Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Welikade: guideline for phylogenetic analysis of serovars rarely involved in foodborne outbreaks

Tell me if you prefer bovine or poultry sectors and I'll tell you who you are: Characterization of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Mbandaka in France

Introduction

In north-western France, Salmonella enterica susp. enterica serovar Mbandaka (S. Mbandaka) is most frequently isolated from bovine and dairy samples. While this serovar most often results in asymptomatic carriage, for a number of years it has caused episodes of abortions, which have serious economic consequences for the sector. Interestingly, this serovar is also isolated from Gallus gallus in the same geographic zone. Despite its prevalence in bovines in north-western France, S. Mbandaka has not been broadly studied at the genomic level, and its prevalence and host adaptation are still not fully understood.

Methods

In this study, we analyzed the genomic diversity of 304 strains of S. Mbandaka isolated from the bovine and poultry sectors in this area over a period of 5 years. A phylogenetic analysis was carried out and two approaches were followed to identify conserved genes and mutations related to host associations. The first approach targeted the genes compiled in the MEGARESv2, Resfinder, VFDB and SPI databases. Plasmid and phage contents were also investigated. The second approach refers to an in-house algorithm developed for this study that computes sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of accessory genes and core variants according to predefined genomes groups.

Results and discussion

All the analyzed strains belong to the multi-locus sequence type profile ST413, and the phylogenomic analysis revealed main clustering by host (bovine and poultry), emphasizing the circulation of 12 different major clones, of which seven circulate in poultry and five in the bovine sector in France and a likely food production chain adaptation of these clones. All strains present resistance determinants including heavy metals and biocides that could explain the ability of this serovar to survive and persist in the environment, within herds, and in food processing plants. To explore the wild animal contribution to the spread of this serovar in north-western France, we retrieved S. Mbandaka genomes isolated from wild birds from EnteroBase and included them in the phylogenomic analysis together with our collection. Lastly, screening of accessory genes and major variants allowed us to identify conserved specific mutations characteristic of each major cluster. These mutations could be used to design useful probes for food safety surveillance.

Polyphyly in widespread Salmonella enterica serovars and using genomic proximity to choose the best reference genome for bioinformatics analyses

Salmonella is the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the world. Over the past 5 years, whole-genome analysis has led to the high-resolution characterization of clinical and foodborne Salmonella responsible for typhoid fever, foodborne illness or contamination of the agro-food chain. Whole-genome analyses are simplified by the availability of high-quality, complete genomes for mapping analysis and for calculating the pairwise distance between genomes, but unfortunately some difficulties may still remain. For some serovars, the complete genome is not available, or some serovars are polyphyletic and knowing the serovar alone is not sufficient for choosing the most appropriate reference genome. For these serovars, it is essential to identify the genetically closest complete genome to be able to carry out precise genome analyses. In this study, we explored the genomic proximity of 650 genomes of the 58 Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars most frequently isolated in humans and from the food chain in the United States (US) and in Europe (EU), with a special focus on France. For each serovar, to take into account their genomic diversity, we included all the multilocus sequence type (MLST) profiles represented in EnteroBase with 10 or more genomes (on 19 July 2021). A phylogenetic analysis using both core- and pan-genome approaches was carried out to identify the genomic proximity of all the Salmonella studied and 20 polyphyletic serovars that have not yet been described in the literature. This study determined the genetic proximity between all 58 serovars studied and revealed polyphyletic serovars, their genomic lineages and MLST profiles. Finally, we enhanced the open-access databases with 73 new genomes and produced a list of high-quality complete reference genomes for 48 S. enterica subsp. enterica serovars among the most isolated in the US, EU, and France.

Genomic characterization of invasive typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella in southwestern Nigeria

Background

Salmonellosis causes significant morbidity and mortality in Africa. Information on lineages of invasive Salmonella circulating in Nigeria is sparse.

Methods

Salmonella enterica isolated from blood (n = 60) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, n = 3) between 2016 and 2020 from five tertiary hospitals in southwest Nigeria were antimicrobial susceptibility-tested and Illumina-sequenced. Genomes were analysed using publicly-available bioinformatic tools.

Results

Isolates and sequence types (STs) from blood were S. Typhi [ST1, n = 1 and ST2, n = 43] and invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) (S. Enteritidis [ST11, n = 7], S. Durham [ST10, n = 2], S. Rissen [ST8756, n = 2], S. Chester [ST2063, n = 1], S. Dublin [ST10, n = 1], S. Infantis [ST603, n = 1], S. Telelkebir [ST8757, n = 1] and S. Typhimurium [ST313, n = 1]). S. Typhi ST2 (n = 2) and S. Adabraka ST8757 (n = 1) were recovered from CSF. Most S. Typhi belonged to genotype 3.1.1 (n = 44), carried an IncY plasmid, had several antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) including bla_TEM-1 (n = 38), aph(6)-Id (n = 32), tet(A) (n = 33), sul2 (n = 32), dfrA14 (n = 30) as well as quinolone resistance-conferring gyrA_S83Y single-nucleotide polymorphisms (n = 37). All S. Enteritidis harboured aph(3”)-Ib, bla_TEM-1, catA1, dfrA7, sul1, sul2, tet(B) genes, and a single ARG, qnrB19, was detected in S. Telelkebir. Typhoidal toxins cdtB, pltA and pltB were detected in S. Typhi, Rissen, Chester, and Telelkebir.

Conclusion

Most invasive salmonelloses in southwest Nigeria are vaccine-preventable infections due to multidrug-resistant, West African dominant S. Typhi lineage 3.1.1. Invasive NTS serovars, including some harbouring typhoidal toxin or resistance genes, represented a third of the isolates emphasizing the need for better diagnosis and surveillance.

Whole genome sequencing of 63 invasive Salmonella from 5 tertiary hospitals in Nigeria revealed multiple serovars including a dominant antibiotic-resistance-gene harbouring S. Typhi 3.1.1 genotype comprising a gyrA_S83Y and IncY plasmid. We also report invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella harbouring typhoidal toxins.