a highly transferable pKOX_NDM1-like plasmid. KP25 had multiple plasmids carrying blaKPC-2, blaNDM-1, blaSHV-12, blaLAP-2, tet(A), fosA5, and a pLVPK-like virulence plasmid. Tn1722 and multiple additional insert sequence-mediated transpositions were observed. Mutations in chromosomal genes phoQ and pmrB, and insertion mutations in mgrB were major causes of PB resistance. CONCLUSIONS Polymyxin-resistant hvKP has become an essential new superbug prevalent in China, posing a serious challenge to public health. Its epidemic transmission characteristics and mechanisms of resistance and virulence deserve attention.
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Serrano I, Verdial C, Tavares L, Oliveira M. The Virtuous Galleria mellonella Model for Scientific Experimentation. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12030505. [PMID: 36978373 PMCID: PMC10044286 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12030505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The first research on the insect Galleria mellonella was published 85 years ago, and the larva is now widely used as a model to study infections caused by bacterial and fungal pathogens, for screening new antimicrobials, to study the adjacent immune response in co-infections or in host-pathogen interaction, as well as in a toxicity model. The immune system of the G. mellonella model shows remarkable similarities with mammals. Furthermore, results from G. mellonella correlate positively with mammalian models and with other invertebrate models. Unlike other invertebrate models, G. mellonella can withstand temperatures of 37 °C, and its handling and experimental procedures are simpler. Despite having some disadvantages, G. mellonella is a virtuous in vivo model to be used in preclinical studies, as an intermediate model between in vitro and mammalian in vivo studies, and is a great example on how to apply the bioethics principle of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) in animal experimentation. This review aims to discuss the progress of the G. mellonella model, highlighting the key aspects of its use, including experimental design considerations and the necessity to standardize them. A different score in the “cocoon” category included in the G. mellonella Health Index Scoring System is also proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isa Serrano
- CIISA—Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Correspondence:
| | - Cláudia Verdial
- CIISA—Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Luís Tavares
- CIISA—Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Manuela Oliveira
- CIISA—Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
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20
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Elizalde-Bielsa A, Aragón-Aranda B, Loperena-Barber M, Salvador-Bescós M, Moriyón I, Zúñiga-Ripa A, Conde-Álvarez R. Development and evaluation of the Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth) infection model to study Brucella host-pathogen interaction. Microb Pathog 2023; 174:105930. [PMID: 36496059 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Brucella. These pathogens cause long-lasting infections, a process in which Brucella modifications in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and envelope lipids reduce pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) recognition, thus hampering innate immunity activation. In vivo models are essential to investigate bacterial virulence, mice being the most used model. However, ethical and practical considerations impede their use in high-throughput screening studies. Although lacking the complexity of the mammalian immune system, insects share key-aspects of innate immunity with mammals, and Galleria mellonella has been used increasingly as a model. G. mellonella larvae have been shown useful in virulence analyses, including Gram-negative pathogens like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila. To assess its potential to study Brucella virulence, we first evaluated larva survival upon infection with representative Brucella species (i.e.B. abortus 2308W, B. microti CCM4915 and B. suis biovar 2) and mutants in the VirB type-IV secretion system (T4SS) or in the LPS-O-polysaccharide (O-PS). As compared to K.pneumoniae, the Brucella spp. tested induced a delayed and less severe mortality profile consistent with an escape of innate immunity detection. Brucella replication within larvae was affected by the lack of O-PS, which is reminiscent of their attenuation in natural hosts. On the contrary, replication was not affected by T4SS dysfunction and the mutant induced only slightly less mortality (not statistically significant) than its parental strain. We also evaluated G. mellonella to efficiently recognise Brucella and their LPS by quantification of the pro-phenoloxidase system and melanisation activation, using Pseudomonas LPS as a positive control. Among the brucellae, only B. microti LPS triggered an early-melanisation response consistent with the slightly increased endotoxicity of this species in mice. Therefore, G. mellonella represents a tool to screen for potential Brucella factors modulating innate immunity, but its usefulness to investigate other mechanisms relevant in Brucella intracellular life is limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitor Elizalde-Bielsa
- Instituto de Salud Tropical (ISTUN), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA) and Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Spain
| | - Beatriz Aragón-Aranda
- Instituto de Salud Tropical (ISTUN), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA) and Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Spain
| | - Maite Loperena-Barber
- Instituto de Salud Tropical (ISTUN), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA) and Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Spain
| | - Miriam Salvador-Bescós
- Instituto de Salud Tropical (ISTUN), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA) and Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Spain
| | - Ignacio Moriyón
- Instituto de Salud Tropical (ISTUN), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA) and Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Spain
| | - Amaia Zúñiga-Ripa
- Instituto de Salud Tropical (ISTUN), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA) and Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Spain
| | - Raquel Conde-Álvarez
- Instituto de Salud Tropical (ISTUN), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA) and Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Spain.
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Li X, Chen Z, Jiao J, Wang S, Wang Y, Wu W, Yang H, Lou H. In vitro and in vivo activity of meropenem+avibactam against MBL-producing carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2023; 21:91-98. [PMID: 36433637 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2022.2153117] [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: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibiotic resistance has become a public health problem to be solved worldwide and metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-producing bacteria make this problem even more challenging. METHODS The interactions of meropenem (MEM) in combination with avibactam (AVI) in growth inhibition on MBL-producing carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) strains were tested. In vitro interactions of MEM+AVI were tested using the microdilution checkerboard assay and time-kill curves. In vivo interactions of MEM+AVI were tested using the Galleria mellonella model. RESULTS All strains were multi-drug resistant strains and six of them were proved to produce MBLs. We show that the combination of MEM+AVI generates profound synergistic effects on growth inhibition of all strains, which was better than that of MEM+vaborbactam or imipenem+relebactam. The time-kill curves further confirmed the potent synergistic antibacterial effects of MEM+AVI against MBL-producing CRKP strains. Galleria mellonella studies were consistent with in vitro analysis. Combining MEM with AVI improved survival rates and mean survival days were obviously prolonged compared to the drug alone and the untreated controls. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this study is the first report of MEM+AVI collaborating against MBL-producing CRKP strains. Our findings showed that the combination of MEM+AVI has the potential for antibiotic drug development to combat MBL-producing pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyun Li
- Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.,Maternal and Child Health Development Research Center, Key Laboratory of Birth Regulation and Control Technology of National Health Commission of China, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Zhaowen Chen
- Medical Department, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jin Jiao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Shifu Wang
- Microbiology Laboratory, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yuehua Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Weiwei Wu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Huijun Yang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Hongxiang Lou
- Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
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Guevara MA, Francis JD, Lu J, Manning SD, Doster RS, Moore RE, Gaddy JA. Streptococcus agalactiae cadD Is Critical for Pathogenesis in the Invertebrate Galleria mellonella Model. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:2405-2412. [PMID: 36445344 PMCID: PMC10262471 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00453] [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: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a gram-positive bacterium that can cause invasive infections in immunocompromised, elderly, pregnant, or neonatal patients. The invertebrate model, Galleria mellonella, has emerged as an effective tool to study GBS-host interactions; specifically, those conserved within the innate arm of the immune system. We sought to determine the role of metal homeostasis functions in GBS infections of G. mellonella larvae and to validate this model as a tool to study GBS-host interactions. Our results indicate that wild-type GBS infects G. mellonella in a dose-dependent manner, replicates in the invertebrate host, induces larval melanization and larval killing. These results were significantly abrogated in cohorts of larvae infected with the isogenic cadD deletion mutant. Additionally, complementation restored GBS-dependent infection, bacterial burden, larval melanization, and killing to wild-type levels. Together, these results indicate that the G. mellonella model is a useful tool for studying GBS pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam A. Guevara
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, U.S.A
| | - Jamisha D. Francis
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, U.S.A
| | - Jacky Lu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, U.S.A
| | - Shannon D. Manning
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48864, U.S.A
| | - Ryan S. Doster
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, U.S.A
| | - Rebecca E. Moore
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, U.S.A
| | - Jennifer A. Gaddy
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, U.S.A
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, U.S.A
- Tennessee Valley Healthcare Systems, Department of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212, U.S.A
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23
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Ahlawat S, Sharma KK. Lepidopteran insects: emerging model organisms to study infection by enteropathogens. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 2022; 68:181-196. [PMID: 36417090 DOI: 10.1007/s12223-022-01014-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The in vivo analysis of a pathogen is a critical step in gaining greater knowledge of pathogen biology and host-pathogen interactions. In the last two decades, there has been a notable rise in the number of studies on developing insects as a model for studying pathogens, which provides various benefits, such as ethical acceptability, relatively short life cycle, and cost-effective care and maintenance relative to routinely used rodent infection models. Furthermore, lepidopteran insects provide many advantages, such as easy handling and tissue extraction due to their large size relative to other invertebrate models, like Caenorhabditis elegans. Additionally, insects have an innate immune system that is highly analogous to vertebrates. In the present review, we discuss the components of the insect's larval immune system, which strengthens its usage as an alternative host, and present an updated overview of the research findings involving lepidopteran insects (Galleria mellonella, Manduca sexta, Bombyx mori, and Helicoverpa armigera) as infection models to study the virulence by enteropathogens due to the homology between insect and vertebrate gut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruti Ahlawat
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, SGT University, Gurgaon-Badli Road Chandu, Budhera, Gurugram, 122505, Haryana, India.
