| Title: | Emergence and Genomic Characterization of the First Reported optrA-Carrying Linezolid-Resistant Enterococci Isolated from Retail Broiler Meat in the United Arab Emirates |
| Author(s): | Habib I; Ghazawi A; Lakshmi GB; Mohamed MI; Li D; Khan M; Sahibzada S; |
| Address: | "Veterinary Public Health Research Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab of Emirates University, Al Ain 52571, United Arab Emirates. Department of Environmental Health, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria 5424041, Egypt. Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 52571, United Arab Emirates. Department of Food Science and Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore. Antimicrobial Resistance and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2304-8158 (Print) 2304-8158 (Electronic) 2304-8158 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The foodborne transfer of resistant genes from enterococci to humans and their tolerance to several commonly used antimicrobials are of growing concern worldwide. Linezolid is a last-line drug for managing complicated illnesses resulting from multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. The optrA gene has been reported in enterococci as one of the acquired linezolid resistance mechanisms. The present study uses whole-genome sequencing analysis to characterize the first reported isolates of linezolid-resistant E. faecium (n = 6) and E. faecalis (n = 10) harboring the optrA gene isolated from samples of supermarket broiler meat (n = 165) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The sequenced genomes were used to appraise the study isolates' genetic relatedness, antimicrobial resistance determinants, and virulence traits. All 16 isolates carrying the optrA gene demonstrated multidrug-resistance profiles. Genome-based relatedness classified the isolates into five clusters that were independent of the isolate sources. The most frequently known genotype among the isolates was the sequence type ST476 among E. faecalis (50% (5/10)). The study isolates revealed five novel sequence types. Antimicrobial resistance genes (ranging from 5 to 13) were found among all isolates that conferred resistance against 6 to 11 different classes of antimicrobials. Sixteen different virulence genes were found distributed across the optrA-carrying E. faecalis isolates. The virulence genes in E. faecalis included genes encoding invasion, cell adhesion, sex pheromones, aggregation, toxins production, the formation of biofilms, immunity, antiphagocytic activity, proteases, and the production of cytolysin. This study presented the first description and in-depth genomic characterization of the optrA-gene-carrying linezolid-resistant enterococci from retail broiler meat in the UAE and the Middle East. Our results call for further monitoring of the emergence of linezolid resistance at the retail and farm levels. These findings elaborate on the importance of adopting a One Health surveillance approach involving enterococci as a prospective bacterial indicator for antimicrobial resistance spread at the human-food interface" |
| Keywords: | Uae antimicrobial resistance enterococci poultry whole-genome sequencing; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEHabib, Ihab Ghazawi, Akela Lakshmi, Glindya Bhagya Mohamed, Mohamed-Yousif Ibrahim Li, Dan Khan, Mushtaq Sahibzada, Shafi eng 12R009/United Arab Emirates University/ Switzerland 2023/07/11 Foods. 2022 Oct 13; 11(20):3190. doi: 10.3390/foods11203190" |
