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At least 37 records · Page 2

Antimicrobial resistance and genomic characterization of Escherichia coli from pigs and chickens in Zhejiang, China

Escherichia coli is considered an opportunistic pathogen and an indicator for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) monitoring. Despite many reports on its AMR monitoring, studies based on genome-based analysis of AMR genes are still insufficient. Here, 181 E. coli strains were isolated from anal swab samples collected from pigs and chickens of animal farms located in Eastern China and sequenced through the Illumina platform. The results showed that 87.85% (159/181) of the E. coli isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Ampicillin (AMP)- spectinomycin (SPT)- tetracycline (TET)- florfenicol (FFC)- sulfisoxazole (SF)- trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (SXT) was the predominant AMR pattern. By whole-genome sequencing, we found that ST10 (10.49%, 19/181) and ST48 (7.18%, 13/181) were major sequence types. IncFIB and IncX1 were the most prevalent plasmid replicons. The AMR genes bla NDM-5 (1.10%, 2/181), mcr -1 (1.10%, 2/181), tet (X4) (1.10%, 2/181), and cfr (6.08%, 11/181) were also found in these isolates. In addition, among the 169 virulence genes detected, we identified ast A (37.02%, 67/181), hly A (1.66%, 3/181), hly B (1.66%, 3/181) and hly D (1.66%, 3/181), which were closely related to heat-stable enterotoxin 1 and α-hemolysin. In addition, there were 33 virulence genes associated with the iron uptake system, and 46 were adhesion-related genes. Our study highlighted the need for routine surveillance of AMR with advanced genomic approaches, providing up-to-date data on the prevalence of AMR for the development and execution of antimicrobial stewardship policy.

Zhou, Wei↗

Antimicrobial resistance of enteric pathogens in the Military Health System, 2009 – 2019

Abstract Background Acute diarrhea (AD) can have significant impacts on military troop readiness. Medical providers must understand current trends of enteropathogen antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in service members (SMs) to inform proper, timely treatment options. However, little is known of enteric pathogen profiles across the Military Health System (MHS). The primary objectives of this study were to identify gaps in enteric pathogen surveillance within the MHS, describe the epidemiology of AMR in enteric pathogens, and identify trends across the MHS both within the Continental United States (CONUS) and outside of the Continental United States (OCONUS). Methods Health Level 7 (HL7)-formatted laboratory data were queried for all specimens where Salmonella , Shigella , and Campylobacter species, as well as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) (STEC) were isolated and certified between 1 January 2009 - 31 December 2019. Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) results were queried and summarized where available. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each organism by specimen source, year, and susceptibility testing availability. Results Among a total of 13,852 enteric bacterial isolates, 11,877 (86%) were submitted from CONUS locations. Out of 1479 Shigella spp. and 6755 Salmonella spp. isolates, 1221 (83%) and 5019 (74%), respectively, reported any susceptibility results through the MHS. Overall, only 15% of STEC and 4% of Campylobacter spp. specimens had AST results available. Comparing AST reporting at CONUS versus OCONUS locations, AST was reported for 1175 (83%) and 46 (78%) of Shigella isolates at CONUS and OCONUS locations, respectively, and for 4591 (76%) and 428 (63%) of Salmonella isolates at CONUS and OCONUS locations, respectively. Conclusions This study revealed inconsistent enteropathogen AST conducted across the MHS, with differing trends between CONUS and OCONUS locations. Additional work is needed to assess pathogen-specific gaps in testing and reporting to develop optimal surveillance that supports the health of the force.

Ashbaugh, Hayley↗

Analysis of Salmonella enterica Isolated from a Mixed-Use Watershed in Georgia, USA: Antimicrobial Resistance, Serotype Diversity, and Genetic Relatedness to Human Isolates