| | - Krishna Kant Sharma
- Laboratory of Enzymology and Recombinant DNA Technology, Department of Microbiology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, 124001, Haryana, India
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24
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Immune defense mechanisms against a systemic bacterial infection in the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). J Invertebr Pathol 2022; 195:107850. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2022.107850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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25
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Zhao H, He Z, Li Y, Sun B. Epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST15 of producing KPC-2, SHV-106 and CTX-M-15 in Anhui, China. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:262. [PMID: 36319965 PMCID: PMC9624029 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02672-1] [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: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: It is well known that carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) has become a more problematic public health issue due to its widespread spread worldwide. In China, ST11-type CRKP is the most prevalent CRKP, but ST15-type CRKP, a recently prevalent high-risk clone, has emerged widely throughout China, posing a serious public health risk. Therefore, we conducted an epidemiological of an outbreak of ST15 CRKP of producing CTX-M-15, KPC-2 and SHV-106 in a tertiary hospital in Anhui, China, to Understanding the potential risks of the current STT15 CRKP outbreak. Results: From July 2021 to December 2021, 13 ST15 CRKP isolates were identified by collecting non-repeated clinical multidrug-resistant isolates, with all capsular typing of serotype KL19. All ST15 CRKP isolates were resistant to cephalosporins, carbapenems and quinolones, but were sensitive to amikacin, tigecycline and polymyxin B. In addition, isolates carried blaSHV−106 (100%), blaKPC−2 (69%), blaCTX−M−15 (69%), blaTEM−1B (69%), blaOXA−1 (62%) and blaLAP−2 (8%), as well as iron chelators (iutA, ybt, fyuA, ent, fepA, irp1, irp2, 100%) were detected. In phenotyping experiments, all ST15 CRKP exhibited lower growth rates than NTUH-K2044, and all ST15 CRKP did not exhibit mucoviscositty characteristics. However, in the Galleria mellonella infection model, isolates 21081212, 21081241 and 21091216 were more lethal than the hypervirulent isolates NTUH-K2044. Sequencing results showed that the genetic environment surrounding the genes blaSHV−106, blaKPC−2, blaCTX−M−15, blaOXA−1 and blaTEM−1B were all identical in the ST15 CRKP isolates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 13 ST15 CRKP isolates were divided into three subgroups, and when placed in global analysis, 10 of them were highly homologous to isolates from Jiangsu, two were highly homologous to isolates from Zhejiang, and one was homologous to an isolate from an unlabelled region. Conclusion: Our research shows that ST15 CRKP, which carries multiple β-lactamases genes and siderophores-encoding genes, may be evolving to hypervirulence and may have spread widely in localised areas. Therefore, environmental surveillance and clinical infection control in hospitals should be strengthened to prevent further spread of ST15 CRKP. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-022-02672-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Zhao
- grid.443847.80000 0001 0805 3594College of Life Science and Technology, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang, China
| | - Zhien He
- grid.59053.3a0000000121679639Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui China ,grid.59053.3a0000000121679639School of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui China
| | - Yujie Li
- grid.59053.3a0000000121679639Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui China ,grid.59053.3a0000000121679639School of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui China
| | - Baolin Sun
- grid.59053.3a0000000121679639Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui China ,grid.59053.3a0000000121679639School of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui China
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26
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Fitness Trade-Offs in Phage Cocktail-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Results in Increased Antibiotic Susceptibility and Reduced Virulence. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0291422. [PMID: 36165776 PMCID: PMC9603643 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02914-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid emergence of phage-resistant bacterial mutants is a major challenge for phage therapy. Phage cocktails have been considered one approach to mitigate this issue. However, the synergistic effect of randomly selected phages in the cocktails is ambiguous. Here, we rationally designed a phage cocktail consisting of four phages that utilize the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O antigen, the LPS outer core, the LPS inner core, and the outer membrane proteins BtuB and TolC on the Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis cell surface as receptors. We demonstrated that the four-phage cocktail could significantly delay the emergence of phage-resistant bacterial mutants compared to the single phage. To investigate the fitness costs associated with phage resistance, we characterized a total of 80 bacterial mutants resistant to a single phage or the four-phage cocktail. We observed that mutants resistant to the four-phage cocktail were more sensitive to several antibiotics than the single-phage-resistant mutants. In addition, all mutants resistant to the four-phage cocktail had significantly reduced virulence compared to wild-type strains. Our mouse model of Salmonella Enteritidis infection also indicated that the four-phage cocktail exhibited an enhanced therapeutic effect. Together, our work demonstrates an efficient strategy to design phage cocktails by combining phages with different bacterial receptors, which can steer the evolution of phage-resistant strains toward clinically exploitable phenotypes. IMPORTANCE The selection pressure of phage promotes bacterial mutation, which results in a fitness cost. Such fitness trade-offs are related to the host receptor of the phage; therefore, we can utilize knowledge of bacterial receptors used by phages as a criterion for designing phage cocktails. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of a phage cocktail made up of phages that target four different receptors on Salmonella Enteritidis through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Importantly, we found that pressure from phage cocktails with different receptors can drive phage-resistant bacterial mutants to evolve in a direction that entails more severe fitness costs, resulting in reduced virulence and increased susceptibility to antibiotics. These findings suggest that phage cocktail therapy using combinations of phages targeting different important receptors (e.g., LPS or the efflux pump AcrAB-TolC) on the host surface can steer the host bacteria toward more detrimental surface mutations than single-phage therapy, resulting in more favorable therapeutic outcomes.
