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Wagner TM, Pöntinen AK, Fenzel CK, Engi D, Janice J, Almeida-Santos AC, Tedim AP, Freitas AR, Peixe L, van Schaik W, Johannessen M, Hegstad K. Interactions between commensal Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus lactis and clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium. FEMS Microbes 2024; 5:xtae009. [PMID: 38606354 PMCID: PMC11008740 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtae009] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium (Efm) is a versatile pathogen, responsible for multidrug-resistant infections, especially in hospitalized immunocompromised patients. Its population structure has been characterized by diverse clades (A1, A2, and B (reclassified as E. lactis (Ela)), adapted to different environments, and distinguished by their resistomes and virulomes. These features only partially explain the predominance of clade A1 strains in nosocomial infections. We investigated in vitro interaction of 50 clinical isolates (clade A1 Efm) against 75 commensal faecal isolates from healthy humans (25 clade A2 Efm and 50 Ela). Only 36% of the commensal isolates inhibited clinical isolates, while 76% of the clinical isolates inhibited commensal isolates. The most apparent overall differences in inhibition patterns were presented between clades. The inhibitory activity was mainly mediated by secreted, proteinaceous, heat-stable compounds, likely indicating an involvement of bacteriocins. A custom-made database targeting 76 Bacillota bacteriocins was used to reveal bacteriocins in the genomes. Our systematic screening of the interactions between nosocomial and commensal Efm and Ela on a large scale suggests that, in a clinical setting, nosocomial strains not only have an advantage over commensal strains due to their possession of AMR genes, virulence factors, and resilience but also inhibit the growth of commensal strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Maria Wagner
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Anna Kaarina Pöntinen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Carolin Kornelia Fenzel
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Daniel Engi
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jessin Janice
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ana C Almeida-Santos
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana P Tedim
- Group for Biomedical Research in Sepsis (BioSepsis), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Respiratorias (CiberES CB22/06/00035), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana R Freitas
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- 1H- TOXRUN – One Health Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, 4584-116 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Mona Johannessen
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kristin Hegstad
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
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Novais C, Almeida-Santos AC, Paula Pereira A, Rebelo A, Freitas AR, Peixe L. Alert for molecular data interpretation when using Enterococcus faecium reference strains reclassified as Enterococcus lactis. Gene 2023; 851:146951. [PMID: 36261083 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carla Novais
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, REQUIMTE Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Ana C Almeida-Santos
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, REQUIMTE Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Paula Pereira
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, REQUIMTE Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Andreia Rebelo
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, REQUIMTE Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICBAS), Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Technical-Scientific Area of Environmental Health, School of Health, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 400, 420-072 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana R Freitas
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, REQUIMTE Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; TOXRUN, Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, CRL, Rua Central da Gandra, 1317-4585 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, REQUIMTE Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
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Freitas AR, Tedim AP, Almeida-Santos AC, Duarte B, Elghaieb H, Abbassi MS, Hassen A, Novais C, Peixe L. High-Resolution Genotyping Unveils Identical Ampicillin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium Strains in Different Sources and Countries: A One Health Approach. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10030632. [PMID: 35336207 PMCID: PMC8948916 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10030632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterococcus faecium (Efm) infections continue to increase worldwide, although epidemiological studies remain scarce in lower middle-income countries. We aimed to explore which strains circulate in E. faecium causing human infections in Tunisian healthcare institutions in order to compare them with strains from non-human sources of the same country and finally to position them within the global E. faecium epidemiology by genomic analysis. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed and transfer of vancomycin-vanA and ampicillin-pbp5 resistance was performed by conjugation. WGS-Illumina was performed on Tunisian strains, and these genomes were compared with Efm genomes from other regions present in the GenBank/NCBI database (n = 10,701 Efm genomes available May 2021). A comparison of phenotypes with those predicted by the recent ResFinder 4.1-CGE webtool unveiled a concordance of 88%, with discordant cases being discussed. cgMLST revealed three clusters [ST18/CT222 (n = 13), ST17/CT948 strains (n = 6), and ST203/CT184 (n = 3)], including isolates from clinical, healthy-human, retail meat, and/or environmental sources in different countries over large time spans (10–12 years). Isolates within each cluster showed similar antibiotic resistance, bacteriocin, and virulence genetic patterns. pbp5-AmpR was transferred by VanA-AmpR-ST80 (clinical) and AmpR-ST17-Efm (bovine meat). Identical chromosomal pbp5-platforms carrying metabolic/virulence genes were identified between ST17/ST18 strains of clinical, farm animal, and retail meat sources. The overall results emphasize the role of high-resolution genotyping as provided by WGS in depicting the dispersal of MDR-Efm strains carrying relevant adaptive traits across different hosts/regions and the need of a One Health task force to curtail their spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R. Freitas
- Laboratory of Microbiology, UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (B.D.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- TOXRUN—Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, CRL, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
- Correspondence: or (A.R.F.); (L.P.); Tel.: +351-220-428-580 (L.P.)
