Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Nat Commun. 2020 Mar 13;11(1):1370. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15081-7.
Multidrug resistance (MDR) represents a global threat to health. Here, we used whole genome sequencing to characterise Pseudomonas aeruginosa MDR clinical isolates from a hospital in Thailand. Using long-read sequence data we obtained complete sequences of two closely related megaplasmids (>420 kb) carrying large arrays of antibiotic resistance genes located in discrete, complex and dynamic resistance regions, and revealing evidence of extensive duplication and recombination events. A comprehensive pangenomic and phylogenomic analysis indicates that: 1) these large plasmids comprise an emerging family present in different members of the Pseudomonas genus, and associated with multiple sources (geographical, clinical or environmental); 2) the megaplasmids encode diverse niche-adaptive accessory traits, including multidrug resistance; 3) the accessory genome of the megaplasmid family is highly flexible and diverse. The history of the megaplasmid family, inferred from our analysis of the available database, suggests that members carrying multiple resistance genes date back to at least the 1970s.
多药耐药性 (MDR) 对全球健康构成威胁。在这里，我们使用全基因组测序技术来描述来自泰国一家医院的铜绿假单胞菌 MDR 临床分离株。我们使用长读序列数据获得了两个密切相关的巨型质粒的完整序列 (>420kb)，这些质粒携带了位于离散、复杂和动态耐药区域的大量抗生素耐药基因，并且显示出广泛的重复和重组事件的证据。全面的泛基因组和系统发育基因组分析表明：1) 这些大型质粒构成了一个新兴的家族，存在于不同的假单胞菌属成员中，并与多个来源（地理、临床或环境）相关；2) 巨型质粒编码多种生态位适应性辅助特征，包括多药耐药性；3) 巨型质粒家族的辅助基因组具有高度的灵活性和多样性。从我们对现有数据库的分析中推断出巨型质粒家族的历史表明，携带多种耐药基因的成员可以追溯到至少 20 世纪 70 年代。
