scholarly journals Compensatory evolution facilitates the acquisition of multiple plasmids in bacteria

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Santos-Lopez ◽  
Cristina Bernabe-Balas ◽  
Alvaro San Millan ◽  
Rafael Ortega-Huedo ◽  
Andreas Hoefer ◽  
...  

AbstractThe coexistence of multicopy plasmids is a common phenomenon. However, the evolutionary forces promoting these genotypes are poorly understood. In this study, we have analyzed multiple ColE1 plasmids (pB1000, pB1005 and pB1006) coexisting within Haemophilus influenzae RdKW20 in all possible combinations. When transformed into the naïve host, each plasmid type presented a particular copy number and produced a specific resistance profile and biological cost, whether alone or coexisting with the other plasmids. Therefore, there was no fitness advantage associated with plasmid coexistence that could explain these common plasmid associations in nature. Using experimental evolution, we showed how H. influenzae Rd was able to completely compensate the fitness cost produced by any of these plasmids. Crucially, once the bacterium has compensated for a first plasmid, the acquisition of new multicopy plasmid(s) did not produced any extra biological cost. We argue therefore that compensatory adaptation pave the way for the acquisition of multiple coexisting ColE1 plasmids.ImportanceAntibiotic resistance is a major concern for human and animal health. Plasmids play a major role in the acquisition and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes. In this report we investigate, for the first time, how plasmids are capable to cohabit stably in populations. This coexistence of plasmids is driven by compensatory evolution alleviating the cost of a first plasmid, which potentiates the acquisition of further plasmids at no extra cost. This phenomenon explains the high prevalence of plasmids coexistance in wild type bacteria, which generates multiresistant clones and contributes to the maintenance and spread of antibiotic resistance genes within bacterial populations.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmin Neves Vieira Sabino ◽  
Mateus Ferreira Santana ◽  
Linda Boniface Oyama ◽  
Fernanda Godoy Santos ◽  
Ana Júlia Silva Moreira ◽  
...  

AbstractInfections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria represent a therapeutic challenge both in clinical settings and in livestock production, but the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes among the species of bacteria that colonize the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants is not well characterized. Here, we investigate the resistome of 435 ruminal microbial genomes in silico and confirm representative phenotypes in vitro. We find a high abundance of genes encoding tetracycline resistance and evidence that the tet(W) gene is under positive selective pressure. Our findings reveal that tet(W) is located in a novel integrative and conjugative element in several ruminal bacterial genomes. Analyses of rumen microbial metatranscriptomes confirm the expression of the most abundant antibiotic resistance genes. Our data provide insight into antibiotic resistange gene profiles of the main species of ruminal bacteria and reveal the potential role of mobile genetic elements in shaping the resistome of the rumen microbiome, with implications for human and animal health.


Author(s):  
Méril Massot ◽  
Pierre Châtre ◽  
Bénédicte Condamine ◽  
Véronique Métayer ◽  
Olivier Clermont ◽  
...  

Intestinal carriage of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli is a frequent, increasing and worrying phenomenon, but little is known about the molecular scenario and the evolutionary forces at play. We screened 45 veal calves, known to have high prevalence of carriage, for ESBL-producing E. coli on 514 rectal swabs (one randomly selected colony per sample) collected over six months. We characterized the bacterial clones and plasmids carrying bla ESBL genes with a combination of genotyping methods, whole genome sequencing and conjugation assays. One hundred and seventy-three ESBL-producing E. coli isolates [ bla CTX-M-1 (64.7%), bla CTX-M -14 (33.5%) or bla CTX-M-15 (1.8%)] were detected, belonging to 32 bacterial clones, mostly of phylogroup A. Calves were colonized successively by different clones with a trend in decreasing carriage. The persistence of a clone in a farm was significantly associated with the number of calves colonized. Despite a high diversity of E. coli clones and bla CTX-M -carrying plasmids, few bla CTX-M gene/plasmid/chromosomal background combinations dominated, due to (i) efficient colonization of bacterial clones and/or (ii) successful plasmid spread in various bacterial clones. The scenario ‘clone vs. plasmid spread’ depended on the farm. Thus, epistatic interactions between resistance genes, plasmids and bacterial clones contribute to optimize fitness in specific environments. Importance The gut microbiota is the epicenter of the emergence of resistance. Considerable amount of knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of resistance has been accumulated but the ecological and evolutionary forces at play in nature are less studied. In this context, we performed a field work on temporal intestinal carriage of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli in veal farms. Veal calves are animals with one of the highest levels of ESBL producing E. coli fecal carriage, due to early high antibiotic exposure. We were able to show that calves were colonized successively by different ESBL-producing E. coli clones, and that two main scenarios were at play in the spread of bla CTX-M genes among calves: efficient colonization of several calves by a few bacterial clones and successful plasmid spread in various bacterial clones. Such knowledge should help develop new strategies to fight the emergence of antibiotic-resistance.


PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e2928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Rose ◽  
Alexander G. Shaw ◽  
Kathleen Sim ◽  
David J. Wooldridge ◽  
Ming-Shi Li ◽  
...  

Background Few studies have investigated the gut microbiome of infants, fewer still preterm infants. In this study we sought to quantify and interrogate the resistome within a cohort of premature infants using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We describe the gut microbiomes from preterm but healthy infants, characterising the taxonomic diversity identified and frequency of antibiotic resistance genes detected. Results Dominant clinically important species identified within the microbiomes included C. perfringens, K. pneumoniae and members of the Staphylococci and Enterobacter genera. Screening at the gene level we identified an average of 13 antimicrobial resistance genes per preterm infant, ranging across eight different antibiotic classes, including aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones. Some antibiotic resistance genes were associated with clinically relevant bacteria, including the identification of mecA and high levels of Staphylococci within some infants. We were able to demonstrate that in a third of the infants the S. aureus identified was unrelated using MLST or metagenome assembly, but low abundance prevented such analysis within the remaining samples. Conclusions We found that the healthy preterm infant gut microbiomes in this study harboured a significant diversity of antibiotic resistance genes. This broad picture of resistances and the wider taxonomic diversity identified raises further caution to the use of antibiotics without consideration of the resident microbial communities.


2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 193-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Momtaz ◽  
E. Rahimi ◽  
S. Moshkelani

This study was carried out to detect the distribution of antibiotic-resistant genes in Escherichia coli isolates from slaughtered commercial chickens in Iran by PCR. The investigated genes included aadA1, tet(A), tet(B), dfrA1, qnrA, aac(3)-IV, sul1, bla<sub>SHV</sub>, bla<sub>CMY</sub>, ere(A), catA1 and cmlA. According to biochemical experiments, 57 isolates from 360 chicken meat samples were recognized as E. coli. The distribution of antibiotic-resistance genes in the E. coli isolates included tet(A) and tet(B) (52.63%), dfrA1, qnrA, catA1 and cmlA (36.84%) and sul1 and ere(A) (47.36%), respectively. Nine strains (15.78%) were resistant to a single antimicrobial agent and 11 strains (19.29%) showed resistance to two antimicrobial agents. Multi-resistance which was defined as resistance to three or more tested agents was found in 64.91% of E. coli strains. The results indicate that all isolates harbour one or more of antibiotic resistance genes and that the PCR technique is a fast, practical and appropriate method for determining the presence of antibiotic-resistance genes. &nbsp;


mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Zwanzig ◽  
Ellie Harrison ◽  
Michael A. Brockhurst ◽  
James P. J. Hall ◽  
Thomas U. Berendonk ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe global dissemination of plasmids encoding antibiotic resistance represents an urgent issue for human health and society. While the fitness costs for host cells associated with plasmid acquisition are expected to limit plasmid dissemination in the absence of positive selection of plasmid traits, compensatory evolution can reduce this burden. Experimental data suggest that compensatory mutations can be located on either the chromosome or the plasmid, and these are likely to have contrasting effects on plasmid dynamics. Whereas chromosomal mutations are inherited vertically through bacterial fission, plasmid mutations can be inherited both vertically and horizontally and potentially reduce the initial cost of the plasmid in new host cells. Here we show using mathematical models and simulations that the dynamics of plasmids depends critically on the genomic location of the compensatory mutation. We demonstrate that plasmid-located compensatory evolution is better at enhancing plasmid persistence, even when its effects are smaller than those provided by chromosomal compensation. Moreover, either type of compensatory evolution facilitates the survival of resistance plasmids at low drug concentrations. These insights contribute to an improved understanding of the conditions and mechanisms driving the spread and the evolution of antibiotic resistance plasmids.IMPORTANCEUnderstanding the evolutionary forces that maintain antibiotic resistance genes in a population, especially when antibiotics are not used, is an important problem for human health and society. The most common platform for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes is conjugative plasmids. Experimental studies showed that mutations located on the plasmid or the bacterial chromosome can reduce the costs plasmids impose on their hosts, resulting in antibiotic resistance plasmids being maintained even in the absence of antibiotics. While chromosomal mutations are only vertically inherited by the daughter cells, plasmid mutations are also provided to bacteria that acquire the plasmid through conjugation. Here we demonstrate how the mode of inheritance of a compensatory mutation crucially influences the ability of plasmids to spread and persist in a bacterial population.


