Comparing Genomic Characteristics of Streptococcus pyogenes Associated with Invasiveness over a 20-year Period in Korea
2022; 42(4): 438-446
Ann Lab Med 2020; 40(5): 370-381
Published online September 1, 2020 https://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2020.40.5.370
Copyright © Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine.
Takashi Takahashi , M.D., Ph.D.1, Takahiro Maeda , B.P.1, Seungjun Lee , M.D.2, Dong-Hyun Lee , M.D.3, and Sunjoo Kim, M.D., Ph.D.2,4
1Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences & Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences, Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan; 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon, Korea; 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju, Korea; 4Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Jinju, Korea
Correspondence to: Sunjoo Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, 11 Samjungja-ro, Seongsan-gu, Changwon 51472, Korea
Tel: +82-55-214-3072
Fax: +82-55-214-3087
E-mail: sjkim8239@hanmail.net
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The clindamycin-resistant erythromycin-susceptible (CRES) phenotype is rare in
Sixty-six
We identified seven CRES
CRES isolates collected between 2010 and 2011 showed a unique cluster with ST19 and CPS genotype III in Korea. This is the first report on WGS-based characteristics of
Keywords: Streptococcus agalactiae, Group B streptococci, Antimicrobial resistance, Whole genome sequencing, Sequence types, Clonal distribution, CRES (clindamycin-resistant erythromycin-susceptible)
There are two major phenotypes of macrolide resistance in streptococci: an MLSB phenotype is resistant to macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramin B, and an M phenotype is resistant to macrolides, but not to lincosamides and streptogramin B [7]. The MLSB phenotype in streptococci can result from induced/constitutive expression of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants,
The CRES phenotype (L phenotype) is rare in
We aimed to determine the genetic characteristics of CRES
Patients’ sex and age were obtained from the electronic medical records. In total, 66 patients with a median age of 50.5 years (range, 0–86 years), including 12 children, 54 adults, and 32 males (48.5%), were enrolled. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of GNUH (approval number: GNUH 2016-03-010). Informed consent was waived because of the retrospective nature of the study.
AST was conducted using 11 antimicrobial agents, including β-lactam, tetracycline, macrolide/lincosamide (ML), and fluoroquinolone, to evaluate AMR levels by the broth microdilution method using a Vitek-2 System and an ST-01 test kit (bioMerieux Inc.). CRES
Bacterial identification and AST had been performed previously by routine microbiological procedures, whereas WGS and bioinformatics analysis had been conducted for this study.
AMR genotyping was conducted based on the contig sequences obtained using ResFinder version 3.2 (https://cge.cbs.dtu.dk/services/ResFinder/) managed by the Center for Genomic Epidemiology [14]. This tool can detect genes conferring resistance to β-lactams, macrolide, lincosamide, tetracycline, quinolone, oxazolidinone, sulfonamide/trimethoprim, glycopeptide, aminoglycoside, phenicol, fosfomycin, nitroimidazole, rifampicin, fusidic acid, and colistin. AMR genotypes were determined based on an identity threshold >90% and a minimum length of 60% as compared with the reference sequence in the database.
MLST (allelic profile:
CPS genotyping and detection of the
The presence of five virulence genes (
A phylogenetic tree was constructed using Orthologous Average Nucleotide Identity Tool, which measures similarity among multiple genome sequences based on the OrthoANI algorithm and BLAST calculations, on EZBioCloud (https://www.ezbiocloud.net/tools/orthoani) [21].
We used Fisher’s exact probability tests (two-sided) to determine significant differences between CRES and CSER isolates using SPSS Statistics version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).
We deposited the draft genome sequences of the 66
The goeBURST diagram is shown in Fig. 1. All seven CRES isolates belonged to ST19 (CC19), suggesting a clonal distribution of the CRES isolates (Table 2), whereas the seven CSER isolates belonged to ST19 (CC19) (N=3), ST2/ST1 (CC2) (N=2), or ST23 (N=2).
All CRES isolates showed the
All isolates possessed the
All CRES isolates exhibited the
The phylogenetic tree revealed that all CRES isolates belonged to the same group, whereas CSER isolates belonged to diverse groups, corroborating the clonal distribution of the CRES isolates (Fig. 2). The group distribution on the tree was in accordance with the CPS genotype distribution (e.g., Ia, Ib, III, V, and VIII).
The
Our study revealed that CRES isolates have unique features compared with CSER isolates, including their AMR genotype [
We searched for the presence of CRES
In line with a previous study [11], we found a significant difference in the distribution of AMR genotype of
The
Four CRES isolates (GCH63, GCH64, GCH65, and GCH67) in our study possessed truncated variant sequences of
This study has several limitations. First, clinical data, such as antibiotic treatment, outcome, and complications, does not suffice to demonstrate the relationship with the AMR genotype or virulence gene profile. Second, we cannot explain why the clonal outbreak occurred only during a limited period and is absent nowadays. Third, we did not determine translational activities and enzymatic functions of the IS
In conclusion, CRES isolates were obtained during a limited period (2010–2011) and showed a genetic cluster having ST19 and CPS III in Korea as revealed by WGS. This rare AMR phenotype should be meticulously monitored, and the therapeutic efficacy of optimal antibiotics should be further evaluated.
goeBURST diagram of the relationships among STs of 66
Abbreviations: CC, clonal complex; ST, sequence type.
