Stevens MJA, Horlbog JA, Diethelm A, Stephan R, Nüesch-Inderbinen M. Characteristics and comparative genome analysis of Yersinia enterocolitica and related species associated with human infections in Switzerland 2019-2023.
INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024:105652. [PMID:
39103026 DOI:
10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105652]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2024] [Revised: 07/28/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE
We aimed to characterise Yersinia enterocolitica from human clinical specimens in Switzerland using epidemiological, microbiological and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data.
METHODS
Isolates (n = 149) were collected between January 2019 and December 2023. Epidemiological data was noted and strains were characterized by biochemical and serological typing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), and WGS-based analysis.
RESULTS
Most of the isolates (86%) were from stool specimens and 52% were from male patients. The patients' median age was 28 years (< 1-94 years). Typing assigned the isolates to bioserotype 4/O:3 (44%), biotype 1 A (34%), bioserotype 2/O:9 (21%), and bioserotype 3/O:3 (1%). WGS identified Y. enterocolitica (n = 147), Y. alsatica (n = 1) and Y. proxima (n = 1). Seven isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR) and harboured plasmid pAB829 carrying aph(3″)-Ib, aph(6)-Id, and tet(Y) (n = 1), pAC120 carrying aph(6)-Id and tet(A) (n = 2), or a 12.6 kb Tn2670-like transposon containing catA1, aadA12, sul1, and qacEΔ1 (n = 4). Virulence factors (VFs) included ail (n = 99), invB, (n = 145), ystA (n = 99), ystB (n = 48) and pYV-associated VFs (n = 93). MLST and cgMLST analysis showed that BT 1 A strains consisted of several STs and were highly diverse, whereas BT 2/O:9 strains were all ST12 and clustered closely, and BT4/O:3 strains mostly belonged to ST18 but were more diverse. SNP analysis revealed two highly clonal BT4/O:3 subpopulations with wide spatio-temporal distribution.
CONCLUSIONS
Y. enterocolitica BT1A, BT 2/O:9 and BT4/O:3 are frequently associated with human yersiniosis in Switzerland. WGS-based subtyping of Y. enterocolitica is a powerful tool to explore the genetic diversity and the pathogenic potential of human isolates.
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