As the cases of Salmonella enterica infections associated with contaminated water are increasing, this study was conducted to address the role of surface water as a reservoir of S. enterica serotypes. We sampled rivers and streams (n = 688) over a 3-year period (2015 to 2017) in a mixed-use watershed in Georgia, USA, and 70.2% of the total stream samples tested positive for Salmonella. A total of 1,190 isolates were recovered and characterized by serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A wide range of serotypes was identified, including those commonly associated with humans and animals, with S. enterica serotype Muenchen being predominant (22.7%) and each serotype exhibiting a high degree of strain diversity by PFGE. About half (46.1%) of the isolates had PFGE patterns indistinguishable from those of human clinical isolates in the CDC PulseNet database. A total of 52 isolates (4.4%) were resistant to antimicrobials, out of which 43 isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR; resistance to two or more classes of antimicrobials). These 52 resistant Salmonella isolates were screened for the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes, plasmid replicons, and class 1 integrons, out of which four representative MDR isolates were selected for whole-genome sequencing analysis. The results showed that 28 MDR isolates resistant to 10 antimicrobials had blacmy-2 on an A/C plasmid. Persistent contamination of surface water with a high diversity of Salmonella strains, some of which are drug resistant and genetically indistinguishable from human isolates, supports a role of environmental surface water as a reservoir for and transmission route of this pathogen.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Parabacteroides distasonis : intriguing aerotolerant gut anaerobe with emerging antimicrobial resistance and pathogenic and probiotic roles in human health

Parabacteroides distasonis is the type strain for the genus Parabacteroides, a group of gram-negative anaerobic bacteria that commonly colonize the gastrointestinal tract of numerous species. First isolated in the 1930s from a clinical specimen as Bacteroides distasonis, the strain was re-classified to form the new genus Parabacteroides in 2006. Currently, the genus consists of 15 species, 10 of which are listed as 'validly named' (P. acidifaciens, P. chartae, P. chinchillae, P. chongii, P. distasonis, P. faecis, P. goldsteinii, P. gordonii, P. johnsonii, and P. merdae) and 5 'not validly named' (P. bouchesdurhonensis, P. massiliensis, P. pacaensis, P. provencensis, and P. timonensis) by the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature. The Parabacteroides genus has been associated with reports of both beneficial and pathogenic effects in human health. Herein, we review the literature on the history, ecology, diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and genetics of this bacterium, illustrating the effects of P. distasonis on human and animal health.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Diversity of Antibiotic Resistance genes and Transfer Elements-Quantitative Monitoring (DARTE-QM): a method for detection of antimicrobial resistance in environmental samples

Effective monitoring of antibiotic resistance genes and their dissemination in environmental ecosystems has been hindered by the cost and efficiency of methods available for the task. We developed the Diversity of Antibiotic Resistance genes and Transfer Elements-Quantitative Monitoring (DARTE-QM), a method implementing TruSeq high-throughput sequencing to simultaneously sequence thousands of antibiotic resistant gene targets representing a full-spectrum of antibiotic resistance classes common to environmental systems. In this study, we demonstrated DARTE-QM by screening 662 antibiotic resistance genes within complex environmental samples originated from manure, soil, and livestock feces, in addition to a mock-community reference to assess sensitivity and specificity. DARTE-QM offers a new approach to studying antibiotic resistance in environmental microbiomes, showing advantages in efficiency and the ability to scale for many samples. This method provides a means of data acquisition that will alleviate some of the obstacles that many researchers in this area currently face.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Genomic analysis of 1710 surveillance-based Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from the USA in 2019 identifies predominant strain types and chromosomal antimicrobial-resistance determinants

This study characterized high-quality whole-genome sequences of a sentinel, surveillance-based collection of 1710 Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) isolates from 2019 collected in the USA as part of the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP). It aims to provide a detailed report of strain diversity, phylogenetic relationships and resistance determinant profiles associated with reduced susceptibilities to antibiotics of concern. The 1710 isolates represented 164 multilocus sequence types and 21 predominant phylogenetic clades. Common genomic determinants defined most strains’ phenotypic, reduced susceptibility to current and historic antibiotics (e.g. bla TEM plasmid for penicillin, tetM plasmid for tetracycline, gyrA for ciprofloxacin, 23S rRNA and/or mosaic mtr operon for azithromycin, and mosaic penA for cefixime and ceftriaxone). The most predominant phylogenetic clade accounted for 21 % of the isolates, included a majority of the isolates with low-level elevated MICs to azithromycin (2.0 µg ml –1 ), carried a mosaic mtr operon and variants in PorB, and showed expansion with respect to data previously reported from 2018. The second largest clade predominantly carried the GyrA S91F variant, was largely ciprofloxacin resistant (MIC ≥1.0 µg ml –1 ), and showed significant expansion with respect to 2018. Overall, a low proportion of isolates had medium- to high-level elevated MIC to azithromycin ((≥4.0 µg ml –1 ), based on C2611T or A2059G 23S rRNA variants). One isolate carried the penA 60.001 allele resulting in elevated MICs to cefixime and ceftriaxone of 1.0 µg ml –1 . This high-resolution snapshot of genetic profiles of 1710 GC sequences, through a comparison with 2018 data (1479 GC sequences) within the sentinel system, highlights change in proportions and expansion of select GC strains and the associated genetic mechanisms of resistance. The knowledge gained through molecular surveillance may support rapid identification of outbreaks of concern. Continued monitoring may inform public health responses to limit the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea.

