Genomic analysis of carbapenem-resistant Comamonas in water matrices: Implications for public health and wastewater treatments

Sopheak Hem, Ethan R. Wyrsch, Barbara Drigo, Dave J. Baker, Ian G. Charles, Erica Donner, Veronica M. Jarocki, Steven P. Djordjevic

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Comamonas spp. are Gram-negative bacteria that catabolize a wide range of organic and inorganic substrates. Comamonas spp. are abundant in aquatic and soil environments, including wastewater, and can cause opportunistic infections in humans. Because of their potential in wastewater bioaugmentation and bioremediation strategies, the identification of Comamonas species harboring genes encoding carbapenemases and other clinically important antibiotic resistance genes warrant further investigation. Here, we present an analysis of 39 whole-genome sequences comprising three Comamonas species from aquatic environments in South Australia that were recovered on media supplemented with carbapenems. The analysis includes a detailed description of 33 Comamonas denitrificans isolates, some of which carried chromosomally acquired blaGES-5, blaOXA, and aminoglycoside resistance (aadA) genes located on putative genomic islands (GIs). All blaGES-5- and blaOXA-containing GIs appear to be unique to this Australian collection of C. denitrificans. Notably, most open reading frames (ORFs) within the GIs, including all antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, had adjacent attC sites, indicating that these ORFs are mobile gene cassettes. One C. denitrificans isolate carried an IncP-1 plasmid with genes involved in xenobiotic degradation and response to oxidative stress. Our assessment of the sequences highlights the very distant nature of C. denitrificans to the other Comamonas species and its apparent disposition to acquire antimicrobial resistance genes on putative genomic islands.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere00646-22
JournalApplied and Environmental Microbiology
Volume88
Issue number13
Early online date16 Jun 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Jul 2022

Keywords

  • antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
  • bla
  • carbapenemase
  • Comamonas
  • Comamonas denitrificans
  • genomic islands
  • incP-1
  • wastewater
  • whole-genome sequencing (WGS)

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