1
|
Katz A, Porte L, Weitzel T, Varela C, Muñoz-Rehbein C, Ugalde JA, Grim C, González-Escalona N, Blondel CJ, Bravo V. Whole-genome sequencing reveals changes in genomic diversity and distinctive repertoires of T3SS and T6SS effector candidates in Chilean clinical Campylobacter strains. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1208825. [PMID: 37520433 PMCID: PMC10374022 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1208825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide and an emerging and neglected pathogen in South America. This zoonotic pathogen colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of a wide range of mammals and birds, with poultry as the most important reservoir for human infections. Apart from its high morbidity rates, the emergence of resistant strains is of global concern. The aims of this work were to determine genetic diversity, presence of antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence potential of Campylobacter spp. isolated from patients with acute gastrointestinal disease at 'Clinica Alemana', Santiago de Chile. The study considered the isolation of Campylobacter spp., from stool samples during a 20-month period (January 2020 to September 2021). We sequenced (NextSeq, Illumina) and performed an in-depth analysis of the genome sequences of 88 Campylobacter jejuni and 2 Campylobacter coli strains isolated from clinical samples in Chile. We identified a high genetic diversity among C. jejuni strains and the emergence of prevalent clonal complexes, which were not identified in our previous reports. While ~40% of strains harbored a mutation in the gyrA gene associated with fluoroquinolone resistance, no macrolide-resistance determinants were detected. Interestingly, gene clusters encoding virulence factors such as the T6SS or genes associated with long-term sequelae such as Guillain-Barré syndrome showed lineage-relatedness. In addition, our analysis revealed a high degree of variability regarding the presence of fT3SS and T6SS effector proteins in comparison to type strains 81-176, F38011, and NCTC 11168 and 488. Our study provides important insights into the molecular epidemiology of this emerging foodborne pathogen. In addition, the differences observed regarding the repertoire of fT3SS and T6SS effector proteins could have an impact on the pathogenic potential and transmissibility of these Latin American isolates, posing another challenge in characterizing the infection dynamics of this emergent and neglected bacterial pathogen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Katz
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lorena Porte
- Laboratorio Clínico, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Thomas Weitzel
- Laboratorio Clínico, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias e Innovación en Medicina (ICIM), Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carmen Varela
- Laboratorio Clínico, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cristina Muñoz-Rehbein
- Center for Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan A. Ugalde
- Center for Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Christopher Grim
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Narjol González-Escalona
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Carlos J. Blondel
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Verónica Bravo
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Aplicadas (CIBAP), Escuela de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bravo V, Katz A, Porte L, Weitzel T, Varela C, Gonzalez-Escalona N, Blondel CJ. Genomic analysis of the diversity, antimicrobial resistance and virulence potential of clinical Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains from Chile. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009207. [PMID: 33606689 PMCID: PMC7928456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the leading cause of human gastroenteritis in the industrialized world and an emerging threat in developing countries. The incidence of campylobacteriosis in South America is greatly underestimated, mostly due to the lack of adequate diagnostic methods. Accordingly, there is limited genomic and epidemiological data from this region. In the present study, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the genetic diversity, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance of the largest collection of clinical C. jejuni and C. coli strains from Chile available to date (n = 81), collected in 2017–2019 in Santiago, Chile. This culture collection accounts for more than one third of the available genome sequences from South American clinical strains. cgMLST analysis identified high genetic diversity as well as 13 novel STs and alleles in both C. jejuni and C. coli. Pangenome and virulome analyses showed a differential distribution of virulence factors, including both plasmid and chromosomally encoded T6SSs and T4SSs. Resistome analysis predicted widespread resistance to fluoroquinolones, but low rates of erythromycin resistance. This study provides valuable genomic and epidemiological data and highlights the need for further genomic epidemiology studies in Chile and other South American countries to better understand molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of this emerging intestinal pathogen. Campylobacter is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide and an emerging and neglected pathogen in South America. In this study, we performed an in-depth analysis of the genome sequences of 69 C. jejuni and 12 C. coli clinical strains isolated from Chile, which account for over a third of the sequences from clinical strains available from South America. We identified a high genetic diversity among C. jejuni strains and the unexpected identification of clade 3 C. coli strains, which are infrequently isolated from humans in other regions of the world. Most strains harbored the virulence factors described for Campylobacter. While ~40% of strains harbored mutation in the gyrA gene described to confer fluoroquinolone resistance, very few strains encoded the determinants linked to macrolide resistance, currently used for the treatment of campylobacteriosis. Our study contributes to our knowledge of this important foodborne pathogen providing valuable data from South America.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Bravo
- Programa Centro de Investigacion Biomedica y Aplicada, (CIBAP), Escuela de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Assaf Katz
- Programa de Biologia Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lorena Porte
- Laboratorio Clinico, Clinica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina Clinica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Thomas Weitzel
- Laboratorio Clinico, Clinica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina Clinica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias e Innovacion en Medicina (ICIM), Facultad de Medicina Clinica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carmen Varela
- Laboratorio Clinico, Clinica Alemana de Santiago, Facultad de Medicina Clinica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Narjol Gonzalez-Escalona
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Science, Division of Microbiology, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Carlos J. Blondel
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|