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27
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Sydow K, Eger E, Schwabe M, Heiden SE, Bohnert JA, Franzenburg S, Jurischka C, Schierack P, Schaufler K. Geno- and Phenotypic Characteristics of a Klebsiella pneumoniae ST20 Isolate with Unusual Colony Morphology. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10102063. [PMID: 36296341 PMCID: PMC9606995 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10102063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common member of the intestinal flora of vertebrates. In addition to opportunistic representatives, hypervirulent (hvKp) and antibiotic-resistant K. pneumoniae (ABR-Kp) occur. While ABR-Kp isolates often cause difficult-to-treat diseases due to limited therapeutic options, hvKp is a pathotype that can infect healthy individuals often leading to recurrent infection. Here, we investigated the clinical K. pneumoniae isolate PBIO3459 obtained from a blood sample, which showed an unusual colony morphology. By combining whole-genome and RNA sequencing with multiple in vitro and in vivo virulence-associated assays, we aimed to define the respective Klebsiella subtype and explore the unusual phenotypic appearance. We demonstrate that PBIO3459 belongs to sequence type (ST)20 and carries no acquired resistance genes, consistent with phenotypic susceptibility tests. In addition, the isolate showed low-level virulence, both at genetic and phenotypic levels. We thus suggest that PBIO3459 is an opportunistic (commensal) K. pneumoniae isolate. Genomic comparison of PBIO3459 with closely related ABR-Kp ST20 isolates revealed that they differed only in resistance genes. Finally, the unusual colony morphology was mainly associated with carbohydrate and amino acid transport and metabolism. In conclusion, our study reveals the characteristics of a Klebsiella sepsis isolate and suggests that opportunistic representatives likely acquire and accumulate antibiotic resistances that subsequently enable their emergence as ABR-Kp pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Sydow
- Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Elias Eger
- Institute of Infection Medicine, Christian-Albrecht University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Michael Schwabe
- Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Stefan E. Heiden
- Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jürgen A. Bohnert
- Friedrich Loeffler-Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sören Franzenburg
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrecht University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Christoph Jurischka
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, 01968 Senftenberg, Germany
| | - Peter Schierack
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, 01968 Senftenberg, Germany
| | - Katharina Schaufler
- Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
- Institute of Infection Medicine, Christian-Albrecht University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-3834-420-4869
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Pu M, Li Y, Han P, Lin W, Geng R, Qu F, An X, Song L, Tong Y, Zhang S, Cai Z, Fan H. Genomic characterization of a new phage BUCT541 against Klebsiella pneumoniae K1-ST23 and efficacy assessment in mouse and Galleria mellonella larvae. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:950737. [PMID: 36187954 PMCID: PMC9523250 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.950737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past decades, the spread of multi-drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (MDR-KP) is becoming a new threat and new effective therapies against this pathogen are needed. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is considered to be a promising alternative treatment for MDR-KP infections compared with antibacterial drug usage. Here, we reported a new phage BUCT541 which can lyse MDR-KP ST23. The genome of BUCT541 is a double-stranded linear 46,100-bp long DNA molecule with 48% GC content through the Next generation sequencing (NGS) data. A total of 81 open reading frames and no virulence or antimicrobial resistance genes are annotated in the BUCT541 genome. BUCT541 was able to lyse 7 of the 30 tested MDR-KP according to the host range analysis. And the seven sensitive strains belonged to the K. pneumoniae K1-ST23. BUCT541 exhibited high thermal stability (4–70°C) and broad pH tolerance (pH 3-11) in the stability test. The in vivo results showed that BUCT541 (4 × 105 plaque-forming units (PFU)/each) significantly increased the survival rate of K. pneumoniae infected Galleria mellonella from 5.3% to 83.3% within 48 h. Moreover, in the mouse lung infection model, high doses of BUCT541 (2 × 107 PFU/each) cured 100% of BALB/c mice that were infected with K. pneumoniae. After 30 h of treatment with phage BUCT541 of the multiplicity of infection (MOI) = 10, the K. pneumoniae in the lungs of mice was lower than 104 CFU/mL, compared to the control group 109 CFU/mL. Together, these findings indicate that phage BUCT541 holds great promise as an alternative therapy with excellent stability and a wide lysis range for the treatment of MDR-KP ST23 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingfang Pu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Yahao Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering (BAIC-SM), Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Pengjun Han
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Lin
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | | | - Fen Qu
- Aviation General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoping An
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Lihua Song
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Yigang Tong
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering (BAIC-SM), Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Shuyan Zhang
- Department of Medical Technology Support, Jingdong Medical District of Chinese People's Liberation Army of China General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Shuyan Zhang
| | - Zhen Cai
- Aviation General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Zhen Cai
| | - Huahao Fan
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Huahao Fan
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Liu S, Ding Y, Xu Y, Li Z, Zeng Z, Liu J. An outbreak of extensively drug-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in an intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Southwest China. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:979219. [PMID: 36176583 PMCID: PMC9513609 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.979219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensively drug-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (XDR-hvKp) is a new problem for patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and can become an even more severe threat if resistant to tigecycline, considered one of the ‘last lines of defense’ drugs. This study collected seven non-replicated tigecycline-resistant XDR-hvKp from seven patients and performed genome analysis and epidemiological investigation using whole genome equencing (WGS) and other methods. All strains in this study were identified as ST11-KL64 and showed high resistance to antibiotics such as β-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, and tigecycline, and one strain was also resistant to colistin. All strains were determined to be hvKp by the results of serum resistance assay and Galleria mellonella infection models. All strains had resistance genes blaCTX-M-65,blaKPC-2,blaLAP-2,blaTEM-1B, rmtB, and qnrS1 and virulence factors such as rmpA, rmpA2, and aerobactin (iucABCD, iutA). The expression of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump was upregulated in all strains, and the expression levels of the gene pmrK was significantly upregulated in colistin-resistant strain DP compared to colistin-sensitive strain WT in this study. In conclusion, we described an outbreak caused by tigecycline-resistant XDR-hvKp in the ICU of a teaching hospital in southwest China. The spread of these superbugs poses a great threat to patients and therefore requires us to closely monitor these XDR-hvKp and develop relevant strategies to combat them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Jinbo Liu
- *Correspondence: Jinbo Liu, ; Zhangrui Zeng,
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Sohrabi M, Alizade Naini M, Rasekhi A, Oloomi M, Moradhaseli F, Ayoub A, Bazargani A, Hashemizadeh Z, Shahcheraghi F, Badmasti F. Emergence of K1 ST23 and K2 ST65 hypervirulent klebsiella pneumoniae as true pathogens with specific virulence genes in cryptogenic pyogenic liver abscesses Shiraz Iran. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:964290. [PMID: 36017366 PMCID: PMC9396702 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.964290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) pathotype is emerging worldwide in pyogenic liver abscesses (PLAs). However, the role of virulence factors in pathogenicity remains unclear. On the other hand, the epidemiology of PLAs in Iran is unknown. From July 2020 to April 2022, bacterial species were isolated and identified from the drainage samples of 54 patients with PLAs. K. pneumoniae as the most common pathogen of pyogenic liver abscesses was identified in 20 (37%) of the 54 patients. We analyzed the clinical and microbiological characteristics of K. pneumoniae-related pyogenic liver abscesses. Antibiotic susceptibility testes and string test were performed. 16S rRNA, antibiotic resistance, and virulence genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification. Clonal relatedness of isolates was identified by multilocus sequence typing. Virulence levels were assessed in the Galleria mellonella larval infection model. Four hvKp isolates (K1/K2) were found to be responsible for cryptogenic PLAs, and 16 classical K. pneumoniae isolates (non-K1/K2) were associated with non-cryptogenic PLAs. Three capsular serotype K1 strains belonged to sequence type 23 (ST23) and one K2 strain to ST65. Meanwhile, the non-K1/K2 strains belonged to other STs. ST231 was the most common strain among the classical K. pneumoniae strains. Compared with the non-K1/K2 strains, capsular serotypes K1/K2 strains were less resistant to antibiotics, had positive string test results, and had more virulence genes. In Galleria mellonella, a concentration of 106 colony-forming units of the K1 hvKp strain resulted in 100% death at 24 hours, confirming the higher virulence of the hvKp strain compared with cKp. K. pneumoniae isolates represented that the acquisition of any plasmid or chromosomal virulence genes contributes to pathogenicity and high prevalence in PLAs. Meanwhile, hvKp isolates with a specific genetic background were detected in cryptogenic PLAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Sohrabi
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahvash Alizade Naini
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Alireza Rasekhi
- Department of Radiology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mana Oloomi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farzad Moradhaseli
- Department of Radiology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Abbas Ayoub
- Department of Radiology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Abdollah Bazargani
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Zahra Hashemizadeh
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Fereshteh Shahcheraghi
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- *Correspondence: Farzad Badmasti, ; Fereshteh Shahcheraghi,
| | - Farzad Badmasti
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- *Correspondence: Farzad Badmasti, ; Fereshteh Shahcheraghi,
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Clinical and Molecular Analysis of ST11-K47 Carbapenem-Resistant Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Strain Causing Liver Abscess. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11060657. [PMID: 35745510 PMCID: PMC9227846 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11060657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae has been the predominant pathogen of liver abscess, but ST11-K47 carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) has rarely been studied as the causative organism. We identified an ST11-K47 CR-hvKP (HvKp-su1) from the drainage fluid of a liver abscess in a Chinese man who was diagnosed with liver abscess combined with diabetes, pneumonia, pleural infection, abdominal abscess, and splenic abscess. HvKp-su1 was non-hypermucoviscous and lacked the magA and rmpA genes and pLVPK plasmid but exhibited high virulence, with a high mortality rate (90%) to wax moth larvae (G. mellonella), similar to the hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC43816 (91.67%). Whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis indicated that HvKp-su1 possesses a plasmid similar to a type of pLVPK-like plasmid (JX-CR-hvKP-2-P2), which is an uncommon plasmid in CR-hvKP. HvKp-su1 carried multiple resistance genes, including blaKPC-2. blaTEM-1, blaSHV-55, and blaCTX-M-65; hypervirulence genes such as aerobactin (iutA), salmochelin (iroEN), and yersiniabactin (ybtAEPQSTUX); and the type 3 fimbriae-encoding system (mrkACDF). Moreover, v_5377 and v_5429 (cofT, CFA/III (CS8)) located on plasmid 1 were simultaneously predicted to be virulence genes. After the long-term combination use of antibiotics, the patient successfully recovered. In summary, our study clarified the clinical and molecular characteristics of a rare ST11-K47 CR-hvKP (HvKp-su1), raising great concerns about the emergence of ST11-K47 CR-hvKP with multidrug resistance and hypervirulence, and providing insights into the control and treatment of liver abscess caused by ST11-K47 CR-hvKP.