(3-6) antimicrobial resistance↗

Warming is Associated With More Encoded Antimicrobial Resistance Genes and Transcriptions Within Five Drug Classes in Soil Bacteria: A Case Study and Synthesis

ABSTRACT The effect of warming on anti‐microbial resistance (AMR) genes in the environment has critical implications for public health but is little studied. We collected published soil bacterial genomes from the BV‐BRC database and tested the correlation between reported optimal growth temperature and the number of encoded AMR genes. Furthermore, we tested the relationship between temperature and AMR gene transcription in a natural ecosystem by analysing soil transcriptomes from a warming manipulation experiment in an Alaskan boreal forest. We hypothesised that there is a positive relationship between warming and AMR prevalence in gene content in bacterial genomes and transcriptomic sequences, and that this effect would vary by drug class. Regarding the bacterial genomes, we found a positive relationship between the fraction of encoded AMR genes and the reported optimal temperature of soil bacteria. The drug classes tetracycline and lincosamide/macrolide/streptogramin had the strongest positive relationship with reported optimal temperature. For the case study in a natural ecosystem, we found 61 significantly upregulated AMR gene‐associated transcripts spanning eight drug classes in warmed plots. In the Alaskan soil samples, we found that warming elicited the strongest positive effect on transcripts targeting lincosamide/streptogramin, beta‐lactam and phenicol/quinolone antibiotics. Overall, higher temperatures were linked to AMR gene prevalence.

Hacopian, Melanie T. [Department of Ecology and Ev↗

Francisella novicida Two-Component System Response Regulator BfpR Modulates iglC Gene Expression, Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance, and Biofilm Production

Response regulators are a critical part of the two-component system of gene expression regulation in bacteria, transferring a signal from a sensor kinase into DNA binding activity resulting in alteration of gene expression. In this study, we investigated a previously uncharacterized response regulator in Francisella novicida, FTN_1452 that we have named BfpR (Biofilm-regulating Francisella protein Regulator, FTN_1452). In contrast to another Francisella response regulator, QseB/PmrA, BfpR appears to be a negative regulator of biofilm production, and also a positive regulator of antimicrobial peptide resistance in this bacterium. The protein was crystallized and X-ray crystallography studies produced a 1.8 Å structure of the BfpR N-terminal receiver domain revealing interesting insight into its potential interaction with the sensor kinase. Structural analysis of BfpR places it in the OmpR/PhoP family of bacterial response regulators along with WalR and ResD. Proteomic and transcriptomic analyses suggest that BfpR overexpression affects expression of the critical Francisella virulence factor iglC, as well as other proteins in the bacterium. We demonstrate that mutation of bfpR is associated with an antimicrobial peptide resistance phenotype, a phenotype also associated with other response regulators, for the human cathelicidin peptide LL-37 and a sheep antimicrobial peptide SMAP-29. F. novicida with mutated bfpR replicated better than WT in intracellular infection assays in human-derived macrophages suggesting that the down-regulation of iglC expression in bfpR mutant may enable this intracellular replication to occur. Response regulators have been shown to play important roles in the regulation of bacterial biofilm production. We demonstrate that F. novicida biofilm formation was highly increased in the bfpR mutant, corresponding to altered glycogen synthesis. Waxworm infection experiments suggest a role of BfpR as a negative modulator of iglC expression with de-repression by Mg 2+ . In this study, we find that the response regulator BfpR may be a negative regulator of biofilm formation, and a positive regulator of antimicrobial peptide resistance in F. novicida.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Geochemistry and Multiomics Data Differentiate Streams in Pennsylvania Based on Unconventional Oil and Gas Activity

Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extraction is increasing exponentially around the world, as new technological advances have provided cost-effective methods to extract hard-to-reach hydrocarbons. While UOG has increased the energy output of some countries, past research indicates potential impacts in nearby stream ecosystems as measured by geochemical and microbial markers. Here, we utilized a robust data set that combines 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (DNA), metatranscriptomics (RNA), geochemistry, and trace element analyses to establish the impact of UOG activity in 21 sites in northern Pennsylvania. These data were also used to design predictive machine learning models to determine the UOG impact on streams. We identified multiple biomarkers of UOG activity and contributors of antimicrobial resistance within the order Burkholderiales. Furthermore, we identified expressed antimicrobial resistance genes, land coverage, geochemistry, and specific microbes as strong predictors of UOG status. Of the predictive models constructed (n = 30), 15 had accuracies higher than expected by chance and area under the curve values above 0.70. The supervised random forest models with the highest accuracy were constructed with 16S rRNA gene profiles, metatranscriptomics active microbial composition, metatranscriptomics active antimicrobial resistance genes, land coverage, and geochemistry (n = 23). The models identified the most important features within those data sets for classifying UOG status. These findings identified specific shifts in gene presence and expression, as well as geochemical measures, that can be used to build robust models to identify impacts of UOG development.

16S rRNA↗

Comparative genomic and phenotypic characterization of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella isolates from Siaya, Kenya

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a major global health concern that often causes bloodstream infections in areas of the world affected by malnutrition and comorbidities such as HIV and malaria. Developing a strategy to control the emergence and spread of highly invasive and antimicrobial resistant NTS isolates requires a comprehensive analysis of epidemiological factors and molecular pathogenesis. Here, we characterize 11 NTS isolates that caused bloodstream infections in pediatric patients in Siaya, Kenya from 2003–2010. Nine isolates were identified as S . Typhimurium sequence type 313 while the other two were S . Enteritidis. Comprehensive genotypic and phenotypic analyses were performed to compare these isolates to those previously identified in sub-Saharan Africa. We identified a S . Typhimurium isolate referred to as UGA14 that displayed novel plasmid, pseudogene and resistance features as compared to other isolates reported from Africa. Notably, UGA14 is able to ferment both lactose and sucrose due to the acquisition of insertion elements on the pKST313 plasmid. These findings show for the first time the co-evolution of plasmid-mediated lactose and sucrose metabolism along with cephalosporin resistance in NTS further elucidating the evolutionary mechanisms of invasive NTS phenotypes. These results further support the use of combined genomic and phenotypic approaches to detect and characterize atypical NTS isolates in order to advance biosurveillance efforts that inform countermeasures aimed at controlling invasive and antimicrobial resistant NTS.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The effect of enrofloxacin on enteric Escherichia coli : Fitting a mathematical model to in vivo data

Antimicrobial drugs administered systemically may cause the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance among enteric bacteria. To develop logical, research-based recommendations for food animal veterinarians, we must understand how to maximize antimicrobial drug efficacy while minimizing risk of antimicrobial resistance. Our objective is to evaluate the effect of two approved dosing regimens of enrofloxacin (a single high dose or three low doses) on Escherichia coli in cattle. We look specifically at bacteria above and below the epidemiological cutoff (ECOFF), above which the bacteria are likely to have an acquired or mutational resistance to enrofloxacin. We developed a differential equation model for the antimicrobial drug concentrations in plasma and colon, and bacteria populations in the feces. The model was fit to animal data of drug concentrations in the plasma and colon obtained using ultrafiltration probes. Fecal E. coli counts and minimum inhibitory concentrations were measured for the week after receiving the antimicrobial drug. We predict that the antimicrobial susceptibility of the bacteria above the ECOFF pre-treatment strongly affects the composition of the bacteria following treatment. Faster removal of the antimicrobial drugs from the colon throughout the study leads to improved clearance of bacteria above the ECOFF in the low dose regimen. If we assume a fitness cost is associated with bacteria above the ECOFF, the increased fitness costs leads to reduction of bacteria above the ECOFF in the low dose study. These results suggest the initial E. coli susceptibility is a strong indicator of how steers respond to antimicrobial drug treatment.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