2
|
Androsiuk L, Shay T, Tal S. Characterization of the Environmental Plasmidome of the Red Sea. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0040023. [PMID: 37395658 PMCID: PMC10434023 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00400-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmids contribute to microbial diversity and adaptation, providing microorganisms with the ability to thrive in a wide range of conditions in extreme environments. However, while the number of marine microbiome studies is constantly increasing, very little is known about marine plasmids, and they are very poorly represented in public databases. To extend the repertoire of environmental marine plasmids, we established a pipeline for the de novo assembly of plasmids in the marine environment by analyzing available microbiome metagenomic sequencing data. By applying the pipeline to data from the Red Sea, we identified 362 plasmid candidates. We showed that the distribution of plasmids corresponds to environmental conditions, particularly, depth, temperature, and physical location. At least 7 of the 362 candidates are most probably real plasmids, based on a functional analysis of their open reading frames (ORFs). Only one of the seven has been described previously. Three plasmids were identified in other public marine metagenomic data from different locations all over the world; these plasmids contained different cassettes of functional genes at each location. Analysis of antibiotic and metal resistance genes revealed that the same positions that were enriched with genes encoding resistance to antibiotics were also enriched with resistance to metals, suggesting that plasmids contribute site-dependent phenotypic modules to their ecological niches. Finally, half of the ORFs (50.8%) could not be assigned to a function, emphasizing the untapped potential of the unique marine plasmids to provide proteins with multiple novel functions. IMPORTANCE Marine plasmids are understudied and hence underrepresented in databases. Plasmid functional annotation and characterization is complicated but, if successful, may provide a pool of novel genes and unknown functions. Newly discovered plasmids and their functional repertoire are potentially valuable tools for predicting the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance, providing vectors for molecular cloning and an understanding of plasmid-bacterial interactions in various environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Androsiuk
- Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research Ltd., National Center for Mariculture, Eilat, Israel
- Marine Biology and Biotechnology Program, Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Tal Shay
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Shay Tal
- Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research Ltd., National Center for Mariculture, Eilat, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Mason LCE, Greig DR, Cowley LA, Partridge SR, Martinez E, Blackwell GA, Chong CE, De Silva PM, Bengtsson RJ, Draper JL, Ginn AN, Sandaradura I, Sim EM, Iredell JR, Sintchenko V, Ingle DJ, Howden BP, Lefèvre S, Njampeko E, Weill FX, Ceyssens PJ, Jenkins C, Baker KS. The evolution and international spread of extensively drug resistant Shigella sonnei. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1983. [PMID: 37031199 PMCID: PMC10082799 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37672-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Shigella sonnei causes shigellosis, a severe gastrointestinal illness that is sexually transmissible among men who have sex with men (MSM). Multidrug resistance in S. sonnei is common including against World Health Organisation recommended treatment options, azithromycin, and ciprofloxacin. Recently, an MSM-associated outbreak of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing, extensively drug resistant S. sonnei was reported in the United Kingdom. Here, we aimed to identify the genetic basis, evolutionary history, and international dissemination of the outbreak strain. Our genomic epidemiological analyses of 3,304 isolates from the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, France, and the United States of America revealed an internationally connected outbreak with a most recent common ancestor in 2018 carrying a low-fitness cost resistance plasmid, previously observed in travel associated sublineages of S. flexneri. Our results highlight the persistent threat of horizontally transmitted antimicrobial resistance and the value of continuing to work towards early and open international sharing of genomic surveillance data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lewis C E Mason
- NIHR HPRU in Gastrointestinal Infections at University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology; Institute for Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, UK
| | - David R Greig
- Gastro and Food Safety (One Health) Division, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
| | | | - Sally R Partridge
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Elena Martinez
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Dee Why, NSW, Australia
| | - Grace A Blackwell
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Dee Why, NSW, Australia
| | - Charlotte E Chong
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology; Institute for Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, UK
| | - P Malaka De Silva
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology; Institute for Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, UK
| | - Rebecca J Bengtsson
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology; Institute for Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jenny L Draper
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Dee Why, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew N Ginn
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Dee Why, NSW, Australia
- Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Indy Sandaradura
- Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Dee Why, NSW, Australia
| | - Eby M Sim
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jonathan R Iredell
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Vitali Sintchenko
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- New South Wales Health Pathology, Dee Why, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology - Public Health, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Danielle J Ingle
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Howden
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sophie Lefèvre
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité des Bactéries pathogènes entériques, Centre National de Référence des Escherichia coli, Shigella et Salmonella, Paris, F-75015, France
| | - Elisabeth Njampeko
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité des Bactéries pathogènes entériques, Centre National de Référence des Escherichia coli, Shigella et Salmonella, Paris, F-75015, France
| | - François-Xavier Weill
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Unité des Bactéries pathogènes entériques, Centre National de Référence des Escherichia coli, Shigella et Salmonella, Paris, F-75015, France
| | | | - Claire Jenkins
- Gastro and Food Safety (One Health) Division, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
| | - Kate S Baker
- NIHR HPRU in Gastrointestinal Infections at University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology; Institute for Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Malaka De Silva P, Stenhouse GE, Blackwell GA, Bengtsson RJ, Jenkins C, Hall JPJ, Baker KS. A tale of two plasmids: contributions of plasmid associated phenotypes to epidemiological success among Shigella. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220581. [PMID: 35919999 PMCID: PMC9346365 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mediated through plasmids is a major global concern. Genomic epidemiology studies have shown varying success of different AMR plasmids during outbreaks, but the underlying reasons for these differences are unclear. Here, we investigated two Shigella plasmids (pKSR100 and pAPR100) that circulated in the same transmission network but had starkly contrasting epidemiological outcomes to identify plasmid features that may have contributed to the differences. We used plasmid comparative genomics to reveal divergence between the two plasmids in genes encoding AMR, SOS response alleviation and conjugation. Experimental analyses revealed that these genomic differences corresponded with reduced conjugation efficiencies for the epidemiologically successful pKSR100, but more extensive AMR, reduced fitness costs, and a reduced SOS response in the presence of antimicrobials, compared with the less successful pAPR100. The discrepant phenotypes between the two plasmids are consistent with the hypothesis that plasmid-associated phenotypes contribute to determining the epidemiological outcome of AMR HGT and suggest that phenotypes relevant in responding to antimicrobial pressure and fitness impact may be more important than those around conjugation in this setting. Plasmid phenotypes could thus be valuable tools in conjunction with genomic epidemiology for predicting AMR dissemination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P. Malaka De Silva
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - George E. Stenhouse
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Grace A. Blackwell
- EMBL-EBI, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB101SA, UK,Department of Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB101SA, UK
| | - Rebecca J. Bengtsson
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Claire Jenkins
- Gastro and Food Safety (One Health) Division, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Colindale, London, UK
| | - James P. J. Hall
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Kate S. Baker
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| |
Collapse
|