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Applied and environmental microbiology2020; 86(9); e00108-20; doi: 10.1128/AEM.00108-20

Horizontal Spread of Rhodococcus equi Macrolide Resistance Plasmid pRErm46 across Environmental Actinobacteria.

Abstract: Conjugation is one of the main mechanisms involved in the spread and maintenance of antibiotic resistance in bacterial populations. We recently showed that the emerging macrolide resistance in the soilborne equine and zoonotic pathogen is conferred by the (46) gene carried on the 87-kb conjugative plasmid pRErm46. Here, we investigated the conjugal transferability of pRErm46 to 14 representative bacteria likely encountered by in the environmental habitat. mating experiments demonstrated conjugation to different members of the genus as well as to and spp. at frequencies ranging from ∼10 to 10 pRErm46 transfer was also observed in mating experiments in soil and horse manure, albeit at a low frequency and after prolonged incubation at 22 to 30°C (environmental temperatures), not 37°C. All transconjugants were able to transfer pRErm46 back to Conjugation could not be detected with or spp. or several members of the more distant phylum such as , , or Thus, the pRErm46 host range appears to span several actinobacterial orders with certain host restriction within the All bacterial species that acquired pRErm46 expressed increased macrolide resistance with no significant deleterious impact on fitness, except in the case of Our results indicate that actinobacterial members of the environmental microbiota can both acquire and transmit the pRErm46 plasmid and thus potentially contribute to the maintenance and spread of (46)-mediated macrolide resistance in equine farms. This study demonstrates the efficient horizontal transfer of the conjugative plasmid pRErm46, recently identified as the cause of the emerging macrolide resistance among equine isolates of this pathogen, to and from different environmental , including a variety of rhodococci as well as and spp. The reported data support the notion that environmental microbiotas may act as reservoirs for the endemic maintenance of antimicrobial resistance in an antibiotic pressurized farm habitat.
Copyright © 2020 American Society for Microbiology.
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Publication Date: 2020-04-17 PubMed ID: 32169935PubMed Central: PMC7170479DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00108-20Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article discusses the transfer of the macrolide resistance plasmid pRErm46 in the bacterial species Rhodococcus equi and how it spreads amongst various Actinobacteria in the environment, contributing to an increase in antibiotic resistance.

Objective

The main objective of the study was to explore how the plasmid pRErm46, responsible for macrolide resistance, moves into various bacterial species in the environment. The researchers investigated this by observing the plasmid’s conjugative transferability to 14 representative bacteria present in the pathogen’s environmental habitat.

Methods

  • The researchers carried out mating experiments with Rhodococcus equi and different bacterial species. They tested the plasmid’s conjugative ability across different species within the same genus, and also across different genera.
  • The mating experiments were also executed in different environmental conditions such as soil and horse manure, as well as at varying temperatures to measure the plasmid’s transferability.

Results

  • The research found that pRErm46 could be transferred amongst different members of the Actinobacteria, at frequencies ranging from approximately 10 to 10.
  • Transfer was less frequent and slower in soil and horse manure environments and at lower temperatures (22-30°C) when compared to higher temperatures (37°C).
  • All the bacteria that had successfully received the plasmid were then also able to pass it back to Rhodococcus equi.
  • The study also found that certain bacteria from the phylum Firmicutes, as well as some other distant species, could not perform conjugation with the plasmid.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the study suggests that various actinobacterial members present in the environmental microbiota can acquire and continue to transmit the pRErm46 plasmid, the gene responsible for macrolide resistance. This in turn suggests that they can contribute to the upkeep and proliferation of macrolide resistance on equine farms. The research provides valuable evidence of a mechanism for how antibiotic resistance may spread through environmental bacterial populations.

Cite This Article

APA
Álvarez-Narváez S, Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Dailey C, Vázquez-Boland JA. (2020). Horizontal Spread of Rhodococcus equi Macrolide Resistance Plasmid pRErm46 across Environmental Actinobacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol, 86(9), e00108-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00108-20

Publication

Applied and environmental microbiology
ISSN: 1098-5336
NlmUniqueID: 7605801
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 86
Issue: 9
PII: e00108-20

Researcher Affiliations

Álvarez-Narváez, Sonsiray
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA sonsiray.alvarez@uga.edu.
Giguère, Steeve
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Berghaus, Londa J
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Dailey, Cody
  • Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Vázquez-Boland, José A
  • Microbial Pathogenesis Group, Infection Medicine, Edinburgh Medical School (Biomedical Sciences), University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

MeSH Terms

  • Actinobacteria / genetics
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics
  • Gene Transfer, Horizontal
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Macrolides / pharmacology
  • Plasmids / genetics
  • Rhodococcus equi / genetics

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Citations

This article has been cited 12 times.
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