Pyomelanin biosynthetic pathway in pigment-producer strains from the pandemic Acinetobacter baumannii IC-5

Persistence of a carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) International Clone II (ST2/IC2) sub-lineage involved with outbreaks in two Brazilian clinical settings

BACKGROUND

Acinetobacter baumannii international clone II (IC2) is a widespread pandemic clone, however, it is rarely described in South America. The present study reported an outbreak caused by XDR IC2 strains in a clinical setting in Rio de Janeiro in 2022.

METHODS

Molecular epidemiology analysis was conducted with MLST to determine the clonal relationship and to assign a sequence type. The antimicrobial resistance profile of A. baumannii strains was assessed by the disk-diffusion method and MIC determination, and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes was determined by PCR and Sanger sequencing. The whole genome of one representative strain (AB91) was sequenced to prospect its resistome and virulome.

RESULTS

The MLST revealed that all strains belonged to the ST2 (Pasteur scheme) that corresponded to the pandemic IC2 lineage. They presented the XDR phenotype, which was compatible with their resistome composed of several acquired resistance genes and altered housekeeping genes. Additionally, an expressive virulome was revealed in AB91 genome. Genomic comparison with the unique other available IC2 genome from Brazil revealed that outbreaks occurring during (São Paulo - 2020/2021) and after (Rio de Janeiro - 2022) COVID-19 pandemics were caused by the same IC2 lineage.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the presence of a huge arsenal of resistance and virulence genes may have contributed to the persistence and the successful establishment of IC2 in Brazilian clinical settings during and after the COVID-19 pandemics in response to a series of events, such as the antibiotic overused during that period.

Can Pyomelanin Produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Promote the Regeneration of Gastric Epithelial Cells and Enhance Helicobacter pylori Phagocytosis?

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the most common cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. Successful colonization of the stomach by H. pylori is related to the complex interactions of these bacteria and its components with host cells. The growing antibiotic resistance of H. pylori and various mechanisms of evading the immune response have forced the search for new biologically active substances that exhibit antibacterial properties and limit the harmful effects of these bacteria on gastric epithelial cells and immune cells. In this study, the usefulness of pyomelanin (PyoM) produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa for inhibiting the metabolic activity of H. pylori was evaluated using the resazurin reduction assay, as well as in vitro cell studies used to verify the cytoprotective, anti-apoptotic and pro-regenerative effects of PyoM in the H. pylori LPS environment. We have shown that both water-soluble (PyoMsol) and water-insoluble (PyoMinsol) PyoM exhibit similar antibacterial properties against selected reference and clinical strains of H. pylori. This study showed that PyoM at a 1 μg/mL concentration reduced H. pylori-driven apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in fibroblasts, monocytes or gastric epithelial cells. In addition, PyoM enhanced the phagocytosis of H. pylori. PyoMsol showed better pro-regenerative and immunomodulatory activities than PyoMinsol.

In Vitro and In Vivo Biocompatibility of Natural and Synthetic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pyomelanin for Potential Biomedical Applications

Bacteria are the source of many bioactive compounds, including polymers with various physiological functions and the potential for medical applications. Pyomelanin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a nonfermenting Gram-negative bacterium, is a black-brown negatively charged extracellular polymer of homogentisic acid produced during L-tyrosine catabolism. Due to its chemical properties and the presence of active functional groups, pyomelanin is a candidate for the development of new antioxidant, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory formulations. This work aimed to obtain bacterial water-soluble (Pyo_sol), water-insoluble (Pyo_insol) and synthetic (sPyo) pyomelanin variants and characterize their chemical structure, thermosensitivity and biosafety in vitro and in vivo (Galleria mallonella). FTIR analysis showed that aromatic ring connections in the polymer chains were dominant in Pyo_sol and sPyo, whereas Pyo_insol had fewer C_ar-C_ar links between rings. The differences in chemical structure influence the solubility of various forms of pyomelanins, their thermal stability and biological activity. Pyo_sol and Pyo_insol showed higher biological safety than sPyo. The obtained results qualify Pyo_sol and Pyo_insol for evaluation of their antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and proregenerative activities.

Description of a Rare Pyomelanin-Producing Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Strain Coharboring Chromosomal OXA-23 and NDM-1

