Pan Yu, Zeng Jiaxiong, Li Liguan, Yang Jintao, Tang Ziyun, Xiong Wenguang, Li Yafei, Chen Sheng, Zeng Zhenling
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Drugs Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Animal Original Bacteria, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
mSystems. 2020 Jun 2;5(3):e00821-19. doi: 10.1128/mSystems.00821-19.
Widespread use of antibiotics has enhanced the evolution of highly resilient pathogens and poses a severe risk to human health via coselection of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs). In this study, we rigorously evaluate the abundance relationship and physical linkage between ARGs and VFs by performing a comprehensive analysis of 9,070 bacterial genomes isolated from multiple species and hosts. The coexistence of ARGs and VFs was observed in bacteria across distinct phyla, pathogenicities, and habitats, especially among human-associated pathogens. The coexistence patterns of gene elements in different habitats and pathogenicity groups were similar, presumably due to frequent gene transfer. A shorter intergenic distance between mobile genetic elements and ARGs/VFs was detected in human/animal-associated bacteria, indicating a higher transfer potential. Increased accumulation of exogenous ARGs/VFs in human pathogens highlights the importance of gene acquisition in the evolution of human commensal bacteria. Overall, the findings provide insights into the genic features of combinations of ARG-VF and expand our understanding of ARG-VF coexistence in bacteria. Antibiotic resistance has become a serious global health concern. Despite numerous case studies, a comprehensive analysis of ARG and VF coexistence in bacteria is lacking. In this study, we explore the coexistence profiles of ARGs and VFs in diverse categories of bacteria by using a high-resolution bioinformatics approach. We also provide compelling evidence of unique ARG-VF gene pairs coexisting in specific bacterial genomes and reveal the potential risk associated with the coexistence of ARGs and VFs in organisms in both clinical settings and environments.
抗生素的广泛使用加速了高抗性病原体的进化，并通过抗生素抗性基因（ARGs）和毒力因子（VFs）的共选择对人类健康构成严重风险。在本研究中，我们通过对从多个物种和宿主中分离出的9070个细菌基因组进行全面分析，严格评估了ARGs和VFs之间的丰度关系和物理连锁。在不同门、致病性和栖息地的细菌中均观察到ARGs和VFs的共存，尤其是在与人类相关的病原体中。不同栖息地和致病性组中基因元件的共存模式相似，这可能是由于频繁的基因转移所致。在人类/动物相关细菌中检测到移动遗传元件与ARGs/VFs之间的基因间距离较短，表明其转移潜力更高。人类病原体中外源ARGs/VFs的积累增加凸显了基因获取在人类共生细菌进化中的重要性。总体而言，这些发现为ARG-VF组合的基因特征提供了见解，并扩展了我们对细菌中ARG-VF共存的理解。抗生素耐药性已成为全球严重的健康问题。尽管有大量案例研究，但缺乏对细菌中ARGs和VFs共存的全面分析。在本研究中，我们使用高分辨率生物信息学方法探索了不同类别细菌中ARGs和VFs的共存情况。我们还提供了令人信服的证据，证明特定细菌基因组中存在独特的ARG-VF基因对，并揭示了临床环境和环境中生物体中ARGs和VFs共存所带来的潜在风险。
