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Perez-Bou L, Gonzalez-Martinez A, Cabrera JJ, Juarez-Jimenez B, Rodelas B, Gonzalez-Lopez J, Correa-Galeote D. Design and Validation of Primer Sets for the Detection and Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Environmental Samples by Quantitative PCR. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2024; 87:71. [PMID: 38748252 PMCID: PMC11096201 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-024-02385-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The high prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in several environments is a great concern threatening human health. Particularly, wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) become important contributors to the dissemination of ARB to receiving water bodies, due to the inefficient management or treatment of highly antibiotic-concentrated wastewaters. Hence, it is vital to develop molecular tools that allow proper monitoring of the genes encoding resistances to these important therapeutic compounds (antibiotic resistant genes, ARGs). For an accurate quantification of ARGs, there is a need for sensitive and robust qPCR assays supported by a good design of primers and validated protocols. In this study, eleven relevant ARGs were selected as targets, including aadA and aadB (conferring resistance to aminoglycosides); ampC, blaTEM, blaSHV, and mecA (resistance to beta-lactams); dfrA1 (resistance to trimethoprim); ermB (resistance to macrolides); fosA (resistance to fosfomycin); qnrS (resistance to quinolones); and tetA(A) (resistance to tetracyclines). The in silico design of the new primer sets was performed based on the alignment of all the sequences of the target ARGs (orthology grade > 70%) deposited in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, allowing higher coverages of the ARGs' biodiversity than those of several primers described to date. The adequate design and performance of the new molecular tools were validated in six samples, retrieved from both natural and engineered environments related to wastewater treatment. The hallmarks of the optimized qPCR assays were high amplification efficiency (> 90%), good linearity of the standard curve (R2 > 0.980), repeatability and reproducibility across experiments, and a wide linear dynamic range. The new primer sets and methodology described here are valuable tools to upgrade the monitorization of the abundance and emergence of the targeted ARGs by qPCR in WWTPs and related environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizandra Perez-Bou
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
- Microbiology and Environmental Technologies Section, Water Research Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Alejandro Gonzalez-Martinez
- Microbiology and Environmental Technologies Section, Water Research Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Juan J Cabrera
- Nitrogen Metabolism Group, Zaidín Experimental Station, Spanish National Research Council, EEZ-CSIC, Granada, Spain
| | - Belen Juarez-Jimenez
- Microbiology and Environmental Technologies Section, Water Research Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Belen Rodelas
- Microbiology and Environmental Technologies Section, Water Research Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Jesus Gonzalez-Lopez
- Microbiology and Environmental Technologies Section, Water Research Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - David Correa-Galeote
- Microbiology and Environmental Technologies Section, Water Research Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
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Brauge T, Bourdonnais E, Trigueros S, Cresson P, Debuiche S, Granier SA, Midelet G. Antimicrobial resistance and geographical distribution of Staphylococcus sp. isolated from whiting (Merlangius merlangus) and seawater in the English Channel and the North sea. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 345:123434. [PMID: 38290653 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Staphylococcus is a significant food safety hazard. The marine environment serves as a source of food for humans and is subject to various human-induced discharges, which may contain Staphylococcus strains associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and geographical distribution of AMR Staphylococcus isolates in seawater and whiting (Merlangius merlangus) samples collected from the English Channel and the North Sea. We isolated and identified 238 Staphylococcus strains, including 12 coagulase-positive (CoPs) and 226 coagulase-negative (CoNs) strains. All CoPs isolates exhibited resistance to at least one of the 16 antibiotics tested. Among the CoNs strains, 52% demonstrated resistance to at least one antibiotic, and 7 isolates were classified as multi-drug resistant (MDR). In these MDR strains, we identified AMR genes that confirmed the resistance phenotype, as well as other AMR genes, such as quaternary ammonium resistance. One CoNS strain carried 9 AMR genes, including both antibiotic and biocide resistance genes. By mapping the AMR phenotypes, we demonstrated that rivers had a local influence, particularly near the English coast, on the occurrence of AMR Staphylococcus. The analysis of marine environmental parameters revealed that turbidity and phosphate concentration were implicated in the occurrence of AMR Staphylococcus. Our findings underscore the crucial role of wild whiting and seawater in the dissemination of AMR Staphylococcus within the marine environment, thereby posing a risk to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Brauge
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, Laboratory for Food Safety, Bacteriology and Parasitology of Fishery and Aquaculture Products Unit, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.