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He J, Du X, Zeng X, Moran RA, van Schaik W, Zou Q, Yu Y, Zhang J, Hua X. Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of a Hypervirulent Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST17-KL38 Clinical Isolate Harboring the Carbapenemase IMP-4. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0213421. [PMID: 35225687 PMCID: PMC9045192 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02134-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) is a threat to global public health. We characterized a sequence type 17 (ST17) K. pneumoniae clinical isolate that was resistant to carbapenems and belonged to serotype KL38/O2. Its complete genome is comprised of a 5.1-Mb chromosome and two conjugative plasmids. The 52,578-bp N-type plasmid pXH210-IMP contains the blaIMP-4 carbapenemase gene and the quinolone resistance gene qnrS1. The 272,742-bp FII(K)-9:FIB(K)-10 plasmid pXH210-AMV carries an array of genes that confer resistance to aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol, quinolones, tetracycline, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, arsenic, copper, and silver. However, the XH210 genome otherwise lacks the genes that are considered characteristic markers of hypervirulence in K. pneumoniae. The virulence potential of XH210 was assessed using a random forest algorithm predictive model, as well as Galleria mellonella and mouse infection models. The results of these were concordant and suggested that XH210 is hypervirulent and therefore a CR-hvKP strain. This worrying convergence of virulence and clinically significant antibiotic resistance is particularly concerning given the absence of typical hypervirulence markers. Further investigations are required to understand the virulence mechanisms of XH210 and to improve the diagnostics of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae. IMPORTANCE The combination of drug resistance and hypervirulence significantly limits the available treatment options for life-threatening infections caused by multidrug-resistant hvKP, especially CR-hvKP. To date, research on IMP-producing CR-hvKP is extremely scarce, and the virulence mechanisms of CR-hvKP are far more complicated and diverse than has been described in the literature so far. In this study, we characterized the tigecycline-resistant and IMP-4 carbapenemase-producing ST17 K. pneumoniae isolate XH210 from a human blood sample. Importantly, XH210 exhibits hypervirulence but does not possess traits that are frequently associated with the phenotype, highlighting the urgent need to improve identification of potentially hypervirulent isolates and enhance active surveillance of CR-hvKP strains to prevent their dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jintao He
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoxing Du
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xi Zeng
- National Engineering Research Center of Immunological Products, Department of Microbiology and Biochemical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pharmacy, The 78th Group Army Hospital of Chinese PLA, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Robert A. Moran
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Quanming Zou
- National Engineering Research Center of Immunological Products, Department of Microbiology and Biochemical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yunsong Yu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jinyong Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center of Immunological Products, Department of Microbiology and Biochemical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoting Hua
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Lv J, Zhu J, Wang T, Xie X, Wang T, Zhu Z, Chen L, Zhong F, Du H. The Role of the Two-Component QseBC Signaling System in Biofilm Formation and Virulence of Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC43816. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:817494. [PMID: 35464966 PMCID: PMC9019566 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.817494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) is an evolving infectious pathogen associated with high mortality. The convergence of hypervirulence and multidrug resistance further challenges the clinical treatment options for K. pneumoniae infections. The QseBC two-component system (TCS) is a component of quorum-sensing regulatory cascade and functions as a global regulator of biofilm growth, bacterial motility, and virulence in Escherichia coli. However, the functional mechanisms of QseBC in hvKP have not been reported, and we aim to examine the role of QseBC in regulating virulence in hvKP strain ATCC43816. The CRISPR-Cas9 system was used to construct qseB, qseC, and qseBC knockout in ATCC43816. No significant alterations in the growth and antibiotic susceptibility were detected between wild-type and mutants. The deletion of qseC led to an increase of biofilm formation, resistance to serum killing, and high mortality in the G. mellonella model. RNAseq differential gene expression analysis exhibited that gene-associated biofilm formation (glgC, glgP, glgA, gcvA, bcsA, ydaM, paaF, ptsG), bacterial type VI secretion system (virB4, virB6, virB10, vgrG, hcp), and biosynthesis of siderophore (entC, entD, entE) were significantly upregulated in comparison with the wild-type control. In addition, qseB, ygiW (encode OB-family protein), and AraC family transcriptional regulator IT767_23090 genes showed highest expressions in the absence of QseC, which might be related to increased virulence. The study provided new insights into the functional importance of QseBC in regulating the virulence of hvKP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingnan Lv
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jie Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Suzhou Science and Technology Town Hospital, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiaofang Xie
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhichen Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, United States.,Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, United States
| | - Fengyun Zhong
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Hong Du
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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Extensively Drug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Counteracts Fitness and Virulence Costs That Accompanied Ceftazidime-Avibactam Resistance Acquisition. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0014822. [PMID: 35435751 PMCID: PMC9241641 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00148-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae to rapidly acquire resistance to novel antibiotics is a global concern. Moreover, Klebsiella clonal lineages that successfully combine resistance and hypervirulence have increasingly occurred during the last years. However, the underlying mechanisms of counteracting fitness costs that accompany antibiotic resistance acquisition remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigated whether and how an XDR sequence type (ST)307 K. pneumoniae strain developed resistance against the novel drug combination ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) using experimental evolution. In addition, we performed in vitro and in vivo assays, molecular modeling, and bioinformatics to identify resistance-conferring processes and explore the resulting decrease in fitness and virulence. The subsequent amelioration of the initial costs was also addressed. We demonstrate that distinct mutations of the major nonselective porin OmpK36 caused CAZ-AVI resistance that persists even upon following a second experimental evolution without antibiotic selection pressure and that the Klebsiella strain compensates the resulting fitness and virulence costs. Furthermore, the genomic and transcriptomic analyses suggest the envelope stress response regulator rpoE and associated RpoE-regulated genes as drivers of this compensation. This study verifies the crucial role of OmpK36 in CAZ-AVI resistance and shows the rapid adaptation of a bacterial pathogen to compensate fitness- and virulence-associated resistance costs, which possibly contributes to the emergence of successful clonal lineages. IMPORTANCE Extensively drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae causing major outbreaks and severe infections has become a significant challenge for health care systems worldwide. Rapid resistance development against last-resort therapeutics like ceftazidime-avibactam is a significant driver for the accelerated emergence of such pathogens. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what exactly mediates rapid resistance acquisition and how bacterial pathogens counteract accompanying fitness and virulence costs. By combining bioinformatics with in vitro and in vivo phenotypic approaches, this study revealed the critical role of mutations in a particular porin channel in ceftazidime-avibactam resistance development and a major metabolic regulator for ameliorating fitness and virulence costs. These results highlight underlying mechanisms and contribute to the understanding of factors important for the emergence of successful bacterial pathogens.
