Mokrousov Igor, Vinogradova Tatiana, Dogonadze Marine, Zabolotnykh Natalia, Vyazovaya Anna, Vitovskaya Maria, Solovieva Natalia, Ariel Boris
St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute , St. Petersburg, Russia.
St. Petersburg Research Institute of Phthisiopulmonology , St. Petersburg, Russia.
Microbiol Spectr. 2023 Sep 28;11(5):e0139223. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01392-23.
Latin-American Mediterranean (LAM) family is one of the most significant and global genotypes of . Here, we used the murine model to study the virulence and lethality of the genetically and epidemiologically distinct LAM strains. The pathobiological characteristics of the four LAM strains (three drug resistant and one drug susceptible) and the susceptible reference strain H37Rv were studied in the C57BL/6 mouse model. The whole-genome sequencing was performed using the HiSeq Illumina platform, followed by bioinformatics and phylogenetic analysis. The susceptible strain H37Rv showed the highest virulence. Drug-susceptible LAM strain (spoligotype SIT264) was more virulent than three multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains (SIT252, SIT254, and SIT266). All three MDR isolates were low lethal, while the susceptible isolate and H37Rv were moderately/highly lethal. Putting the genomic, phenotypic, and virulence features of the LAM strains/spoligotypes in the context of their dynamic phylogeography over 20 years reveals three types of relationships between virulence, resistance, and transmission. First, the most virulent and more lethal drug-susceptible SIT264 increased its circulation in parts of Russia. Second, moderately virulent and pre-XDR SIT266 was prevalent in Belarus and continues to be visible in North-West Russia. Third, the low virulent and MDR strain SIT252 previously considered as emerging has disappeared from the population. These findings suggest that strain virulence impacts the transmission, irrespective of drug resistance properties. The increasing circulation of susceptible but more virulent and lethal strains implies that personalized TB treatment should consider not only resistance but also the virulence of the infecting strains. IMPORTANCE The study is multidisciplinary and investigates the epidemically/clinically important and global lineage of , named Latin-American-Mediterranean (LAM), yet insufficiently studied with regard to its pathobiology. We studied different LAM strains (epidemic vs endemic and resistant vs susceptible) in the murine model and using whole-genome analysis. We also collected long-term, 20-year data on their prevalence in Eurasia. The findings are both expected and unexpected. (i) We observe that a drug-susceptible but highly virulent strain increased its prevalence. (ii) By contrast, the multidrug-resistant (MDR) but low-virulent, low-lethal strain (that we considered as emerging 15 years ago) has almost disappeared. (iii) Finally, an intermediate case is the MDR strain with moderate virulence that continues to circulate. We conclude that (i) the former and latter strains are the most hazardous and require close epidemiological monitoring, and (ii) personalized TB treatment should consider not only drug resistance but also the virulence of the infecting strains and development of anti-virulence drugs is warranted.
拉丁美洲地中海型(LAM)家族是[某种疾病]最重要的全球基因型之一。在此,我们使用小鼠模型研究了遗传和流行病学上不同的LAM菌株的毒力和致死率。在C57BL/6小鼠模型中研究了四种LAM菌株(三种耐药和一种敏感)以及敏感参考菌株H37Rv的病理生物学特征。使用Illumina HiSeq平台进行全基因组测序,随后进行生物信息学和系统发育分析。敏感菌株H37Rv显示出最高的毒力。药敏LAM菌株(寡核苷酸分型SIT264)比三种多药耐药(MDR)菌株(SIT252、SIT254和SIT266)的毒力更强。所有三种MDR分离株致死率低,而敏感分离株和H37Rv致死率为中度/高度。将LAM菌株/寡核苷酸分型的基因组、表型和毒力特征与其20年动态系统地理学相结合,揭示了毒力、耐药性和传播之间的三种关系。第一,毒性最强且致死率更高的药敏SIT264在俄罗斯部分地区的传播增加。第二,中度毒力和广泛耐药前的SIT266在白俄罗斯流行,并在俄罗斯西北部仍可见。第三,以前被认为是新出现的低毒力和MDR菌株SIT252已从人群中消失。这些发现表明,菌株毒力影响传播,而与耐药性无关。敏感但毒性更强且致死率更高的菌株传播增加意味着个性化结核病治疗不仅应考虑耐药性,还应考虑感染菌株的毒力。重要性 本研究是多学科的,调查了在病理生物学方面研究不足但在流行病学/临床方面重要的全球谱系,即拉丁美洲-地中海型(LAM)。我们在小鼠模型中并使用全基因组分析研究了不同的LAM菌株(流行株与地方流行株以及耐药株与敏感株)。我们还收集了它们在欧亚大陆20年的长期流行数据。研究结果既有预期的也有意想不到的。(i)我们观察到一种药敏但高毒力的菌株其流行率增加。(ii)相比之下,多药耐药(MDR)但低毒力、低致死率的菌株(我们在15年前认为是新出现的)几乎消失了。(iii)最后,一个中间情况是具有中度毒力的MDR菌株仍在传播。我们得出结论:(i)前一种和后一种菌株危害最大,需要密切的流行病学监测;(ii)个性化结核病治疗不仅应考虑耐药性,还应考虑感染菌株的毒力,并且有必要开发抗毒力药物。