Livestock-Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) Clonal Complex (CC) 398 Isolated from UK Animals belong to European Lineages.
Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of livestock-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) clonal complex (CC) 398 recovered from S. aureus isolated animals in the UK. To determine possible origins of 12 LA-MRSA CC398 isolates collected after screening more than a thousand S. aureus animal isolates from the UK between 2013 and 2015, whole genome sequences (WGS) of CC398 European, including UK, and non-European isolates from diverse animal hosts were compared. Phylogenetic reconstruction applied to WGS data to assess genetic relatedness of all 89 isolates, clustered the 12 UK CC398 LA-MRSA within the European sub-lineages, although on different nodes; implicating multiple independent incursions into the UK, as opposed to a single introduction followed by clonal expansion. Three UK isolates from healthy pigs and one from turkey clustered within the cassette chromosome recombinases ccr C S. aureus protein A (spa)-type t011 European sub-lineage and three UK isolates from horses within the ccrA2B2 t011 European sub-lineage. The remaining UK isolates, mostly from pigs, clustered within the t034 European lineage. Presence of virulence, antimicrobial (AMR), heavy metal (HMR), and disinfectant (DR) resistance genes were determined using an in-house pipeline. Most, including UK isolates, harbored resistance genes to ≥3 antimicrobial classes in addition to β-lactams. HMR genes were detected in most European ccrC positive isolates, with >80% harboring czrC, encoding zinc and cadmium resistance; in contrast ~60% ccrC isolates within non-European lineages and 6% ccrA2B2 isolates showed this characteristic. The UK turkey MRSA isolate did not harbor φAVβ avian prophage genes (SAAV_2008 and SAAV_2009) present in US MSSA isolates from turkey and pigs. Absence of some of the major human-associated MRSA toxigenic and virulence genes in the UK LA-MRSA animal isolates was not unexpected. Therefore, we can conclude that the 12 UK LA-MRSA isolates collected in the past 2 years most likely represent separate incursions into the UK from other European countries. The presence of zinc and cadmium resistance in all nine food animal isolates (pig and poultry), which was absent from the 3 horse isolates may suggest heavy metal use/exposure has a possible role in selection of some MRSA.
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The research investigates the origins of a strain of drug-resistant bacteria (LA-MRSA CC398) found in UK animals, using genome sequencing and phylogenetic reconstruction. The results suggest multiple independent incursions into the UK from other European countries, evidenced by different genetic nodes of the UK isolates. Additionally, the presence of certain genes in the bacteria strains may indicate a role of heavy metal exposure in antibiotic resistance.
Study Background and Approach
The study was focused on understanding the possible origins of Livestock-Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) Clonal Complex (CC) 398. This strain of bacteria has seen a rise in prevalence in UK animals.
Scientists applied whole genome sequencing (WGS) to 89 different isolates, including 12 samples from the UK isolated between 2013 and 2015, and others from a variety of animal hosts across Europe and other regions.
Phylogenetic reconstruction, which uses genetics to infer the relationships between different groups, was applied to the genome sequence data.
Key Findings
The 12 UK isolates of LA-MRSA CC398 were found to be closely related to European sub-lineages of the bacteria, suggesting multiple separate introductions into the UK, rather than a single introduction followed by local proliferation.
These isolates were found in different animals: three from healthy pigs, one from turkey, and three from horses, and others mostly from pigs.
The research uncovered the presence of antimicrobial, heavy metal, and disinfectant resistance genes in most of the isolates tested. This means that the bacteria demonstrated resistance to more than three types of antimicrobial drugs, in addition to showing resistances to substances like zinc and cadmium.
Implications
The findings hint at the bacterial isolates in UK animals being the result of independent incursions from other European countries, rather than a single localised outbreak.
The presence of heavy metal resistance, particularly to zinc and cadmium, was detected in all samples from food-producing animals (pigs and poultry), but not from horses, suggesting that heavy metal exposure may play a role in selecting for certain antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
Limitations
The absence of some major genes associated with toxicity and virulence in human-associated MRSA was expected in these animal strains, indicating potential genetic dissimilarities.
The study also notes that the single turkey isolate from the UK did not carry a specific set of genes found in US strains, suggesting potential differences in adaptation or selection pressures in different locales.
Cite This Article
APA
Sharma M, Nunez-Garcia J, Kearns AM, Doumith M, Butaye PR, Argudín MA, Lahuerta-Marin A, Pichon B, AbuOun M, Rogers J, Ellis RJ, Teale C, Anjum MF.
(2016).
Livestock-Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) Clonal Complex (CC) 398 Isolated from UK Animals belong to European Lineages.
Front Microbiol, 7, 1741.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01741
Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency Surrey, UK.
Nunez-Garcia, Javier
Surveillance and Laboratory Services, Animal and Plant Health Agency Surrey, UK.
Kearns, Angela M
National Infection Service, Public Health England London, UK.
Doumith, Michel
National Infection Service, Public Health England London, UK.
Butaye, Patrick R
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of GhentMerelbeke, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Ross UniversityBasseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Argudín, M Angeles
Department of Microbiology, National Reference Centre-Staphylococcus aureus, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels, Belgium.
Lahuerta-Marin, Angela
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute Belfast, UK.
Pichon, Bruno
National Infection Service, Public Health England London, UK.
AbuOun, Manal
Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency Surrey, UK.
Rogers, Jon
Veterinary and Technical Services, Animal and Plant Health Agency Surrey, UK.
Ellis, Richard J
Surveillance and Laboratory Services, Animal and Plant Health Agency Surrey, UK.
Teale, Christopher
Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency Surrey, UK.
Anjum, Muna F
Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency Surrey, UK.
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