Project description:Background: Antimicrobial resistance is generally studied using a combination of growth inhibition measurements, sometimes in combination with DNA detection methods. However, the actual proteins that cause resistance such as enzymes, efflux pumps and a lack of porins cannot be detected by these methods. Improvements in liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) enabled easier and more comprehensive proteome analysis. In the current study, these three methods are combined into a multi-omics approach to analyze resistance against frequently used antibiotics within the beta-lactam, aminoglycoside and fluoroquinolone group in E. coli and K. pneumoniae. Objectives: We aimed to analyze which currently known antimicrobial resistance genes are detected at the protein level using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and to assess whether these could explain beta-lactam, aminoglycoside, and fluoroquinolone resistance in the studied isolates. Furthermore, we aimed to identify significant protein to resistance correlations which have not yet been described and to correlate the abundance of different porins to resistance. Methods: Whole genome sequencing, high-resolution LC-MS/MS and antimicrobial susceptibility testing by broth microdilution were performed for 187 clinical E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates. Resistance genes and proteins were identified using the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD). All proteins were annotated using the NCBI RefSeq database and Prokka. Results & Conclusion: Proteins of small spectrum beta-lactamases, extended spectrum beta-lactamases, AmpC beta-lactamases, carbapenemases, and proteins of 16S ribosomal RNA methyltransferases and aminoglycoside acetyltransferases can be detected in E. coli and K. pneumoniae by LC-MS/MS. The detected mechanisms could explain phenotypic resistance in most of the studied isolates. Differences in the abundance and the primary structure of other proteins such as porins also correlated with resistance. LC-MS/MS is a different and complementary method which can be used to characterize antimicrobial resistance in detail as not only the primary resistance causing mechanisms are detected, but also secondary enhancing resistance mechanisms.

Project description:UNLABELLED:Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), especially Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae, pose an urgent threat in health facilities in the United States and worldwide. K. pneumoniae isolates classified as sequence type 258 (ST258) by multilocus sequence typing are largely responsible for the global spread of KPC. A recent comparative genome study revealed that ST258 K. pneumoniae strains are two distinct genetic clades; however, the molecular origin of ST258 largely remains unknown, and our understanding of the evolution of the two genetic clades is incomplete. Here we compared the genetic structures and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) distributions in the core genomes of strains from two ST258 clades and other STs (ST11, ST442, and ST42). We identified an ~1.1-Mbp region on ST258 genomes that is homogeneous to that of ST442, while the rest of the ST258 genome resembles that of ST11. Our results suggest ST258 is a hybrid clone--80% of the genome originated from ST11-like strains and 20% from ST442-like strains. Meanwhile, we sequenced an ST42 strain that carries the same K-antigen-encoding capsule polysaccharide biosynthesis gene (cps) region as ST258 clade I strains. Comparison of the cps-harboring regions between the ST42 and ST258 strains (clades I and II) suggests the ST258 clade I strains evolved from a clade II strain as a result of cps region replacement. Our findings unravel the molecular evolution history of ST258 strains, an important first step toward the development of diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccine strategies to combat infections caused by multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae. IMPORTANCE:Recombination events and replacement of chromosomal regions have been documented in various bacteria, and these events have given rise to successful pathogenic clones. Here we used comparative genomic analyses to discover that the ST258 K. pneumoniae genome is a hybrid--80% of the chromosome is homologous to ST11 strains, while the remaining 20% is homologous to that of ST442. Meanwhile, a recent study indicated that ST258 strains can be segregated into two ST258 clades, with distinct capsule polysaccharide gene (cps) regions. Our analysis suggests ST258 clade I strains evolved from clade II through homologous recombination of cps region. Horizontal transfer of the cps region appears to be a key element driving the molecular diversification in K. pneumoniae strains. These findings not only extend our understanding of the molecular evolution of ST258 but are an important step toward the development of effective control and treatment strategies for multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae.

Project description:Klebsiella pneumoniae and other carbapenem-resistant members of the family Enterobacteriaceae are a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, yet the basis of their success as nosocomial pathogens is poorly understood. To help provide a foundation for genetic analysis of K. pneumoniae, we created an arrayed, sequence-defined transposon mutant library of an isolate from the 2011 outbreak of infections at the U.S. National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. The library is made up of 12,000 individually arrayed mutants of a carbapenemase deletion parent strain and provides coverage of 85% of the predicted genes. The library includes an average of 2.5 mutants per gene, with most insertion locations identified and confirmed in two independent rounds of Sanger sequencing. On the basis of an independent transposon sequencing assay, about half of the genes lacking representatives in this "two-allele" library are essential for growth on nutrient agar. To validate the use of the library for phenotyping, we screened candidate mutants for increased antibiotic sensitivity by using custom phenotypic microarray plates. This screening identified several mutations increasing sensitivity to ?-lactams (in acrB1, mcrB, ompR, phoP1, and slt1) and found that two-component regulator cpxAR mutations increased multiple sensitivities (to an aminoglycoside, a fluoroquinolone, and several ?-lactams). Strains making up the two-allele mutant library are available through a web-based request mechanism.IMPORTANCE K. pneumoniae and other carbapenem-resistant members of the family Enterobacteriaceae are recognized as a top public health threat by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The analysis of these major nosocomial pathogens has been limited by the experimental resources available for studying them. The work presented here describes a sequence-defined mutant library of a K. pneumoniae strain (KPNIH1) that represents an attractive model for studies of this pathogen because it is a recent isolate of the major sequence type that causes infection, the epidemiology of the outbreak it caused is well characterized, and an annotated genome sequence is available. The ready availability of defined mutants deficient in nearly all of the nonessential genes of the model strain should facilitate the genetic dissection of complex traits like pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance.

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Klebsiella pneumoniae strain:GN4549

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