Extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii : role of conjugative plasmids in transferring resistance

PeerJ

article

Qutaiba Ababneh¹  Sara Al Sbei¹  Ziad Jaradat¹  Sebawe Syaj²  Neda’a Aldaken¹  Hamza Ababneh³  Zeina Inaya¹ 

[1] Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Arts, Jordan University of Science and Technology;Department of General Surgery and Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology;Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology

关键词: Acinetobacter baumannii;    Whole genome analysis;    Extensively drug resistance;    Conjugative plasmids;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.14709

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most successful pathogens that can cause difficult-to-treat nosocomial infections. Outbreaks and infections caused by multi-drug resistant A. baumannii are prevalent worldwide, with only a few antibiotics are currently available for treatments. Plasmids represent an ideal vehicle for acquiring and transferring resistance genes in A. baumannii. Five extensively drug-resistant A. baumannii clinical isolates from three major Jordanian hospitals were fully sequenced. Whole-Genome Sequences (WGS) were used to study the antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes, sequence types, and phylogenetic relationship of the isolates. Plasmids were characterized In-silico, followed by conjugation, and plasmid curing experiments. Eight plasmids were recovered; resistance plasmids carrying either aminoglycosides or sulfonamide genes were detected. Chromosomal resistance genes included blaOXA-66, blaOXA-91, and blaOXA-23,and the detected virulence factors were involved in biofilm formation, adhesion, and many other mechanisms. Conjugation and plasmid curing experiments resulted in the transfer or loss of several resistance phenotypes. Plasmid profiling along with phylogenetic analyses revealed high similarities between two A. baumannii isolates recovered from two different intensive care units (ICU). The high similarities between the isolates of the study, especially the two ICU isolates, suggest that there is a common A. baumannii strain prevailing in different ICU wards in Jordanian hospitals. Three resistance genes were plasmid-borne, and the transfer of the resistance phenotype emphasizes the role and importance of conjugative plasmids in spreading resistance among A. baumannii clinical strains.

【 授权许可】

CC BY