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Insecticidal and growth inhibitory activity of gut microbes isolated from adults of Spodoptera litura (Fab.). BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:71. [PMID: 35272633 PMCID: PMC8908599 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02476-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) commonly known as tobacco caterpillar is a polyphagous pest that causes significant damage to many agricultural crops. The extensive use of chemical insecticides against S. litura has resulted in development of resistance. In order to find potential biocontrol agents, gut microbes were investigated for insecticidal potential. These microbes live in a diverse relationship with insects that may vary from beneficial to pathogenic. RESULTS Enterococcus casseliflavus, Enterococcus mundtii, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas paralactis and Pantoea brenneri were isolated from adults of S. litura. Screening of these microbial isolates for insecticidal potential against S. litura showed higher larval mortality due to K. pneumoniae and P. paralactis. These bacteria also negatively affected the development of insect along with significant decline in relative growth and consumption rate as well as efficiency of conversion of ingested and digested food of insect. The bacteria significantly decreased the reproductive potential of insect. Perturbations in the composition of gut microbiome and damage to gut epithelium were also observed that might be associated with decreased survival of this insect. CONCLUSIONS Our study reveals the toxic effects of K. pneumoniae and P. paralactis on biology of S. litura. These bacteria may be used as potential candidates for developing ecofriendly strategies to manage this insect pest.
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Wang B, Pan F, Han D, Zhao W, Shi Y, Sun Y, Wang C, Zhang T, Zhang H. Genetic Characteristics and Microbiological Profile of Hypermucoviscous Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella variicola Coproducing IMP-4 and NDM-1 Carbapenemases. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0158121. [PMID: 35019673 PMCID: PMC8823660 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01581-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We report here a hypermucoviscous, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) and imipenemase 4 (IMP-4) carbapenemases-coproducing Klebsiella variicola isolate obtained from a pediatric patient. This strain was resistant to carbapenems and most other β-lactams. Although hypermucoviscous, this strain possessed attenuated virulence according to serum killing assay and Galleria mellonella infection model. Notably, two copies of blaNDM-1 were contained on two tandem ISCR1 elements and coexisted with blaIMP-4 in a novel hybrid multidrug resistance plasmid. This is the first description of the coexistence of blaNDM-1 and blaIMP-4 in a single plasmid of hypermucoviscous K. variicola. IMPORTANCE As an important member of the Klebsiella pneumoniae complex, Klebsiella variicola is poorly studied as an emerging human pathogen. We, for the first time, report a unique K. variicola isolated from a pediatric patient in China. This isolate exhibited hypermucoviscosity, a classic hypervirulence characteristic of K. pneumoniae, and contained multiple carbapenem-resistant genes, including blaIMP-1 and blaNDM-1. Interestingly, these antimicrobial resistance genes were located on a novel hybrid plasmid, and our results suggested that this plasmid might have been introduced from K. pneumoniae and undergone a series of integration and recombination evolutionary events. Overall, our study provides more insight into K. variicola and highlights its superior capability to acquire and maintain foreign resistance genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingjie Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fen Pan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dingding Han
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wantong Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingying Shi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chun Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tiandong Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
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Woods A, Parker D, Glick MM, Peng Y, Lenoir F, Mulligan E, Yu V, Piizzi G, Lister T, Lilly MD, Dzink-Fox J, Jansen JM, Ryder NS, Dean CR, Smith TM. High-Throughput Screen for Inhibitors of Klebsiella pneumoniae Virulence Using a Tetrahymena pyriformis Co-Culture Surrogate Host Model. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:5401-5414. [PMID: 35187355 PMCID: PMC8851646 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The continuing emergence of antibacterial resistance reduces the effectiveness of antibiotics and drives an ongoing search for effective replacements. Screening compound libraries for antibacterial activity in standard growth media has been extensively explored and may be showing diminishing returns. Inhibition of bacterial targets that are selectively important under in vivo (infection) conditions and, therefore, would be missed by conventional in vitro screens might be an alternative. Surrogate host models of infection, however, are often not suitable for high-throughput screens. Here, we adapted a medium-throughput Tetrahymena pyriformis surrogate host model that was successfully used to identify inhibitors of a hyperviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae strain to a high-throughput format and screened circa 1.2 million compounds. The screen was robust and identified confirmed hits from different chemical classes with potent inhibition of K. pneumoniae growth in the presence of T. pyriformis that lacked any appreciable direct antibacterial activity. Several of these appeared to inhibit capsule/mucoidy, which are key virulence factors in hypervirulent K. pneumoniae. A weakly antibacterial inhibitor of LpxC (essential for the synthesis of the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharides) also appeared to be more active in the presence of T. pyriformis, which is consistent with the role of LPS in virulence as well as viability in K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela
L. Woods
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - David Parker
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Meir M. Glick
- Chemical
Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Yunshan Peng
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Francois Lenoir
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Evan Mulligan
- Chemical
Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Vincent Yu
- Chemical
Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Grazia Piizzi
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Troy Lister
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Maria-Dawn Lilly
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - JoAnn Dzink-Fox
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Johanna M. Jansen
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, Emeryville California 94608-2916, United States
| | - Neil S. Ryder
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Charles R. Dean
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Thomas M. Smith
- Chemical
Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Lv P, Hao G, Cao Y, Cui L, Wang G, Sun S. Detection of Carbapenem Resistance of Proteus mirabilis Strains Isolated from Foxes, Raccoons and Minks in China. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11020292. [PMID: 35205158 PMCID: PMC8869598 DOI: 10.3390/biology11020292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Proteus mirabilis, an opportunistic pathogen, is found to be an emerging threat to both animals and humans for a variety of infections. However, the characteristics of P. mirabilis infections from foxes, raccoons and minks remain unclear. In this context, we identified the antibiotic resistance genes and virulence genes of P. mirabilis isolates from foxes, raccoons and minks in China. Most isolates showed resistance to florfenicol (90.57%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (73.58%), and imipenem (71.70%). A total of 73.58% of isolates were resistant to antibiotics from at least three or more classes, and were categorized as multi-drug resistant. A total of 33.33% of the isolates were resistant to antibiotics from seven classes. The most prevalent resistant were sul1 (94.34%), followed by floR, blaTEM, aac(6’)Ib-cr and blaOXA-1 with the detection rate of 88.68%, 83.02%, 71.70% and 60.38%, respectively. Among the 51 P. mirabilis isolates that were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics, all isolates carried at least one beta-lactam gene. In addition, blaNDM and blaOXA-24 genes were firstly reported in carbapenem-resistant P. mirabilis isolates from foxes, raccoons and minks. All isolates exhibited the virulence genes ureC, zapA, pmfA, atfA and mrpA. P. mirabilis isolates carrying all detected 10 virulence genes from different animal species showed different lethal abilities in a G. mellonella larvae model. More importantly, the profiles of antibiotic resistance genes of isolates from fur animals and the environment were generally similar, and phylogenetic analysis showed that the P. mirabilis isolates from farm environment samples may have close relatedness with that from animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penghao Lv
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China; (P.L.); (Y.C.); (L.C.)
| | - Guijuan Hao
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China; (P.L.); (Y.C.); (L.C.)
- Correspondence: (G.H.); (G.W.); (S.S.); Tel.: +86-182-5202-6546 (G.H.); +86-185-6011-3839 (G.W.); +86-137-0538-9710 (S.S.)
| | - Yanli Cao
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China; (P.L.); (Y.C.); (L.C.)
| | - Lulu Cui
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China; (P.L.); (Y.C.); (L.C.)
| | - Guisheng Wang
- Shandong Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Taian 261500, China
- Correspondence: (G.H.); (G.W.); (S.S.); Tel.: +86-182-5202-6546 (G.H.); +86-185-6011-3839 (G.W.); +86-137-0538-9710 (S.S.)
| | - Shuhong Sun
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China; (P.L.); (Y.C.); (L.C.)
- Correspondence: (G.H.); (G.W.); (S.S.); Tel.: +86-182-5202-6546 (G.H.); +86-185-6011-3839 (G.W.); +86-137-0538-9710 (S.S.)
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Shen L, Zhang J, Xue J, Du L, Yuan L, Nie H, Dai S, Yu Q, Li Y. Regulation of ECP fimbriae-related genes by the transcriptional regulator RcsAB in Klebsiella pneumoniae NTUH-K2044. J Basic Microbiol 2022; 62:593-603. [PMID: 35132658 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202100595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the major pathogens causing nosocomial infections. The regulator of capsule synthesis (Rcs) system is a complex signal transduction pathway that is involved in the regulation of virulence factors of K. pneumoniae as an important transcriptional regulator. The RcsAB box-like sequence was found to be present in the promoter-proximal regions of ykgK, one of the ECP fimbriae-related genes, which suggested the expression of ECP fimbriae may be regulated by RcsAB. The ykgK gene in K. pneumoniae has 86% similarity to the ecpR gene in Escherichia coli. Nucleotide sequence alignment revealed a similar ECP fimbriae gene cluster including six genes in K. pneumoniae, which was proved to be on the same operon in this study. The electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I assay, relative fluorescence expression, β-galactosidase activity, and relative gene expression of ykgK in the wild-type and mutant strains were performed to determine the transcriptional regulation mechanism of RcsAB on ECP fimbriae. The mutant ΔykgK and complementary strain ΔykgK/cΔykgK were constructed to complete the Galleria mellonella larvae infection experiment and biofilm formation assay. This study showed that RcsAB binds directly to the promoter region of the ykgK gene to positively regulate ECP fimbriae-related gene clusters, and then positively affect the biofilm formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lifei Shen
- School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiaxue Zhang
- Chongqing Jiangbei District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chongqing, China
| | - Jian Xue
- Zunyi Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Zunyi, China
| | - Ling Du
- School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lingyue Yuan
- School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hao Nie
- School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Sue Dai
- School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qian Yu
- School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yingli Li
- School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Klüber P, Müller S, Schmidt J, Zorn H, Rühl M. Isolation of Bacterial and Fungal Microbiota Associated with Hermetia illucens Larvae Reveals Novel Insights into Entomopathogenicity. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10020319. [PMID: 35208774 PMCID: PMC8878651 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens are polyphagous feeders and show tremendous bioconversion capabilities of organic matter into high-quality insect biomass. However, the digestion of lignocellulose-rich palm oil side streams such as palm kernel meal (PKM) is a particular challenge, as these compounds are exceptionally stable and are mainly degraded by microbes. This study aimed to investigate the suitability of BSF larvae as bioconversion agents of PKM. Since the intestinal microbiota is considered to play a key role in dietary breakdown and in increasing digestibility, the bacterial and fungal communities of BSF larvae were characterized in a culture-dependent approach and screened for their putative entomopathogenicity. The lethality of six putative candidates was investigated using intracoelomal injection. In total, 93 isolates were obtained with a bacterial share of 74% that were assigned to the four phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Members of the genera Klebsiella, Enterococcus, and Sphingobacterium are part of the core microbiome, as they were frequently described in the gut of Hermetia larvae regardless of diet, nutritional composition, or rearing conditions. With 75%, a majority of the fungal isolates belonged to the phylum Ascomycota. We identified several taxa already published to be able to degrade lignocelluloses, including Enterococcus, Cellulomonas, Pichia yeasts, or filamentous Fusarium species. The injection assays revealed pronounced differences in pathogenicity against the larvae. While Alcaligenes faecalis caused no, Diutina rugosa weak (23.3%), Microbacterium thalassium moderate (53.3%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae high (≥80%) lethality, Fusarium solani injection resulted in 100% lethality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Klüber
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, Germany; (P.K.); (S.M.); (J.S.); (H.Z.)
| | - Stephanie Müller
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, Germany; (P.K.); (S.M.); (J.S.); (H.Z.)
| | - Jonas Schmidt
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, Germany; (P.K.); (S.M.); (J.S.); (H.Z.)
| | - Holger Zorn
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, Germany; (P.K.); (S.M.); (J.S.); (H.Z.)
- Institute of Food Chemistry and Food Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Martin Rühl
- Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, Germany; (P.K.); (S.M.); (J.S.); (H.Z.)
- Institute of Food Chemistry and Food Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-641-9934913
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Ménard G, Rouillon A, Cattoir V, Donnio PY. Galleria mellonella as a Suitable Model of Bacterial Infection: Past, Present and Future. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:782733. [PMID: 35004350 PMCID: PMC8727906 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.782733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing interest for Galleria mellonella larvae as an infection model is evidenced by the number of papers reporting its use, which increases exponentially since the early 2010s. This popularity was initially linked to limitation of conventional animal models due to financial, technical and ethical aspects. In comparison, alternative models (e.g. models using Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster or G. mellonella) were cheap, simple to use and not limited by ethical regulation. Since then, similar results have been established with G. mellonella model comparatively to vertebrates, and it is more and more often used as a robust model per se, not only as an alternative to the murine model. This review attempts to summarize the current knowledge supporting the development of this model, both on immunological and microbiological aspects. For that, we focus on investigation of virulence and new therapies for the most important pathogenic bacteria. We also discuss points out directions for standardization, as well as recent advances and new perspectives for monitoring host-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Ménard
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, Bacterial Regulatory RNAs and Medicine (BRM), service de Bactériologie Hygiène-Hospitalière (SB2H), UMR_S 1230, Rennes, France
| | - Astrid Rouillon
- Univ Rennes, INSERM, Bacterial Regulatory RNAs and Medicine (BRM), UMR_S 1230, Rennes, France
| | - Vincent Cattoir
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, Bacterial Regulatory RNAs and Medicine (BRM), service de Bactériologie Hygiène-Hospitalière (SB2H), UMR_S 1230, Rennes, France
| | - Pierre-Yves Donnio
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, Bacterial Regulatory RNAs and Medicine (BRM), service de Bactériologie Hygiène-Hospitalière (SB2H), UMR_S 1230, Rennes, France
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Prakoso D, Zhu X, Rajeev S. Galleria mellonella infection model to evaluate pathogenic and nonpathogenic Leptospira strains. Vet Microbiol 2022; 264:109295. [PMID: 34875420 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2021.109295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The Galleria mellonella larvae infection model is emerging as a valuable tool for studying various characteristics of infectious agents and host-pathogen interaction. This system has been widely recognized as a high throughput, ethical, and cost-effective invertebrate infection model to study the virulence and pathogenesis of various bacterial pathogens. In this study, we compared the effect of Leptospira infection in G. mellonella larvae infected with Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni (pathogenic) or Leptospira biflexa serovar Patoc (saprophytic) strains. We observed significant pathologic changes such as decreased activity, complete melanization, and lower survival rate in the G. mellonella larvae infected with a pathogenic strain L. interrogans serovar Copenhageni compared to those infected with a nonpathogenic strain L. biflexa serovar Patoc. Our study demonstrates the feasibility and the potential of using G. mellonella larvae as an alternative model to study virulence mechanisms and pathogenesis of Leptospira strains. Once optimized, the G. mellonella infection model can be a potential substitute for hamsters to explore various host and pathogen-related mechanistic events in Leptospira infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhani Prakoso
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, 37996, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Xiaojuan Zhu
- Office of Information Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Sreekumari Rajeev
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, 37996, Knoxville, TN, United States.