| | - Ana P. Tedim
- Grupo de Investigación Biomédica en Sepsis-BioSepsis, Hospital Universitario Río Hortega, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), 47012 Valladollid, Spain;
| | - Ana C. Almeida-Santos
- Laboratory of Microbiology, UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (B.D.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Duarte
- Laboratory of Microbiology, UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (B.D.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Houyem Elghaieb
- Tunisian Institute of Veterinary Research, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 1006, Tunisia; (H.E.); (M.S.A.)
| | - Mohamed S. Abbassi
- Tunisian Institute of Veterinary Research, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 1006, Tunisia; (H.E.); (M.S.A.)
| | - Abdennaceur Hassen
- Laboratory of Treatment and Valorisation of Wastewater, Centre of Research and Water Technologies (CERTE), Technopark of Borj-Cédria, Soliman 8020, Tunisia;
| | - Carla Novais
- Laboratory of Microbiology, UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (B.D.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Luísa Peixe
- Laboratory of Microbiology, UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (B.D.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: or (A.R.F.); (L.P.); Tel.: +351-220-428-580 (L.P.)
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Almeida-Santos AC, Novais C, Peixe L, Freitas AR. Enterococcus spp. as a Producer and Target of Bacteriocins: A Double-Edged Sword in the Antimicrobial Resistance Crisis Context. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10101215. [PMID: 34680796 PMCID: PMC8532689 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10101215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus spp. are one of the most frequent producers of bacteriocins (enterocins), which provides them with an advantage to compete in their natural environment, which is the gut of humans and many animals. The enterocins’ activity against microorganisms from different phylogenetic groups has raised interest in Enterococcus spp. in different contexts throughout the last decades, especially in the food industry. Nevertheless, some species can also cause opportunistic life-threatening infections and are frequently multidrug-resistant (MDR). Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), in particular, are an ongoing global challenge given the lack of therapeutic options. In this scenario, bacteriocins can offer a potential solution to this persistent threat, either alone or in combination with other antimicrobials. There are a handful of studies that demonstrate the advantages and applications of bacteriocins, especially against VRE. The purpose of this review is to present a current standpoint about the dual role of Enterococcus spp., from important producers to targets needed to be controlled, and the crucial role that enterocins may have in the expansion of enterococcal populations. Classification and distribution of enterocins, the current knowledge about the bacteriocinome of clinical enterococci, and the challenges of bacteriocin use in the fight against VRE infections are particularly detailed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana C. Almeida-Santos
- UCIBIO–Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla Novais
- UCIBIO–Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO–Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: (L.P.); or (A.R.F.); Tel.: +351-220428580 (L.P. & A.R.F.)
| | - Ana R. Freitas
- UCIBIO–Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal or (A.C.A.-S.); (C.N.)
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- TOXRUN–Toxicology Research Unit, Department of Sciences, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, CRL, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
- Correspondence: (L.P.); or (A.R.F.); Tel.: +351-220428580 (L.P. & A.R.F.)
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