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Publications

Journal Article Epublish

PubMed: 39458299 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12101990

A Longitudinal Study of Clinical Isolates from the Tracheal Aspirates of a Paediatric Patient-Strain Type Similar to Pandemic ST131.

Microorganisms 12(10)

Authors: Brankica Filipic, Milan Kojic, Zorica Vasiljevic, Aleksandar Sovtic, Ivica Dimkic, Emily Wood, Alfonso Esposito

Affiliations

  • Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 450, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia.
  • Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 444a, 11042 Belgrade, Serbia.
  • Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", Vojvode Stepe 448, 11042 Belgrade, Serbia.
  • Mother and Child Health Institute of Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Radoja Dakića 8, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia.
  • Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia.
  • Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
  • Department of Medicine and Surgery, "Kore" University of Enna (UKE), Contrada Santa Panasia, 94100 Enna, Italy.

Abstract

is a Gram-negative bacterium and part of the intestinal microbiota. However, it can cause various diarrhoeal illnesses, i.e., traveller's diarrhoea, dysentery, and extraintestinal infections when the bacteria are translocated from the intestine to other organs, such as urinary tract infections, abdominal and pelvic infections, pneumonia, bacteraemia, and meningitis. It is also an important pathogen in intensive care units where cross-infection may cause intrahospital spread with serious consequences. Within this study, four isolates from the tracheal aspirates of a tracheotomised paediatric patient on chronic respiratory support were analysed and compared for antibiotic resistance and virulence potential. Genomes of all four isolates (5381a, 5381b, 5681, 5848) were sequenced using Oxford Nanopore Technology. According to PFGE analysis, the clones of isolates 5681 and 5848 were highly similar, and differ from 5381a and 5381b which were isolated first chronologically. All four isolates belonged to an unknown sequence type, related to the ST131, a pandemic clone that is evolving rapidly with increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance. All four isolates in this study exhibited a multidrug-resistant phenotype as, according to MIC data, they were resistant to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, minocycline, and tetracycline. In addition, principal component analyses revealed that isolates 5681 and 5848, which were recovered later than 5381a and 5381b (two weeks and three weeks, respectively) possessed more complex antibiotic resistance genes and virulence profiles, which is concerning considering the short time period during which the strains were isolated.

MeSH

Longitudinal Studies, Respiratory Tract Infections, Drug Resistance, Microbial, Pandemics, Clone Cells, Virulence, Infections, Virulence Factors