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Zhang Y, Wang X, Wang S, Sun S, Li H, Chen H, Wang Q, Wang H. Emergence of Colistin Resistance in Carbapenem-Resistant Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae Under the Pressure of Tigecycline. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:756580. [PMID: 34925264 PMCID: PMC8672221 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.756580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Colistin and tigecycline are the last options against carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKP). Intersecting resistance determinants have been detected between these antibiotics; however, there is only limited evidence of such association. Here, we describe a colistin-resistant CR-hvKP isolated from a patient with severe neonatal bacteremia treated with tigecycline as opposed to colistin before isolation of this strain, providing a clinical clue to colistin resistance under tigecycline pressure. Furthermore, an ST11-K64 KPC-2–producing, colistin-susceptible CR-hvKP strain was subjected to experimental evolution toward colistin resistance under tigecycline and colistin pressure to verify this phenomenon in vitro. The biological impact of acquiring colistin resistance on fitness and virulence was also studied. As expected, the parental strain rapidly developed colistin resistance under both tigecycline and colistin selection. However, different from the colistin resistance mechanism in the clinical strain that was due to an ISKpn26 insertion in the mgrB gene, the mutants in this study developed colistin resistance through a ∼4.4 or ∼4.6 kb deletion including the mgrB locus as well as the kdgR, yobH, yebO, yobF, cspC, ftsI, and rlmA genes. Although the virulence of the colistin-resistant mutants, as determined in the Galleria mellonella model, decreased compared with that of the parent strain, it was still higher than that of NTUH-K2044. This suggests a slight virulence cost when CR-hvKP develops colistin resistance under tigecycline or colistin pressure. Together, our results provide clinical and experimental evidence for the association between colistin resistance and tigecycline pressure in CR-hvKP, highlighting a critical issue in the clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawei Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojuan Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shifu Wang
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shijun Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Henan Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hongbin Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
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Tiwari V, Panta PR, Billiot CE, Douglass MV, Herrera CM, Trent MS, Doerrler WT. A Klebsiella pneumoniae DedA family membrane protein is required for colistin resistance and for virulence in wax moth larvae. Sci Rep 2021; 11:24365. [PMID: 34934166 PMCID: PMC8692421 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03834-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ineffectiveness of carbapenems against multidrug resistant pathogens led to the increased use of colistin (polymyxin E) as a last resort antibiotic. A gene belonging to the DedA family encoding conserved membrane proteins was previously identified by screening a transposon library of K. pneumoniae ST258 for sensitivity to colistin. We have renamed this gene dkcA (dedA of Klebsiella required for colistin resistance). DedA family proteins are likely membrane transporters required for viability of Escherichia coli and Burkholderia spp. at alkaline pH and for resistance to colistin in a number of bacterial species. Colistin resistance is often conferred via modification of the lipid A component of bacterial lipopolysaccharide with aminoarabinose (Ara4N) and/or phosphoethanolamine. Mass spectrometry analysis of lipid A of the ∆dkcA mutant shows a near absence of Ara4N in the lipid A, suggesting a requirement for DkcA for lipid A modification with Ara4N. Mutation of K. pneumoniae dkcA resulted in a reduction of the colistin minimal inhibitory concentration to approximately what is found with a ΔarnT strain. We also identify a requirement of DkcA for colistin resistance that is independent of lipid A modification, instead requiring maintenance of optimal membrane potential. K. pneumoniae ΔdkcA displays reduced virulence in Galleria mellonella suggesting colistin sensitivity can cause loss of virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Tiwari
- grid.64337.350000 0001 0662 7451Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA USA
| | - Pradip R. Panta
- grid.64337.350000 0001 0662 7451Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA USA
| | - Caitlin E. Billiot
- grid.64337.350000 0001 0662 7451Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA USA
| | - Martin V. Douglass
- grid.213876.90000 0004 1936 738XDepartment of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
| | - Carmen M. Herrera
- grid.213876.90000 0004 1936 738XDepartment of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
| | - M. Stephen Trent
- grid.213876.90000 0004 1936 738XDepartment of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
| | - William T. Doerrler
- grid.64337.350000 0001 0662 7451Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA USA
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Liao W, Huang N, Zhang Y, Sun Y, Chen T, Zeng W, Chen L, Wen H, Cao J, Zhou T. Comparison of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Causing Intestinal Colonization and Extraintestinal Infections: Clinical, Virulence, and Molecular Epidemiological Characteristics. Front Public Health 2021; 9:783124. [PMID: 34926395 PMCID: PMC8678278 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.783124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia (CRKP) infections has become a concerning threat. However, knowledge regarding the characteristics of intestinal CRKP isolates is limited. This study aimed to investigate and compare the clinical, virulence and molecular epidemiological characteristics of intestinal colonization and extraintestinal infections CRKP strains. The clinical characteristics were investigated retrospectively. Polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the capsular serotype, virulence genes and carbapenemase genes. Capsular polysaccharide quantification assay, serum resistance assay, biofilm formation assay, and infection model of Galleria mellonella larvae were performed to compare the virulence and pathogenicity. Besides, multilocus-sequence-typing (MLST) and pulsed-field-gel-electrophoresis (PFGE) were conducted to explore the homology of intestinal CRKP isolates. A total of 54 intestinal CRKP isolates were included. The main capsular serotypes were K14, K64, and K19. C-reactive protein and the proportion of ICU isolation of the infection group were significantly higher than that of the colonization group (P < 0.05). The carrier rates of various virulence genes of CRKP in the infection group were mostly higher than those in the colonization group, wherein the carrier rates of peg-344 and rmpA were significantly different (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in capsular polysaccharides, antiserum ability, biofilm formation ability between the two group (P > 0.05), but the lethality of the infection group to Galleria mellonella was significantly higher than that of the colonization group (P < 0.05). The MLST categorized the 54 isolates into 13 different sequence types. PFGE revealed that homology among the 54 CRKP strains was <80%. This study suggested that the CRKP strains in the infection group had higher virulence than those in the colonization group. The development of CRKP isolates colonizing in the intestine should be addressed in future clinical surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenli Liao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.,Department of Laboratory, Yongzhou Central Hospital, Yongzhou, China
| | - Na Huang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Medical Lab Science, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yao Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Tao Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Weiliang Zeng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Liqiong Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Hong Wen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jianming Cao
- Department of Medical Lab Science, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Tieli Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Piatek M, Sheehan G, Kavanagh K. Galleria mellonella: The Versatile Host for Drug Discovery, In Vivo Toxicity Testing and Characterising Host-Pathogen Interactions. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10121545. [PMID: 34943757 PMCID: PMC8698334 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10121545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Larvae of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, are a convenient in vivo model for assessing the activity and toxicity of antimicrobial agents and for studying the immune response to pathogens and provide results similar to those from mammals. G. mellonella larvae are now widely used in academia and industry and their use can assist in the identification and evaluation of novel antimicrobial agents. Galleria larvae are inexpensive to purchase and house, easy to inoculate, generate results within 24–48 h and their use is not restricted by legal or ethical considerations. This review will highlight how Galleria larvae can be used to assess the efficacy of novel antimicrobial therapies (photodynamic therapy, phage therapy, metal-based drugs, triazole-amino acid hybrids) and for determining the in vivo toxicity of compounds (e.g., food preservatives, ionic liquids) and/or solvents (polysorbate 80). In addition, the disease development processes are associated with a variety of pathogens (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Aspergillus fumigatus, Madurella mycotomatis) in mammals are also present in Galleria larvae thus providing a simple in vivo model for characterising disease progression. The use of Galleria larvae offers many advantages and can lead to an acceleration in the development of novel antimicrobials and may be a prerequisite to mammalian testing.
