Sharing of cmeRABC alleles between C. coli and C. jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in Campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the Peruvian Amazon

ABSTRACT Campylobacter is a serious health threat because of the rapid progressive evolution of antimicrobial resistance and efficient transmission from zoonotic as well as human sources. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides is particularly concerning as this compromises the two most effect...

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Main Authors: Kerry K. Cooper, Evangelos Mourkas, Francesca Schiaffino, Craig T. Parker, Tackeshy N. Pinedo Vasquez, Paul F. Garcia Bardales, Pablo Peñataro Yori, Maribel Paredes Olortegui, Katia Manzanares Villanueva, Lucero Romaina Cachique, Hermann Silva Delgado, Matthew D. Hitchings, Steven Huynh, Samuel K. Sheppard, Ben Pascoe, Margaret N. Kosek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Society for Microbiology 2025-02-01
Series:mBio
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Online Access:https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02054-24
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author Kerry K. Cooper
Evangelos Mourkas
Francesca Schiaffino
Craig T. Parker
Tackeshy N. Pinedo Vasquez
Paul F. Garcia Bardales
Pablo Peñataro Yori
Maribel Paredes Olortegui
Katia Manzanares Villanueva
Lucero Romaina Cachique
Hermann Silva Delgado
Matthew D. Hitchings
Steven Huynh
Samuel K. Sheppard
Ben Pascoe
Margaret N. Kosek
author_facet Kerry K. Cooper
Evangelos Mourkas
Francesca Schiaffino
Craig T. Parker
Tackeshy N. Pinedo Vasquez
Paul F. Garcia Bardales
Pablo Peñataro Yori
Maribel Paredes Olortegui
Katia Manzanares Villanueva
Lucero Romaina Cachique
Hermann Silva Delgado
Matthew D. Hitchings
Steven Huynh
Samuel K. Sheppard
Ben Pascoe
Margaret N. Kosek
author_sort Kerry K. Cooper
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Campylobacter is a serious health threat because of the rapid progressive evolution of antimicrobial resistance and efficient transmission from zoonotic as well as human sources. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides is particularly concerning as this compromises the two most effective oral antibiotic agents currently available for human campylobacteriosis. Here, we report on the prevalence and worldwide distribution of the operon cmeRABC, which encodes an efflux pump conferring high levels of combined resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides in Campylobacter strains isolated from poultry (n = 75) and children (n = 177). These mutations were found to be highly prevalent in isolates from poultry (62.7%) and children (29.4%) in Iquitos, Peru. We investigated the population structure of genes in the cmeRABC operon and identified a potential genetic bottleneck for the cmeA and cmeB genes. While most cmeB alleles segregate by species, alleles associated with high resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides were found in both Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. We inferred that the likely ancestry of these alleles was from C. jejuni and was later acquired by C. coli through recombination. Publicly accessible global genomic data from 16,120 Campylobacter genomes identified these mutations in approximately 6% of C. jejuni and C. coli isolates globally, with higher prevalence in samples from poultry in many countries, including Peru. Our findings suggest that these extensively drug-resistant Campylobacter strains originated from C. jejuni in poultry.IMPORTANCEAntimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter is a growing public health concern, driven by the rapid evolution and zoonotic transmission of resistant strains. This study focuses on mutations in the cmeABC efflux pump, which confer high resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides, the two most effective oral antibiotics for human campylobacteriosis. By analyzing genomes from poultry and children in Iquitos, Peru, as well as global genomic data sets, we identified a significant prevalence of these resistance-associated mutations, particularly in poultry and children. Our findings suggest that these mutations originated in Campylobacter jejuni and spread to C. coli through recombination. Globally, these mutations are found in approximately 6% of isolates, with higher prevalence in poultry in multiple countries. This research underscores the critical role of genomic epidemiology in understanding the origins, evolution, and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and highlights the need to address poultry as a reservoir for resistant Campylobacter.
