Genome Sequences of Two Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates from Different Geographical Regions, Argentina (Strain JHCK1) and the United States (Strain VA360)

LipidA-IDER to Explore the Global Lipid A Repertoire of Drug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria

With the global emergence of drug-resistant bacteria causing difficult-to-treat infections, there is an urgent need for a tool to facilitate studies on key virulence and antimicrobial resistant factors. Mass spectrometry (MS) has contributed substantially to the elucidation of the structure-function relationships of lipid A, the endotoxic component of lipopolysaccharide which also serves as an important protective barrier against antimicrobials. Here, we present LipidA-IDER, an automated structure annotation tool for system-level scale identification of lipid A from high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (MS²) data. LipidA-IDER was validated against previously reported structures of lipid A in the reference bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using MS² data of variable quality, we demonstrated LipidA-IDER annotated lipid A with a performance of 71.2% specificity and 70.9% sensitivity, offering greater accuracy than existing lipidomics software. The organism-independent workflow was further applied to a panel of six bacterial species: E. coli and Gram-negative members of ESKAPE pathogens. A comprehensive atlas comprising 188 distinct lipid A species, including remodeling intermediates, was generated and can be integrated with software including MS-DIAL and Metabokit for identification and semiquantitation. Systematic comparison of a pair of polymyxin-sensitive and polymyxin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from a human patient unraveled multiple key lipid A structural features of polymyxin resistance within a single analysis. Probing the lipid A landscape of bacteria using LipidA-IDER thus holds immense potential for advancing our understanding of the vast diversity and structural complexity of a key lipid virulence and antimicrobial-resistant factor. LipidA-IDER is freely available at https://github.com/Systems-Biology-Of-Lipid-Metabolism-Lab/LipidA-IDER.

Amikacin potentiator activity of zinc complexed to a pyrithione derivative with enhanced solubility

Resistance to amikacin in Gram-negatives is usually mediated by the 6'-N-acetyltransferase type Ib [AAC(6')-Ib], which catalyzes the transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl CoA to the 6' position of the antibiotic molecule. A path to continue the effective use of amikacin against resistant infections is to combine it with inhibitors of the inactivating reaction. We have recently observed that addition of Zn²⁺ to in-vitro enzymatic reactions, obliterates acetylation of the acceptor antibiotic. Furthermore, when added to amikacin-containing culture medium in complex to ionophores such as pyrithione (ZnPT), it prevents the growth of resistant strains. An undesired property of ZnPT is its poor water-solubility, a problem that currently affects a large percentage of newly designed drugs. Water-solubility helps drugs to dissolve in body fluids and be transported to the target location. We tested a pyrithione derivative described previously (Magda et al. Cancer Res 68:5318–5325, 2008) that contains the amphoteric group di(ethyleneglycol)-methyl ether at position 5 (compound 5002), a modification that enhances the solubility. Compound 5002 in complex with zinc (Zn5002) was tested to assess growth inhibition of amikacin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in the presence of the antibiotic. Zn5002 complexes in combination with amikacin at different concentrations completely inhibited growth of the tested strains. However, the concentrations needed to achieve growth inhibition were higher than those required to achieve the same results using ZnPT. Time-kill assays showed that the effect of the combination amikacin/Zn5002 was bactericidal. These results indicate that derivatives of pyrithione with enhanced water-solubility, a property that would make them drugs with better bioavailability and absorption, are a viable option for designing inhibitors of the resistance to amikacin mediated by AAC(6')-Ib, an enzyme commonly found in the clinics.

Small Klebsiella pneumoniae Plasmids: Neglected Contributors to Antibiotic Resistance

Klebsiella pneumoniae is the causative agent of community- and, more commonly, hospital-acquired infections. Infections caused by this bacterium have recently become more dangerous due to the acquisition of multiresistance to antibiotics and the rise of hypervirulent variants. Plasmids usually carry genes coding for resistance to antibiotics or virulence factors, and the recent sequence of complete K. pneumoniae genomes showed that most strains harbor many of them. Unlike large plasmids, small, usually high copy number plasmids, did not attract much attention. However, these plasmids may include genes coding for specialized functions, such as antibiotic resistance, that can be expressed at high levels due to gene dosage effect. These genes may be part of mobile elements that not only facilitate their dissemination but also participate in plasmid evolution. Furthermore, high copy number plasmids may also play a role in evolution by allowing coexistence of mutated and non-mutated versions of a gene, which helps to circumvent the constraints imposed by trade-offs after certain genes mutate. Most K. pneumoniae plasmids 25-kb or smaller replicate by the ColE1-type mechanism and many of them are mobilizable. The transposon Tn1331 and derivatives were found in a high percentage of these plasmids. Another transposon that was found in representatives of this group is the bla KPC-containing Tn4401. Common resistance determinants found in these plasmids were aac(6')-Ib and genes coding for β-lactamases including carbapenemases.

Interspecies DNA acquisition by a naturally competent Acinetobacter baumannii strain

The human pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii possesses high genetic plasticity and frequently acquires antimicrobial resistance genes. Here we investigated the role of natural transformation in these processes. Genomic DNA from different sources, including from carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, was mixed with A. baumannii A118 cells. Selected transformants were analysed by whole-genome sequencing. In addition, bioinformatics analyses and in silico gene flow prediction were also performed to support the experimental results. Transformant strains included some that became resistant to carbapenems or changed their antimicrobial susceptibility profile. Foreign DNA acquisition was confirmed by whole-genome analysis. The acquired DNA most frequently identified corresponded to mobile genetic elements, antimicrobial resistance genes and operons involved in metabolism. Bioinformatics analyses and in silico gene flow prediction showed continued exchange of genetic material between A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae when they share the same habitat. Natural transformation plays an important role in the plasticity of A. baumannii and concomitantly in the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains.

Whole-Genome Comparative Analysis of Two Carbapenem-Resistant ST-258 Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Isolated during a North-Eastern Ohio Outbreak: Differences within the High Heterogeneity Zones

Klebsiella pneumoniae has become one of the most dangerous causative agents of hospital infections due to the acquisition of resistance to carbapenems, one of the last resort families of antibiotics. Resistance is usually mediated by carbapenemases coded for by different classes of genes. A prolonged outbreak of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infections has been recently described in northeastern Ohio. Most strains isolated from patients during this outbreak belong to MLST sequence type 258 (ST258). To understand more about this outbreak two isolates (strains 140 and 677), one of them responsible for a fatal infection, were selected for genome comparison analyses. Whole genome map and sequence comparisons demonstrated that both strains are highly related showing 99% average nucleotide identity. However, the genomes differ at the so-called high heterogeneity zone (HHZ) and other minor regions. This study identifies the potential value of the HHZ as a potential marker for K. pneumoniae clinical and epidemiological studies.

Inhibition of aminoglycoside 6'-N-acetyltransferase type Ib-mediated amikacin resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae by zinc and copper pyrithione

The in vitro activity of the aminoglycoside 6'-N-acetyltransferase type Ib [AAC(6')-Ib] was inhibited by CuCl2 with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 2.8 μM. The growth of an amikacin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain isolated from a neonate with meningitis was inhibited when amikacin was supplemented by the addition of Zn(2+) or Cu(2+) in complex with the ionophore pyrithione. Coordination complexes between cations and ionophores could be developed for their use, in combination with aminoglycosides, to treat resistant infections.

Survey of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and their associated Cas proteins (CRISPR/Cas) systems in multiple sequenced strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Background

In recent years the emergence of multidrug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains has been an increasingly common event. This opportunistic species is one of the five main bacterial pathogens that cause hospital infections worldwide and multidrug resistance has been associated with the presence of high molecular weight plasmids. Plasmids are generally acquired through horizontal transfer and therefore is possible that systems that prevent the entry of foreign genetic material are inactive or absent. One of these systems is CRISPR/Cas. However, little is known regarding the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and their associated Cas proteins (CRISPR/Cas) system in K. pneumoniae. The adaptive immune system CRISPR/Cas has been shown to limit the entry of foreign genetic elements into bacterial organisms and in some bacteria it has been shown to be involved in regulation of virulence genes. Thus in this work we used bioinformatics tools to determine the presence or absence of CRISPR/Cas systems in available K. pneumoniae genomes.

Results

The complete CRISPR/Cas system was identified in two out of the eight complete K. pneumoniae genomes sequences and in four out of the 44 available draft genomes sequences. The cas genes in these strains comprises eight cas genes similar to those found in Escherichiacoli, suggesting they belong to the type I-E group, although their arrangement is slightly different. As for the CRISPR sequences, the average lengths of the direct repeats and spacers were 29 and 33 bp, respectively. BLAST searches demonstrated that 38 of the 116 spacer sequences (33%) are significantly similar to either plasmid, phage or genome sequences, while the remaining 78 sequences (67%) showed no significant similarity to other sequences. The region where the CRISPR/Cas systems were located is the same in all the Klebsiella genomes containing it, it has a syntenic architecture, and is located among genes encoding for proteins likely involved in metabolism and resistance to antibiotics.

Conclusions

The CRISPR/Cas system is not widely distributed in K. pneumoniae genomes, those present most likely belong to type I-E with few differences from the arrangement of the cse3 gene and most of the spacers have not been are not described yet. Given that the CRISPR/Cas system is scarcely distributed among K. pneumoniae genomes it is not clear whether it is involved in either immunity against foreign genetic material or virulence. We consider that this study represents a first step to understand the role of CRISPR/Cas in K. pneumoniae.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1285-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Extensive Capsule Locus Variation and Large-Scale Genomic Recombination within the Klebsiella pneumoniae Clonal Group 258

Klebsiella pneumoniae clonal group (CG) 258, comprising sequence types (STs) 258, 11, and closely related variants, is associated with dissemination of the K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC). Hospital outbreaks of KPC CG258 infections have been observed globally and are very difficult to treat. As a consequence, there is renewed interest in alternative infection control measures such as vaccines and phage or depolymerase treatments targeting the K. pneumoniae polysaccharide capsule. To date, 78 immunologically distinct capsule variants have been described in K. pneumoniae. Previous investigations of ST258 and a small number of closely related strains suggested that capsular variation was limited within this clone; only two distinct ST258 capsule polysaccharide synthesis (cps) loci have been identified, both acquired through large-scale recombination events (>50 kb). In contrast to previous studies, we report a comparative genomic analysis of the broader K. pneumoniae CG258 (n = 39). We identified 11 different cps loci within CG258, indicating that capsular switching is actually common within the complex. We observed several insertion sequences (IS) within the cps loci, and show further intraclone diversification of two cps loci through IS activity. Our data also indicate that several large-scale recombination events have shaped the genomes of CG258, and that definition of the complex should be broadened to include ST395 (also reported to harbor KPC). As only the second report of extensive intraclonal cps variation among Gram-negative bacterial species, our findings alter our understanding of the evolution of these organisms and have key implications for the design of control measures targeting K. pneumoniae capsules.