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), which belonged to global clones 1 (GC1) or 2 (GC2), has been widely reported and become a global threat. However, non-GC1 and non-GC2 CRAB strains are not well-studied, especially for those with rare phenotype. Here, one pyomelanin-producing CRAB strain (A. baumannii DETAB-R21) was isolated from oral swab in the ICU. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed it was resistant to carbapenems, ceftazidime, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin. DETAB-R21 was ST164_Pas and ST1418_Oxf with KL47 and OCL5, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis revealed chromosome contained three copies of bla_OXA-23 on three 4,805-bp Tn2006 composite transposons with various novel 9-bp target site duplications (TSD). A Tn125-like structure, including bla_NDM-1, a novel 4,343 bp composite transposon encoding bla_CARB-16, and three prophage regions were also identified. Importantly, hmgA was interrupted by a Tn2006 and contributed to pyomelanin production and further confirmed by hmgA overexpression. Furthermore, A. baumannii irradiated with UV light, DETAB-R21 showed a higher relatively survival rate compared to a control strain that did not produce pyomelanin. No effects of pyomelanin were observed on disinfectants susceptibility, growth, or virulence. In conclusion, pyomelanin-producing CRAB carrying the bla_NDM-1 and bla_OXA-23 genes embedded in the bacterial chromosome is of grave concern for health care settings, highlighting the need for effective measures to prevent further dissemination. IMPORTANCE Pyomelanin production is a quite rare phenotype in A. baumannii. Moreover, the mechanisms leading to the pyomelanin production was still unclear. Here, we for the first time, confirmed the mechanism of pyomelanin production, and further investigated the impact of pyomelanin on disinfectants susceptibility, growth, virulence, and UV irradiation. More importantly, many mobile genetic elements (MGEs), including three copies of Tn2006 composite transposons, one copy of bla_NDM-1 on the Tn125-like structure and three prophage regions, were identified in the chromosome, demonstrated strong plasticity of A. baumannii genome. Our study provides important insights into the new rare ST164_Pas A. baumannii strain with high level carbapenem resistance, which is of great threat for patients. These findings will provide important insights into the resistance gene transfer via transposition events and further spread in the clinic.

Pyomelanin-Producing Brevundimonas vitisensis sp. nov., Isolated From Grape (Vitis vinifera L.)

A novel endophytic bacterial strain, designated GR-TSA-9^T, was isolated from surface-sterilized grape (Vitis vinifera L.). 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that the isolate was grouped within the genus Brevundimonas, displaying the highest similarity with Brevundimonas lenta DS-18^T (97.9%) and Brevundimonas kwangchunensis KSL-102^T (97.8%) and less than 97.5% similarity with other members of Brevundimonas. The strain GR-TSA-9^T was a gram negative, rod shaped, facultatively anaerobic, catalase and oxidase positive, and motile bacterium. Its growth occurred at 10–37°C (optimally 25–30°C), at pH 7.0–8.0, and in NaCl 0–1% (optimally 0%). It contained ubiquinone-10 as a respiratory quinone, and the major cellular fatty acids (>10% of the total) were C_16:0 (14.2%) and summed feature 8 (C_18:1ω7c and/or C_18:1ω6c, 65.6%). The polar lipids present in the strain were phosphoglycolipids, phosphatidylglycerol, 1,2-di-O-acyl-3-O-[d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-d-glucopyranuronosyl]glycerol, and unidentified lipids (L1, L2, and L4). The strain had one 2,976,716bp circular chromosome with a G+C content of 66.4%. The digital DNA–DNA hybridization value between strain GR-TSA-9^T and B. lenta DS-18^T was 20.9%, while the average nucleotide identity value was 76.7%. In addition, the dDDH and ANI values to other members in this genus, whose genome sequences are available, are less than 21.1 and 77.6%. Genome annotation predicted the presence of some gene clusters related to tyrosine degradation and pyomelanin formation. Strain GR-TSA-9^T produced a brown melanin-like pigment in the presence of L-tyrosine-containing media. The highest pigment production (0.19g/L) was observed in tryptic soy broth with 1.0mg/ml L-tyrosine at 25°C for 6days of culture. Biophysical characterization by ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry confirmed that the pigment was pyomelanin. Additionally, melanized GR-TSA-9^T cells could protect the cells against UVC exposure. The phylogenetic, genomic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic features indicated that strain GR-TSA-9^T represents a novel melanin-producing species of Brevundimonas. The type strain was GR-TSA-9^T (KCTC 82386^T=CGMCC 1.18820^T).

Draft Genome Sequences and Genomic Analysis for Pigment Production in Bacteria Isolated from Blue Discolored Soymilk and Tofu

Cold-tolerant bacteria are known to contaminate and cause defects in refrigerated foods. Defects in food products can be observed as changes in appearance, texture, and/or flavor that detract from the product's intended look, feel, or taste. Two distinct organisms were cultured from blue pigmented soymilk and tofu that had been left opened and expired in a home refrigerator. The blue coloration was reproduced when isolates were cultured in fresh, sterile soymilk. These strains also produced a variety of colony color morphologies when cultured on different media types. We report two draft genome sequences of the potential causative agents of blue discoloration of soy foods, Pseudomonas carnis strains UCD_MED3 and UCD_MED7 as well as the 16S rRNA gene sequences of co-occurring strains isolated from the defective soy samples but that did not cause blue discoloration when cultured in fresh soymilk; Serratia liquefaciens strains UCD_MED2 and UCD_MED5.