Mobilome Analysis of Achromobacter spp. Isolates from Chronic and Occasional Lung Infection in Cystic Fibrosis Patients

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 1; p. 130
• Main Authors: Veschetti, Laura, Sandri, Angela, Patuzzo, Cristina, Melotti, Paola, Malerba, Giovanni, Lleò, Maria M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 08.01.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Achromobacter; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Antimicrobial resistance; Antitoxins; Bronchopulmonary infection; Chronic infection; Clinical isolates; Cystic fibrosis; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Drug resistance; Gene sequencing; Genes; Genomes; horizontal gene transfer (HGT); Infections; Insertion; Insertion sequences; lung infection; Lungs; mobilome; Mutation; Opportunist infection; Pathogenicity; Pathogenicity islands; Pathogens; Patients; Phages; Plasmids; prophages; Toxins; Virulence; United States > US; Italy; horizontal gene transfer (HGT); antimicrobial resistance genes; cystic fibrosis; Achromobacter; insertion sequences (ISs); prophages; integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs); integrative and mobilizable elements (IMEs); mobilome; lung infection; virulence genes
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9010130

spp. is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Although a variety of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) carrying antimicrobial resistance genes have been identified in clinical isolates, little is known about the contribution of spp. mobilome to its pathogenicity. To provide new insights, we performed bioinformatic analyses of 54 whole genome sequences and investigated the presence of phages, insertion sequences (ISs), and integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). Most of the detected phages were previously described in other pathogens and carried type II toxin-antitoxin systems as well as other pathogenic genes. Interestingly, the partial sequence of phage Bcep176 was found in all the analyzed genome sequences, suggesting the integration of this phage in an ancestor strain. A wide variety of IS was also identified either inside of or in proximity to pathogenicity islands. Finally, ICEs carrying pathogenic genes were found to be widespread among our isolates and seemed to be involved in transfer events within the CF lung. These results highlight the contribution of MGEs to the pathogenicity of species, their potential to become antimicrobial targets, and the need for further studies to better elucidate their clinical impact.