Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA.
Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2021 Apr 13;87(9). doi: 10.1128/AEM.02735-20.
By characterizing the trajectories of antibiotic resistance gene transfer in bacterial communities such as the gut microbiome, we will better understand the factors that influence this spread of resistance. Our aim was to investigate the host network of a multidrug resistance broad-host-range plasmid in the culturable gut microbiome of zebrafish. This was done through and conjugation experiments with as the donor of the plasmid pB10:: When this donor was mixed with the extracted gut microbiome, only transconjugants of were detected. In separate matings between the same donor and four prominent isolates from the gut microbiome, the plasmid transferred to two of these four isolates, and , but not to and When these and transconjugants were the donors in matings with the same four isolates, the plasmid now also transferred from to was unable to donate the plasmid, and was unable to acquire it. Finally, when the donor was added to zebrafish through their food, plasmid transfer was observed in the gut, but only to , a rare member of the gut microbiome. This work shows that the success of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance spread in a gut microbiome depends on the donor-recipient species combinations and therefore their spatial arrangement. It also suggests that rare gut microbiome members should not be ignored as potential reservoirs of multidrug resistance plasmids from food. To understand how antibiotic resistance plasmids end up in human pathogens, it is crucial to learn how, where, and when they are transferred and maintained in members of bacterial communities such as the gut microbiome. To gain insight into the network of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance sharing in the gut microbiome, we investigated the transferability and maintenance of a multidrug resistance plasmid among the culturable bacteria of the zebrafish gut. We show that the success of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance spread in a gut microbiome can depend on which species are involved, as some are important nodes in the plasmid-host network and others are dead ends. Our findings also suggest that rare gut microbiome members should not be ignored as potential reservoirs of multidrug resistance plasmids from food.
通过描述肠道微生物组等细菌群落中抗生素耐药基因转移的轨迹，我们将更好地了解影响这种耐药性传播的因素。我们的目的是研究多药耐药广泛宿主范围质粒在斑马鱼可培养肠道微生物组中的宿主网络。这是通过与 作为质粒 pB10:: 的供体进行 和 接合实验来完成的。当将该供体与提取的肠道微生物组混合时，仅检测到质粒的转导子 。在同一供体与肠道微生物组中的四个突出分离株之间的单独交配中，该质粒仅转移到其中两个分离株 和 中，但不能转移到 和 中。当这些 和 转导子作为供体与相同的四个分离株交配时，质粒现在也从 转移到 ，而 无法捐赠质粒， 无法获得它。最后，当 供体通过食物添加到斑马鱼中时，在肠道中观察到质粒转移，但仅转移到 ，这是肠道微生物组中的一个罕见成员。这项工作表明，在肠道微生物组中，质粒介导的抗生素耐药性传播的成功取决于供体-受体物种组合，因此取决于它们的空间排列。它还表明，不应忽视肠道微生物组中的稀有成员，因为它们可能是来自食物的多药耐药质粒的潜在储库。为了了解抗生素耐药质粒如何最终进入人类病原体，了解它们在肠道微生物组等细菌群落成员中如何、在哪里以及何时转移和维持是至关重要的。为了深入了解肠道微生物组中质粒介导的抗生素耐药性共享网络，我们调查了可培养的斑马鱼肠道细菌中多药耐药质粒的可转移性和维持性。我们表明，在肠道微生物组中，质粒介导的抗生素耐药性传播的成功可能取决于涉及的物种，因为有些是质粒-宿主网络中的重要节点，而有些则是死胡同。我们的研究结果还表明，不应忽视肠道微生物组中的稀有成员，因为它们可能是来自食物的多药耐药质粒的潜在储库。