Phylogenetic tree of 66
Abbreviations: CPS, capsular polysaccharide; CRES, clindamycin-resistant erythromycin-susceptible; CSER, clindamycin-susceptible erythromycin-resistant; CRER, clindamycin-resistant erythromycin-resistant; CSES, clindamycin-susceptible erythromycin-susceptible; CSEI, clindamycin-susceptible erythromycin-intermediate; CREI, clindamycin-resistant erythromycin-intermediate; CIES, clindamycin-intermediate erythromycin-susceptible; OAT, Orthologous Average Nucleotide Identity Tool.
Comparison of sequences of GCH61, NUBL-9601, and KMP104. Sequence of
Abbreviation: CRES, clindamycin-resistant erythromycin-susceptible.
Specimen, date of collection, and accession numbers of draft genome sequences of 66 isolates of
Strain | Specimen | Date of specimen collection (yr/month) | Sex | Age (yr) | Accession numbers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GCH2 | Blood | 2016/03 | M | 75 | WHUI00000000 |
GCH4 | Blood | 2016/05 | F | 83 | WHUJ00000000 |
GCH5 | Blood | 2016/06 | F | 78 | WHUK00000000 |
GCH7 | Blood | 2016/07 | M | 74 | WHUL00000000 |
GCH8 | Blood | 2016/07 | M | 79 | WACQ00000000 |
GCH9 | Blood | 2016/07 | M | 0 | VYJX00000000 |
GCH10 | Blood | 2016/08 | F | 72 | VYJI00000000 |
GCH11 | Blood | 2016/08 | M | 40 | VYJJ00000000 |
GCH13 | Blood | 2016/10 | M | 64 | VYJK00000000 |
GCH14 | Blood | 2016/12 | M | 67 | VYJL00000000 |
GCH15 | Blood | 2016/12 | M | 76 | VYJM00000000 |
GCH16 | Blood | 2017/01 | M | 43 | VYJN00000000 |
GCH18 | Blood | 2017/02 | M | 77 | VYJO00000000 |
GCH19 | Blood | 2017/02 | M | 60 | VYJP00000000 |
GCH21 | Blood | 2017/03 | F | 85 | VYJQ00000000 |
GCH22 | Blood | 2017/05 | M | 46 | VYJR00000000 |
GCH25 | Blood | 2017/06 | M | 64 | VYJS00000000 |
GCH26 | Blood | 2017/07 | M | 86 | VYJT00000000 |
GCH28 | Blood | 2017/08 | M | 54 | VYJU00000000 |
GCH29 | Blood | 2017/10 | M | 0 | VYJV00000000 |
GCH30 | Blood | 2017/10 | F | 74 | VYJW00000000 |
GCH32 | Blood | 2017/12 | M | 51 | VYQL00000000 |
GCH33 | Blood | 2016/08 | F | 56 | VYQM00000000 |
GCH34 | Blood | 2016/11 | F | 73 | VYQN00000000 |
GCH35 | Blood | 2017/05 | M | 84 | VYQO00000000 |
GCH36 | Blood | 2017/07 | F | 73 | VYQP00000000 |
GCH37 | CSF | 2014/07 | M | 51 | VYQQ00000000 |
GCH38 | CSF | 2014/10 | M | 0 | VYQR00000000 |
GCH39 | CSF | 2014/12 | M | 0 | VYQS00000000 |
GCH40 | CSF | 2015/08 | F | 0 | VYQT00000000 |
GCH41 | CSF | 2015/08 | F | 0 | VYQU00000000 |
GCH42 | CSF | 2016/06 | M | 50 | VYQV00000000 |
GCH43 | Urine | 2017/02 | M | 32 | VYQW00000000 |
GCH44 | Urine | 2017/02 | F | 56 | VYQX00000000 |
GCH45 | Urine | 2017/05 | F | 84 | VYQY00000000 |
GCH46 | Urine | 2017/07 | M | 61 | VYQZ00000000 |
GCH47 | Urine | 2017/07 | F | 34 | VYRA00000000 |
GCH48 | Urine | 2017/08 | F | 73 | VYRB00000000 |
GCH49 | Urine | 2017/08 | M | 65 | VYRC00000000 |
GCH50 | Urine | 2017/11 | F | 13 | VYRD00000000 |
GCH51 | Urine | 2017/12 | M | 53 | VYRE00000000 |
GCH53 | Vaginal discharge | 2016/04 | F | 34 | VYRF00000000 |
GCH54 | Vaginal discharge | 2016/05 | F | 33 | VYRG00000000 |
GCH55 | Vaginal discharge | 2016/10 | F | 33 | VYRH00000000 |
GCH56 | Vaginal discharge | 2017/01 | F | 22 | VYRI00000000 |
GCH57 | Vaginal discharge | 2017/01 | F | 33 | VYRJ00000000 |
GCH58 | Vaginal discharge | 2017/02 | F | 37 | VYRK00000000 |
GCH59 | Vaginal discharge | 2017/04 | F | 39 | VYRL00000000 |
GCH60 | Vaginal discharge | 2017/07 | F | 33 | VYRM00000000 |
GCH61 | Urine | 2010/03 | M | 51 | VYRN00000000 |
GCH62 | Vaginal discharge | 2010/03 | F | 38 | VYRO00000000 |
GCH63 | Urine | 2010/04 | M | 44 | VYRP00000000 |
GCH64 | Urine | 2010/10 | F | 83 | VYRQ00000000 |