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spelling doaj-art-e874a76efaea490abbcf84a7aea6a63c2025-02-05T14:00:48ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologymBio2150-75112025-02-0116210.1128/mbio.02054-24Sharing of cmeRABC alleles between C. coli and C. jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in Campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the Peruvian AmazonKerry K. Cooper0Evangelos Mourkas1Francesca Schiaffino2Craig T. Parker3Tackeshy N. Pinedo Vasquez4Paul F. Garcia Bardales5Pablo Peñataro Yori6Maribel Paredes Olortegui7Katia Manzanares Villanueva8Lucero Romaina Cachique9Hermann Silva Delgado10Matthew D. Hitchings11Steven Huynh12Samuel K. Sheppard13Ben Pascoe14Margaret N. Kosek15School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USAZoonosis Science Center, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SwedenDivision of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottsville, Virginia, USAProduce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Albany, California, USAAsociacion Benefica Prisma, Iquitos, PeruAsociacion Benefica Prisma, Iquitos, PeruDivision of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottsville, Virginia, USAAsociacion Benefica Prisma, Iquitos, PeruAsociacion Benefica Prisma, Iquitos, PeruAsociacion Benefica Prisma, Iquitos, PeruSchool of Human Medicine, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana, Iquitos, PeruSwansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, United KingdomProduce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Albany, California, USAIneos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomIneos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDivision of Infectious Diseases and International Health, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottsville, Virginia, USAABSTRACT Campylobacter is a serious health threat because of the rapid progressive evolution of antimicrobial resistance and efficient transmission from zoonotic as well as human sources. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides is particularly concerning as this compromises the two most effective oral antibiotic agents currently available for human campylobacteriosis. Here, we report on the prevalence and worldwide distribution of the operon cmeRABC, which encodes an efflux pump conferring high levels of combined resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides in Campylobacter strains isolated from poultry (n = 75) and children (n = 177). These mutations were found to be highly prevalent in isolates from poultry (62.7%) and children (29.4%) in Iquitos, Peru. We investigated the population structure of genes in the cmeRABC operon and identified a potential genetic bottleneck for the cmeA and cmeB genes. While most cmeB alleles segregate by species, alleles associated with high resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides were found in both Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. We inferred that the likely ancestry of these alleles was from C. jejuni and was later acquired by C. coli through recombination. Publicly accessible global genomic data from 16,120 Campylobacter genomes identified these mutations in approximately 6% of C. jejuni and C. coli isolates globally, with higher prevalence in samples from poultry in many countries, including Peru. Our findings suggest that these extensively drug-resistant Campylobacter strains originated from C. jejuni in poultry.IMPORTANCEAntimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter is a growing public health concern, driven by the rapid evolution and zoonotic transmission of resistant strains. This study focuses on mutations in the cmeABC efflux pump, which confer high resistance to fluoroquinolones and macrolides, the two most effective oral antibiotics for human campylobacteriosis. By analyzing genomes from poultry and children in Iquitos, Peru, as well as global genomic data sets, we identified a significant prevalence of these resistance-associated mutations, particularly in poultry and children. Our findings suggest that these mutations originated in Campylobacter jejuni and spread to C. coli through recombination. Globally, these mutations are found in approximately 6% of isolates, with higher prevalence in poultry in multiple countries. This research underscores the critical role of genomic epidemiology in understanding the origins, evolution, and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and highlights the need to address poultry as a reservoir for resistant Campylobacter.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02054-24Campylobacterefflux pumpantibiotic resistancerecombinationIquitos
spellingShingle Kerry K. Cooper
Evangelos Mourkas
Francesca Schiaffino
Craig T. Parker
Tackeshy N. Pinedo Vasquez
Paul F. Garcia Bardales
Pablo Peñataro Yori
Maribel Paredes Olortegui
Katia Manzanares Villanueva
Lucero Romaina Cachique
Hermann Silva Delgado
Matthew D. Hitchings
Steven Huynh
Samuel K. Sheppard
Ben Pascoe
Margaret N. Kosek
Sharing of cmeRABC alleles between C. coli and C. jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in Campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the Peruvian Amazon
mBio
Campylobacter
efflux pump
antibiotic resistance
recombination
Iquitos
title Sharing of cmeRABC alleles between C. coli and C. jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in Campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the Peruvian Amazon
title_full Sharing of cmeRABC alleles between C. coli and C. jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in Campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the Peruvian Amazon
title_fullStr Sharing of cmeRABC alleles between C. coli and C. jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in Campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the Peruvian Amazon
title_full_unstemmed Sharing of cmeRABC alleles between C. coli and C. jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in Campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the Peruvian Amazon
title_short Sharing of cmeRABC alleles between C. coli and C. jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in Campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the Peruvian Amazon
title_sort sharing of cmerabc alleles between c coli and c jejuni associated with extensive drug resistance in campylobacter isolates from infants and poultry in the peruvian amazon
topic Campylobacter
efflux pump
antibiotic resistance
recombination
Iquitos
url https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02054-24
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