Lei Lei, Xiong Panfeng, Yan Zelin, Zhang Yanyan, Wu Yuchen, Chen Gongxiang, Song Houhui, Zhang Rong
Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China-Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China.
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, China.
Sci One Health. 2024 Apr 15;3:100069. doi: 10.1016/j.soh.2024.100069. eCollection 2024.
Over the past few decades, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a global health challenge in human and veterinary medicine. Research on AMR genes in captive wild animals has increased. However, the presence and molecular characteristics of (X)-carrying bacteria in these animals remain unknown.
Eighty-four samples were collected from captive wild animals. (X) variants were detected using polymerase chain reaction and the isolates were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. All isolated strains were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing. The virulence of an strain carrying enterotoxin genes was assessed using a larval model.
We isolated two (X4)-positive strains and one (X4)-positive strain. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed that all three (X4)-carrying bacteria were sensitive to the 13 tested antimicrobial agents, but exhibited resistance to tigecycline. Notably, one (X4)-carrying strain producing an enterotoxin had a toxic effect on larvae. Whole-genome sequencing analysis showed that the two (X4)-carrying strains had more than 95% similarity to (X4)-containing strains isolated from pigs and humans in China.
The genetic environment of (X4) closely resembled that of the plasmid described in previous studies. Our study identified (X4)-positive strains in wildlife and provided valuable epidemiological data for monitoring drug resistance. The identification of enterotoxin-producing strains also highlights the potential risks posed by virulence genes.
在过去几十年中，抗菌药物耐药性（AMR）已成为人类和兽医学领域的一项全球健康挑战。对圈养野生动物中AMR基因的研究有所增加。然而，这些动物中携带（X）的细菌的存在情况和分子特征仍不清楚。
从圈养野生动物中采集了84份样本。使用聚合酶链反应检测（X）变体，并使用基质辅助激光解吸/电离飞行时间质谱法鉴定分离株。对所有分离菌株进行抗菌药物敏感性测试和全基因组测序。使用幼虫模型评估携带肠毒素基因的菌株的毒力。
我们分离出两株（X4）阳性菌株和一株（X4）阳性菌株。抗菌药物敏感性测试表明，所有三株携带（X4）的细菌对13种测试抗菌药物敏感，但对替加环素耐药。值得注意的是，一株携带（X4）并产生肠毒素的菌株对幼虫具有毒性作用。全基因组测序分析表明，两株携带（X4）的菌株与在中国从猪和人类中分离出的含（X4）的菌株有超过95%的相似性。
（X4）的遗传环境与先前研究中描述的质粒的遗传环境密切相似。我们的研究在野生动物中鉴定出（X4）阳性菌株，并为监测耐药性提供了有价值的流行病学数据。产肠毒素菌株的鉴定也凸显了毒力基因带来的潜在风险。
