Title
Antibiotic resistance genes in phage particles isolated from human faeces and induced from clinical bacterial isolates
Date Issued
01 March 2018
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Brown-Jaque M.
Calero-Cáceres W.
Rodríguez-Navarro J.
Miró E.
González-López J.J.
Espinal P.
Cornejo T.
Navarro F.
Muniesa M.
Universidad de Barcelona
Publisher(s)
Elsevier B.V.
Abstract
Phage particles have emerged as elements with the potential to mobilise antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in different environments, including the intestinal habitat. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of ARGs in phage particles present in faecal matter and induced from strains isolated from faeces. Nine ARGs (blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1 group, blaCTX-M-9 group, blaOXA-48, qnrA, qnrS, mecA, sul1 and armA) were quantified by qPCR in the phage DNA fractions of 150 faecal samples obtained from healthy individuals who had not received antibiotic treatment or travelled abroad in the 3 months prior to sample collection. On the suspicion that the detected particles originated from bacterial flora, 82 Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates possessing at least one identified ARG (blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1 group, blaCTX-M-9 group, armA, qnrA, qnrS and sul1) were isolated and their capacity to produce phage particles carrying these ARGs following induction was evaluated. Of 150 samples, 72.7% were positive for at least one ARG, with blaTEM and blaCTX-M-9 group being the most prevalent and abundant. Of the 82 isolates, 51 (62%) showed an increase in the number of copies of the respective ARG in the phage fraction following induction, with blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1 group, blaCTX-M-9 group and sul1 being the most abundant. Phages induced from the isolates were further purified and visualised using microscopy and their DNA showed ARG levels of up to 1010 gene copies/mL. This study highlights the abundance of phage particles harbouring ARGs and indicates that bacterial strains in the intestinal habitat could be source of these particles.
Start page
434
End page
442
Volume
51
Issue
3
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Otras ciencias médicas Biología celular, Microbiología Farmacología, Farmacia
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85043354778
PubMed ID
Source
International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents
ISSN of the container
09248579
Sponsor(s)
Funding: This study was supported by Plan Nacional de I+D+i and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD12/0015) — co-financed by the European Development Regional Fund ‘A way to achieve Europe’ ERDF; the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria [grant PI13/00329]; and the Generalitat de Catalunya [2014SGR0073]. MB-J has received a grant from COLCIENCIAS (Republic of Colombia). PE is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III ['sara Borrell’ contract no. CD15/00017].
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus