The genetic analysis of an Acinetobacter johnsonii clinical strain evidenced the presence of horizontal genetic transfer

SABRINA MONTAÑA; SAREDA T.J. SCHRAMM; GERMAN M TRAGLIA; KEVIN CHIEM; GISELA PARMECIANO DI NOTO; MARISA ALMUZARA; CLAUDIA BARBIERIS; CARLOS VAY; CECILIA QUIROGA; MARCELO TOLMASKY; ANDRES IRIARTE; MARÍA SOLEDAD RAMÍREZ

PLOS ONE

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2016

1932-6203

Acinetobacter johnsonii rarely causes human infections. While most A. johnsonii isolates are susceptible to almost all antibiotics, strains harboring a variety of β-lactamases have recently been described. Rodriguez et al 2014 showed that the A. johnsonii Aj2199 clinical strain recovered from a hospital in Buenos Aires was co-producing PER-2 and OXA-58. We decided to delve its genome by obtaining the whole genome sequence of the Aj2199 strain. Genome comparison studies revealed that Aj2199 harbors 254 exclusive genes and that the closest related strain to Aj2199 is WJ10621 strain. Genomic analysis showed evidence of horizontal genetic transfer (HGT) events by the presence of a wide variety of different mobile elements and resistance determinants in Aj2199. The genes blaPER-2, blaOXA-58, blaTEM-1, strA, strB, ereA, sul1, and aacC2 were found in the genome. A new variant of blaOXA-211, called blaOXA-498, was also identified. Moreover, 45 insertion sequences and two intact prophages were identified. Genetic context analysis of blaPER-2 and blaTEM-1 revealed the typical contexts previously described in the Enterobacteriaceae family. These results supported the occurrence of DNA exchange.The data presented here strongly suggests the potentiality and promiscuity of A. johnsonii to easily acquire exogenous DNA from other bacterial species. The detection of resistance determinants and sequences related to HGT will expose not only the potential of A. johnsonii to acquire and harbor resistance determinants but it will also explain the spread of these genes into other species.