| | - Erwan Bourdonnais
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, Laboratory for Food Safety, Bacteriology and Parasitology of Fishery and Aquaculture Products Unit, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Sylvain Trigueros
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, Laboratory for Food Safety, Bacteriology and Parasitology of Fishery and Aquaculture Products Unit, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Pierre Cresson
- Ifremer, Channel/North Sea Fisheries Laboratory, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Sabine Debuiche
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, Laboratory for Food Safety, Bacteriology and Parasitology of Fishery and Aquaculture Products Unit, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Sophie A Granier
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, Fougères Laboratory, Fougères, France
| | - Graziella Midelet
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, Laboratory for Food Safety, Bacteriology and Parasitology of Fishery and Aquaculture Products Unit, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
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Díaz-Formoso L, Silva V, Contente D, Feito J, Hernández PE, Borrero J, Igrejas G, del Campo R, Muñoz-Atienza E, Poeta P, Cintas LM. Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Virulence Factors, and Biofilm Formation in Coagulase-Negative Staphylococcus spp. Isolates from European Hakes ( Merluccius merluccius, L.) Caught in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Pathogens 2023; 12:1447. [PMID: 38133330 PMCID: PMC10745931 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121447] [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: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The indiscriminate use of antibiotics has contributed to the dissemination of multiresistant bacteria, which represents a public health concern. The aim of this work was to characterize 27 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolated from eight wild Northeast Atlantic hakes (Merluccius merluccius, L.) and taxonomically identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 16), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (n = 4), Staphylococcus hominis (n = 3), Staphylococcus pasteuri (n = 2), Staphylococcus edaphicus (n = 1), and Staphylococcus capitis (n = 1). Biofilm formation was evaluated with a microtiter assay, antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method, and antibiotic resistance and virulence determinants were detected by PCR. Our results showed that all staphylococci produced biofilms and that 92.6% of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, mainly penicillin (88.8%), fusidic acid (40.7%), and erythromycin (37%). The penicillin resistance gene (blaZ) was detected in 66.6% (18) of the isolates, of which 10 also carried resistance genes to macrolides and lincosamides (mphC, msr(A/B), lnuA, or vgaA), 4 to fusidic acid (fusB), and 3 to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (dfrA). At least one virulence gene (scn, hla, SCCmecIII, and/or SCCmecV) was detected in 48% of the isolates. This study suggests that wild European hake destined for human consumption could act as a vector of CoNS carrying antibiotic resistance genes and/or virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Díaz-Formoso
- Grupo de Seguridad y Calidad de los Alimentos por Bacterias Lácticas, Bacteriocinas y Probióticos (Grupo SEGABALBP), Sección Departamental de Nutrición y Ciencia de los Alimentos (Nutrición, Bromatología, Higiene y Seguridad Alimentaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.D.-F.); (D.C.); (P.E.H.); (J.B.); (L.M.C.)
| | - Vanessa Silva
- Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance Team (MicroART), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (V.S.); (P.P.)
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal;
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics Unit, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Diogo Contente
- Grupo de Seguridad y Calidad de los Alimentos por Bacterias Lácticas, Bacteriocinas y Probióticos (Grupo SEGABALBP), Sección Departamental de Nutrición y Ciencia de los Alimentos (Nutrición, Bromatología, Higiene y Seguridad Alimentaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.D.-F.); (D.C.); (P.E.H.); (J.B.); (L.M.C.)
| | - Javier Feito
- Grupo de Seguridad y Calidad de los Alimentos por Bacterias Lácticas, Bacteriocinas y Probióticos (Grupo SEGABALBP), Sección Departamental de Nutrición y Ciencia de los Alimentos (Nutrición, Bromatología, Higiene y Seguridad Alimentaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.D.-F.); (D.C.); (P.E.H.); (J.B.); (L.M.C.)
| | - Pablo E. Hernández
- Grupo de Seguridad y Calidad de los Alimentos por Bacterias Lácticas, Bacteriocinas y Probióticos (Grupo SEGABALBP), Sección Departamental de Nutrición y Ciencia de los Alimentos (Nutrición, Bromatología, Higiene y Seguridad Alimentaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.D.-F.); (D.C.); (P.E.H.); (J.B.); (L.M.C.)
| | - Juan Borrero
- Grupo de Seguridad y Calidad de los Alimentos por Bacterias Lácticas, Bacteriocinas y Probióticos (Grupo SEGABALBP), Sección Departamental de Nutrición y Ciencia de los Alimentos (Nutrición, Bromatología, Higiene y Seguridad Alimentaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.D.-F.); (D.C.); (P.E.H.); (J.B.); (L.M.C.)
| | - Gilberto Igrejas
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal;
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics Unit, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rosa del Campo
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Estefanía Muñoz-Atienza
- Grupo de Seguridad y Calidad de los Alimentos por Bacterias Lácticas, Bacteriocinas y Probióticos (Grupo SEGABALBP), Sección Departamental de Nutrición y Ciencia de los Alimentos (Nutrición, Bromatología, Higiene y Seguridad Alimentaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.D.-F.); (D.C.); (P.E.H.); (J.B.); (L.M.C.)
| | - Patrícia Poeta
- Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance Team (MicroART), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (V.S.); (P.P.)
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- CECAV—Veterinary and Animal Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Science (AL4AnimalS), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Luis M. Cintas
- Grupo de Seguridad y Calidad de los Alimentos por Bacterias Lácticas, Bacteriocinas y Probióticos (Grupo SEGABALBP), Sección Departamental de Nutrición y Ciencia de los Alimentos (Nutrición, Bromatología, Higiene y Seguridad Alimentaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (L.D.-F.); (D.C.); (P.E.H.); (J.B.); (L.M.C.)
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