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Schüler MA, Riedel T, Overmann J, Daniel R, Poehlein A. Comparative genome analyses of clinical and non-clinical Clostridioides difficile strains. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1404491. [PMID: 38993487 PMCID: PMC11238072 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1404491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The pathogenic bacterium Clostridioides difficile is a worldwide health burden with increasing morbidity, mortality and antibiotic resistances. Therefore, extensive research efforts are made to unravel its virulence and dissemination. One crucial aspect for C. difficile is its mobilome, which for instance allows the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) or influence strain virulence. As a nosocomial pathogen, the majority of strains analyzed originated from clinical environments and infected individuals. Nevertheless, C. difficile can also be present in human intestines without disease development or occur in diverse environmental habitats such as puddle water and soil, from which several strains could already be isolated. We therefore performed comprehensive genome comparisons of closely related clinical and non-clinical strains to identify the effects of the clinical background. Analyses included the prediction of virulence factors, ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and detailed examinations of the pan genome. Clinical-related trends were thereby observed. While no significant differences were identified in fundamental C. difficile virulence factors, the clinical strains carried more ARGs and MGEs, and possessed a larger accessory genome. Detailed inspection of accessory genes revealed higher abundance of genes with unknown function, transcription-associated, or recombination-related activity. Accessory genes of these functions were already highlighted in other studies in association with higher strain virulence. This specific trend might allow the strains to react more efficiently on changing environmental conditions in the human host such as emerging stress factors, and potentially increase strain survival, colonization, and strain virulence. These findings indicated an adaptation of the strains to the clinical environment. Further, implementation of the analysis results in pairwise genome comparisons revealed that the majority of these accessory genes were encoded on predicted MGEs, shedding further light on the mobile genome of C. difficile. We therefore encourage the inclusion of non-clinical strains in comparative analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam A. Schüler
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Riedel
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Braunschweig-Hannover, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jörg Overmann
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Braunschweig-Hannover, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anja Poehlein
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
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Bloomfield M, Hutton S, Burton M, Tarring C, Velasco C, Clissold C, Balm M, Kelly M, Macartney-Coxson D, White R. Early identification of a ward-based outbreak of Clostridioides difficile using prospective multilocus sequence type-based Oxford Nanopore genomic surveillance. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2024:1-7. [PMID: 38706217 DOI: 10.1017/ice.2024.77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe an outbreak of sequence type (ST)2 Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) detected by a recently implemented multilocus sequence type (MLST)-based prospective genomic surveillance system using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing. SETTING Hemato-oncology ward of a public tertiary referral centre. METHODS From February 2022, we began prospectively sequencing all C. difficile isolated from inpatients at our institution on the ONT MinION device, with the output being an MLST. Bed-movement data are used to construct real-time ST-specific incidence charts based on ward exposures over the preceding three months. RESULTS Between February and October 2022, 76 of 118 (64.4%) CDI cases were successfully sequenced. There was wide ST variation across cases and the hospital, with only four different STs being seen in >4 patients. A clear predominance of ST2 CDI cases emerged among patients with exposure to our hemato-oncology ward between May and October 2022, which totalled ten patients. There was no detectable rise in overall CDI incidence for the ward or hospital due to the outbreak. Following a change in cleaning product to an accelerated hydrogen peroxide wipe and several other interventions, no further outbreak-associated ST2 cases were detected. A retrospective phylogenetic analysis using original sequence data showed clustering of the suspected outbreak cases, with the exception of two cases that were retrospectively excluded from the outbreak. CONCLUSIONS Prospective genomic surveillance of C. difficile using ONT sequencing permitted the identification of an outbreak of ST2 CDI that would have otherwise gone undetected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Bloomfield
- Awanui Labs Wellington, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Wellington, New Zealand
- Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand, Infection Prevention and Control, Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Samantha Hutton
- Awanui Labs Wellington, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Megan Burton
- Awanui Labs Wellington, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Claire Tarring
- Awanui Labs Wellington, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Charles Velasco
- Awanui Labs Wellington, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Carolyn Clissold
- Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand, Infection Prevention and Control, Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Michelle Balm
- Awanui Labs Wellington, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Wellington, New Zealand
- Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand, Infection Prevention and Control, Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Matthew Kelly
- Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand, Infection Prevention and Control, Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, Wellington, New Zealand
| | | | - Rhys White
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Health Group, Porirua, New Zealand
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Wu Y, Wang YY, Bai LL, Zhang WZ, Li GW, Lu JX. A narrative review of Clostridioides difficile infection in China. Anaerobe 2022; 74:102540. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2022.102540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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