GCH65 | Urine | 2010/12 | F | 49 | VYRR00000000 |
GCH66 | Vaginal discharge | 2010/12 | F | 42 | VYRS00000000 |
GCH67 | Urine | 2011/08 | F | 55 | VYRT00000000 |
GCH68 | CSF | 2011/04 | M | 0 | VYRU00000000 |
GCH70 | CSF | 2012/01 | F | 0 | VYRW00000000 |
GCH71 | CSF | 2012/03 | M | 0 | VYRX00000000 |
GCH72 | CSF | 2012/08 | F | 0 | VYRY00000000 |
GCH73 | Vaginal discharge | 2014/07 | F | 33 | WHUM00000000 |
GCH74 | Vaginal discharge | 2014/08 | F | 40 | WHUN00000000 |
GCH75 | Vaginal discharge | 2016/02 | F | 25 | WHUO00000000 |
GCH76 | Urine | 2015/11 | F | 79 | WHUP00000000 |
GCH77 | Urine | 2016/02 | M | 60 | WHUQ00000000 |
GCH78 | Urine | 2014/10 | M | 0 | WHUR00000000 |
Phenotypic and genotypic features of
Isolate | Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern | Macrolide/lincosamide resistance gene | Tetracycline resistance gene | Aminoglycoside resistance gene | ST | CPS genotype | Virulence gene profile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GCH2 | CRER | 12 | Ib | ||||
GCH4 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH5 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH7 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH8 | CSES | 654 | Ib | ||||
GCH9 | CRER | 335 | III | ||||
GCH10 | CIES | 23 | Ia | ||||
GCH11 | CSES | 23 | Ia | ||||
GCH13 | CSES | 1,371 | VIII | ||||
GCH14 | CRER | 335 | III | ||||
GCH15 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH16 | CSES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH18 | CSES | 23 | Ia | ||||
GCH19 | CREI | 19 | III | ||||
GCH21 | CREI | 23 | Ia | ||||
GCH22 | CSES | 88 | II | ||||
GCH25 | CSES | 1 | VI | ||||
GCH26 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH28 | CSES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH29 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH30 | CRER | 1 | V | ||||
GCH32 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH33 | CRER | 335 | III | ||||
GCH34 | CSES | 24 | Ia | ||||
GCH35 | CSES | 10 | Ib | ||||
GCH36 | CSES | 10 | Ib | ||||
GCH37 | NA | 88 | Ia | ||||
GCH38 | CREI | 1,369 | III | ||||
GCH39 | CSES | 17 | III | ||||
GCH40 | CRER | 335 | III | ||||
GCH41 | CRER | 17 | III | ||||
GCH42 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH43 | CREI | 19 | III | ||||
GCH44 | CSEI | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH45 | CSER | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH46 | CSES | 654 | Ib | ||||
GCH47 | CRER | 19 | V | ||||
GCH48 | CRER | 1 | V | ||||
GCH49 | CRER | 861 | III | ||||
GCH50 | CREI | 19 | III | ||||
GCH51 | CRER | 10 | Ib | ||||
GCH53 | CSES | 1 | II | ||||
GCH54 | CSES | 10 | Ib | ||||
GCH55 | CREI | 19 | III | ||||
GCH56 | CSES | 2 | VIII | ||||
GCH57 | CRER | 654 | Ib | ||||
GCH58 | CREI | 19 | III | ||||
GCH59 | CRER | 335 | III | ||||
GCH60 | CSES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH61 | CRES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH62 | CRES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH63 | CRES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH64 | CRES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH65 | CRES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH66 | CRES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH67 | CRES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH68 | CSES | 335 | III | ||||
GCH70 | CSES | 335 | III | ||||
GCH71 | CSES | 23 | Ia | ||||
GCH72 | CSES | 19 | III | ||||
GCH73 | CSER | 1 | VI | ||||
GCH74 | CSER | 19 | III | ||||
GCH75 | CSER | 23 | Ia | ||||
GCH76 | CSER | 19 | V | ||||
GCH77 | CSER | 23 | Ia | ||||
GCH78 | CSER | 19 | III |