Author(s):  
Samantha Reddy ◽  
Oliver T. Zishiri

Campylobacter spp. are common pathogenic bacteria in both veterinary and human medicine. Infections caused by Campylobacter spp. are usually treated using antibiotics. However, the injudicious use of antibiotics has been proven to spearhead the emergence of antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to detect the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in Campylobacter spp. isolated from chickens and human clinical cases in South Africa. One hundred and sixty one isolates of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli were collected from chickens and human clinical cases and then screened for the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes. We observed a wide distribution of the tetO gene, which confers resistance to tetracycline. The gyrA genes that are responsible quinolone resistance were also detected. Finally, our study also detected the presence of the blaOXA-61, which is associated with ampicillin resistance. There was a higher (p < 0.05) prevalence of the studied antimicrobial resistance genes in chicken faeces compared with human clinical isolates. The tetO gene was the most prevalent gene detected, which was isolated at 64% and 68% from human and chicken isolates, respectively. The presence of gyrA genes was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with quinolone resistance. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the presence of gyrA (235 bp), gyrA (270 bp), blaOXA-61 and tetO antimicrobial resistance genes in C. jejuni and C. coli isolated from chickens and human clinical cases. This indicates that Campylobacter spp. have the potential of resistance to a number of antibiotic classes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Delaney ◽  
Thi Thuy Do ◽  
Aoife Corrigan ◽  
Richard Murphy ◽  
Fiona Walsh

Antibiotic resistance is regarded as one of the most serious threats to human health worldwide. The rapid increase in resistance rates has been attributed to the extensive use of antibiotics since they became commercially available. The use of antibiotics as growth promotors has been banned in numerous regions for this reason. Mannan-rich fraction (MRF) has been reported to show similar growth-promoting effects to antibiotics. We investigated the effect of MRF on the microbial community, resistome and metabolic pathways within the caecum of commercial broilers at two different timepoints within the growth of the broiler, day 27 and day 34. The data indicated an overall increase in health and economic gain for the producer with the addition of MRF to the diet of the broilers. The only significant difference across the microbial composition of the samples was in the richness of the microbial communities across all samples. While all samples harboured resistance genes conferring resistance to the same classes of antibiotics, there was significant variation in the antimicrobial resistance gene richness across time and treatment and across combinations of time and treatment. The taxa with positive correlation comprised Bacilli and Clostridia. The negative correlation taxa were also dominated by Bacilli, specifically the Streptococcus genera. The KEGG-pathway analysis identified an age-related change in the metabolism pathway abundances of the caecal microflora. We suggest that the MRF-related increases in health and weight gain in the broilers may be associated with changes in the metabolism of the microbiomes rather than the microbial composition. The resistome variations across samples were correlated with specific genera. These data may be used to further enhance the development of feed supplements to reduce the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) within poultry. While the ARGs of greatest concern to human or animal health were not detected in this study, it has identified the potential to reduce the presence of ARGs by the increase in specific genera.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenxiu Ai ◽  
Ying Zhou ◽  
Bingjie Wang ◽  
Qing Zhan ◽  
Longhua Hu ◽  
...  

Many antimicrobial resistance genes usually located on transferable plasmids are responsible for multiple antimicrobial resistance among multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria. The aim of this study is to characterize a carbapenemase-producing Enterobacter hormaechei 1575 isolate from the blood sample in a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that 1575 was an MDR isolate. The whole genome sequencing (WGS) and comparative genomics were used to deeply analyze the molecular information of the 1575 and to explore the location and structure of antibiotic resistance genes. The three key resistance genes (blaSFO–1, blaNDM–1, and mcr-9) were verified by PCR, and the amplicons were subsequently sequenced. Moreover, the conjugation assay was also performed to determine the transferability of those resistance genes. Plasmid files were determined by the S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (S1-PFGE). WGS revealed that p1575-1 plasmid was a conjugative plasmid that possessed the rare coexistence of blaSFO–1, blaNDM–1, and mcr-9 genes and complete conjugative systems. And p1575-1 belonged to the plasmid incompatibility group IncHI2 and multilocus sequence typing ST102. Meanwhile, the pMLST type of p1575-1 was IncHI2-ST1. Conjugation assay proved that the MDR p1575-1 plasmid could be transferred to other recipients. S1-PFGE confirmed the location of plasmid with molecular weight of 342,447 bp. All these three resistant genes were flanked by various mobile elements, indicating that the blaSFO–1, blaNDM–1, and mcr-9 could be transferred not only by the p1575-1 plasmid but also by these mobile elements. Taken together, we report for the first time the coexistence of blaSFO–1, blaNDM–1, and mcr-9 on a transferable plasmid in a MDR clinical isolate E. hormaechei, which indicates the possibility of horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes.


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