Bacterial Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Unit, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, USDA-ARS, Athens, Georgia, USA
Bacterial Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Unit, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, USDA-ARS, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2019 Oct 30;85(22). doi: 10.1128/AEM.01903-19. Print 2019 Nov 15.
The chicken gastrointestinal tract harbors microorganisms that play a role in the health and disease status of the host. The cecum is the part of the gut that carries the highest microbial densities, has the longest residence time of digesta, and is a vital site for urea recycling and water regulation. Therefore, the cecum provides a rich environment for bacteria to horizontally transfer genes between one another via mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and bacteriophages. In this study, we used broiler chicken cecum as a model to investigate antibiotic resistance genes that can be transferred from cecal flora to serovar Heidelberg. We used whole-genome sequencing and resistome enrichment to decipher the interactions between Heidelberg, the gut microbiome, and acquired antibiotic resistance. After 48 h of incubation of ceca under microaerophilic conditions, we recovered one Heidelberg isolate with an acquired IncK2 plasmid (88 kb) carrying an extended-spectrum-β-lactamase gene (). , this plasmid was transferable between and Heidelberg strains but transfer was unsuccessful between Heidelberg strains. An in-depth genetic characterization of transferred plasmids suggests that they share significant homology with P1-like phages. This study contributes to our understanding of horizontal gene transfer between an important foodborne pathogen and the chicken gut microbiome. Heidelberg is a clinically important serovar, linked to foodborne illness and among the top 5 serovars isolated from poultry in the United States and Canada. Acquisition of new genetic material from the microbial flora in the gastrointestinal tract of food animals, including broilers, may contribute to increased fitness of pathogens like Heidelberg and may increase their level of antibiotic tolerance. Therefore, it is critical to gain a better understanding of the interactions that occur between important pathogens and the commensals present in the animal gut and other agroecosystems. In this report, we show that the native flora in broiler ceca were capable of transferring mobile genetic elements carrying the AmpC β-lactamase () gene to an important foodborne pathogen, Heidelberg. The potential role for bacteriophage transduction is also discussed.
鸡的胃肠道中栖息着一些微生物,这些微生物在宿主的健康和疾病状态中发挥作用。盲肠是肠道中微生物密度最高、食糜停留时间最长的部位,也是尿素回收和水调节的重要部位。因此,盲肠为细菌通过质粒和噬菌体等移动遗传元件在彼此之间水平转移基因提供了丰富的环境。在这项研究中,我们使用肉鸡盲肠作为模型,研究可以从盲肠菌群转移到血清型海德堡的抗生素耐药基因。我们使用全基因组测序和耐药组富集来解码海德堡、肠道微生物组和获得的抗生素耐药性之间的相互作用。在微需氧条件下孵育盲肠 48 小时后,我们从盲肠中回收了一个携带可移动的 IncK2 质粒(88kb)的海德堡分离株,该质粒携带一个扩展谱β-内酰胺酶基因 ()。有趣的是,该质粒可以在 和 海德堡菌株之间转移,但在 海德堡菌株之间转移不成功。转移质粒的深入遗传特征表明,它们与 P1 样噬菌体有显著的同源性。这项研究有助于我们理解重要食源性病原体和鸡肠道微生物组之间的水平基因转移。海德堡是一种重要的临床血清型,与食源性疾病有关,也是美国和加拿大从家禽中分离出的前 5 种血清型之一。从包括肉鸡在内的食用动物胃肠道中的微生物菌群中获得新的遗传物质,可能有助于增加像海德堡这样的病原体的适应性,并增加它们对抗生素的耐受性。因此,更好地了解重要病原体与动物肠道和其他农业生态系统中存在的共生体之间的相互作用至关重要。在本报告中,我们表明,肉鸡盲肠中的天然菌群能够将携带 AmpC β-内酰胺酶()基因的移动遗传元件转移到重要的食源性病原体海德堡。还讨论了噬菌体转导的潜在作用。