Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway.
Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2023 Mar;248:114108. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114108. Epub 2023 Jan 27.
Aquatic environments play important roles in the dissemination of clinically-relevant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and pathogens. Limited knowledge exists about the prevalence of clinically-relevant acquired resistance genes in the marine environment, especially in Norway. The aim of the current study was to investigate the presence of and characterize self-transmissible resistance plasmids from Bergen harbor seawater, with exogenous-plasmid capture, using a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Escherichia coli strain as a recipient. We obtained transconjugants resistant against ampicillin and cefotaxime from four of the 13 samples processed. Nine transconjugants, selected on the basis of antibiotic sensitivity patterns, were sequenced, using Illumina MiSeq and Oxford Nanopore MinION platforms. Ten different plasmids (ranging from 35 kb to 136 kb) belonging to incompatibility groups IncFII/IncFIB/Col156, IncFII, IncI1 and IncB/O/K/Z were detected among these transconjugants. Plasmid p1A1 (IncFII/IncFIB/Col156, 135.7 kb) carried resistance genes bla, dfrA17, sul1, sul2, tet(A), mph(A), aadA5, aph(3″)-Ib and aph(6)-Id, conferring resistance against six different classes of antibiotics. Plasmid p1A4 carried bla, lnu(F), aadA17 and aac(3)-IId. Cephalosporinase bla was detected on plasmids captured from an area impacted by wastewater from a local marine aquarium. Along with ARGs, some plasmids also carried virulence factors, such as enterotoxins, adhesion factors and siderophores. Our study demonstrates the presence of clinically-important multidrug-resistance conjugative plasmids in seawater from Bergen harbor, which have the potential to be transferred to human microbiota. The results highlight the need for surveillance of antibiotic resistance in the environment, as suggested by the World Health Organization, especially in low prevalence settings like Norway.
水生环境在临床相关抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）和病原体的传播中发挥着重要作用。关于海洋环境中临床相关获得性耐药基因的流行情况，人们的了解有限，尤其是在挪威。本研究的目的是调查卑尔根港海水样本中是否存在可转移的耐药质粒，并对其进行特征分析，方法是使用携带绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）的大肠杆菌作为受体，进行外源性质粒捕获。我们从处理的 13 个样本中的 4 个样本中获得了对氨苄西林和头孢噻肟耐药的转导子。根据抗生素敏感性模式，从 9 个转导子中选择了 9 个转导子进行测序，测序平台使用 Illumina MiSeq 和 Oxford Nanopore MinION。在这些转导子中检测到 10 种不同的质粒（大小为 35kb 至 136kb），属于不相容群 IncFII/IncFIB/Col156、IncFII、IncI1 和 IncB/O/K/Z。质粒 p1A1（IncFII/IncFIB/Col156，135.7kb）携带 bla、dfrA17、sul1、sul2、tet(A)、mph(A)、aadA5、aph(3″)-Ib 和 aph(6)-Id 等耐药基因，对六种不同类别的抗生素具有耐药性。质粒 p1A4 携带 bla、lnu(F)、aadA17 和 aac(3)-IId。在受当地海洋水族馆废水影响的区域捕获的质粒中检测到头孢菌素酶 bla。除了 ARGs 之外，一些质粒还携带了肠毒素、黏附因子和铁载体等毒力因子。我们的研究表明，卑尔根港海水中存在具有临床意义的多药耐药性可转移质粒，这些质粒有可能转移到人类微生物群中。这些结果强调了世界卫生组织所建议的对环境中抗生素耐药性进行监测的必要性，尤其是在像挪威这样的低流行率环境中。