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Collins E, Martin C, Blomquist T, Phillips K, Cantlay S, Fisher N, Horzempa J. The utilization of Blaptica dubia cockroaches as an in vivo model to test antibiotic efficacy. Sci Rep 2021; 11:24004. [PMID: 34907348 PMCID: PMC8671488 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03486-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects are now well recognized as biologically relevant alternative hosts for dozens of mammalian pathogens and they are routinely used in microbial pathogenesis studies. Unfortunately, these models have yet to be incorporated into the drug development pipeline. The purpose of this work was to begin to evaluate the utility of orange spotted (Blaptica dubia) cockroaches in early antibiotic characterization. To determine whether these model hosts could exhibit mortality when infected with bacteria that are pathogenic to humans, we subjected B. dubia roaches to a range of infectious doses of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter baumannii to identify the medial lethal dose. These results showed that lethal disease did not develop following infection of high doses of S. aureus, and A. baumannii. However, cockroaches infected with E. coli and K. pneumoniae succumbed to infection (LD50s of 5.82 × 106 and 2.58 × 106 respectively) suggesting that this model may have limitations based on pathogen specificity. However, because these cockroaches were susceptible to infection from E. coli and K. pneumoniae, we used these bacterial strains for subsequent antibiotic characterization studies. These studies suggested that β-lactam antibiotic persistence and dose was associated with reduction of hemolymph bacterial burden. Moreover, our data indicated that the reduction of bacterial CFU was directly due to the drug activity. Altogether, this work suggests that the orange-spotted cockroach infection model provides an alternative in vivo setting from which antibiotic efficacy can be evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Collins
- Department of Biological Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV, USA
| | - Caleb Martin
- Department of Biological Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV, USA
| | - Tyler Blomquist
- Department of Biological Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV, USA
| | - Katherine Phillips
- Department of Biological Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV, USA
| | - Stuart Cantlay
- Department of Biological Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV, USA
| | | | - Joseph Horzempa
- Department of Biological Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV, USA.
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Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae Infections in Pediatric Populations in Beijing (2017-2019): Clinical Characteristics, Molecular Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Susceptibility. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2021; 40:1059-1063. [PMID: 34269324 DOI: 10.1097/inf.0000000000003253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypervirulent variants of Klebsiella pnuemoniae (hvKp) are emerging globally causing life-threatening infectious diseases; however, comprehensive studies on pediatric hvKp strains and related infections are still lacking. METHODS Clinical data were collected from medical records. Genotype (multilocus sequence typing), capsular serotype, virulence gene profile and carbapenemase of the isolates were determined by PCR and DNA sequencing. Broth microdilution method was adopted to test the antimicrobial susceptibility. Hypermucoviscosity phenotype and the virulence of the strains were evaluated by string test and Galleria mellonella larvae killing assay. RESULTS Among 319 K. pneumoniae strains, 26 (8.2%) hvKp were identified, the detection rates in 2017, 2018 and 2019 were 1.8%, 5.2% and 11.3%. The majority of hvKp infections were found in school-age children and adolescents (57.7%). Pneumonia was the most common diagnosis (38.5%). Single fatal case was hvKp caused liver abscess complicated with bacteremia. hvKp were dominated by ST23 (30.8%) and ST11 (30.8%). Eight carbapenem-resistant hvKp (CR-hvKp) were found, which all belonged to ST11. Virulence gene profile revealed that ST11 hvKp might carry incomplete pLVPK-like plasmids, but they exhibited comparable in vivo virulence to the other hvKp. CONCLUSIONS The infections caused by hvKp are not frequent among pediatric populations, but the detection rate of hvKp in pediatric populations is increasing rapidly in recent years. The emerging and dissemination of ST11 CR-hvKp should be monitored continuously.
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Virulence Characteristics of Biofilm-Forming Acinetobacter baumannii in Clinical Isolates Using a Galleria mellonella Model. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9112365. [PMID: 34835490 PMCID: PMC8625498 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative coccobacillus responsible for severe hospital-acquired infections, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs). The current study was designed to characterize the virulence traits of biofilm-forming carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii causing pneumonia in ICU patients using a Galleria mellonella model. Two hundred and thirty patients with hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia were included in our study. Among the total isolates, A. baumannii was the most frequently isolated etiological agent in ICU patients with pneumonia (54/165, 32.7%). All A. baumannii isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method, while the minimum inhibitory concentrations of imipenem and colistin were estimated using the broth microdilution technique. The biofilm formation activity of the isolates was tested using the microtiter plate technique. Biofilm quantification showed that 61.1% (33/54) of the isolates were strong biofilm producers, while 27.7% (15/54) and 11.1% (6/54) showed moderate or weak biofilm production. By studying the prevalence of carbapenemases-encoding genes among isolates, blaOXA-23-like was positive in 88.9% of the isolates (48/54). The BlaNDM gene was found in 27.7% of the isolates (15/54 isolates). BlaOXA-23-like and blaNDM genes coexisted in 25.9% (14/54 isolates). Bap and blaPER-1 genes, the biofilm-associated genes, coexisted in 5.6% (3/54) of the isolates. For in vivo assessment of A. baumannii pathogenicity, a Galleria mellonella survival assay was used. G. mellonella survival was statistically different between moderate and poor biofilm producers (p < 0.0001). The killing effect of the strong biofilm-producing group was significantly higher than that of the moderate and poor biofilm producers (p < 0.0001 for each comparison). These findings highlight the role of biofilm formation as a powerful virulence factor for carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii that causes pneumonia in the ICU.
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Emergence of Tigecycline Nonsusceptible and IMP-4 Carbapenemase-Producing K2-ST65 Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae in China. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0130521. [PMID: 34704778 PMCID: PMC8549734 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01305-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) poses a significant public health challenge worldwide, but research on IMP-producing CR-hvKP and its tigecycline resistance is extremely scarce. We report herein the recovery of two IMP-4–producing, capsular serotype K2, sequence type 65 (K2-ST65), hypervirulent K. pneumoniae isolates (C1672 and C2051), which caused severe and fatal infections in ICU patients, after retrospectively screening 3,285 carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from 26 provinces in China. Notably, C2051 also demonstrated tigecycline nonsusceptibility, mediated by a frameshift mutation in the TetR/AcrR family transcriptional regulator. Both strains harbored blaIMP-4 and critical plasmid-borne virulence genes (rmpA/rmpA2, iucA, and iroN) and demonstrated high virulence in Galleria mellonella, indicating CR-hvKP. The blaIMP-4 gene was located on the IncU- and IncN-type plasmids, which showed high stability in C1672 and C2051 after serial passage for 5 days, with retention rates of 87% and 93.7%, respectively. No significant differences in growth rates were observed among the parental strains and the corresponding resistance plasmid-cured mutants (P = 0.5273), suggesting that strains carrying the blaIMP and virulence plasmids have the potential to exist for a long time without compromising fitness. The genetic environments of the blaIMP-4 gene in both strains were similar, and it has been inferred that the genetic regions of blaIMP-4 were inserted into different backbones. Several conjugal transfer genes, such as traO, traE, traN, and traBCD, were identified in the blaIMP-4-bearing plasmid of C2051, suggesting a higher ability for plasmid transmission. The convergence of IMP carbapenemase and tigecycline nonsusceptibility in a classic hypervirulent K. pneumoniae lineage highlights the need to enhance clinical awareness and epidemiologic surveillance. IMPORTANCE To date, research on IMP-producing CR-hvKP is extremely scarce. Only one case of urinary tract infection caused by an IMP-6–producing K1-ST23 hypervirulent K. pneumoniae isolate in Japan was recorded, with a limited description of clinical information and genomic features. None of the published studies examined the virulence of the reported strains or the stability and fitness of resistance plasmids or presented a phylogenetic analysis. This dearth of data is notable because CR-hvKP infections are increasingly identified, but critical characteristics of the emerging resistance mediated by IMP carbapenemases in CR-hvKP remain unknown. Here, we report the emergence of two IMP-4 carbapenemase-producing K2-ST65 hypervirulent K. pneumoniae isolates that caused severe and fatal infections in clinical settings in China. Notably, one of them also demonstrated tigecycline nonsusceptibility. These strains carrying blaIMP and virulence plasmids had the potential to exist for a long time without compromising their fitness, highlighting the urgent need to enhance clinical awareness and epidemiologic surveillance to prevent their dissemination.
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