TY - JOUR

T1 - IncHI1A plasmids potentially facilitate horizontal flow of antibiotic resistance genes to pathogens in microbial communities of urban residential sewage

AU - Olesen, Asmus K.

AU - Pinilla-Redondo, Rafael

AU - Hansen, Mads F.

AU - Russel, Jakob

AU - Dechesne, Arnaud

AU - Smets, Barth F.

AU - Madsen, Jonas S.

AU - Nesme, Joseph

AU - Sørensen, Søren J.

N1 - Funding Information: We thank VA SYD for crucial access and help with sampling. This work was funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research (Sandbar project DFF‐7017‐00210). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Horizontal gene transfer via plasmids is important for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes among medically relevant pathogens. Specifically, the transfer of IncHI1A plasmids is believed to facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, such as carbapenemases, within the clinically important family Enterobacteriaceae. The microbial community of urban wastewater treatment plants has been shown to be highly permissive towards conjugal transfer of IncP1 plasmids. Here, we tracked the transfer of the P1 plasmid pB10 and the clinically relevant HI1A plasmid R27 in the microbial communities present in urban residential sewage entering full-scale wastewater treatment plants. We found that both plasmids readily transferred to these communities and that strains in the sewage were able to further disseminate them. Furthermore, R27 has a broad potential host range, but a low host divergence. Interestingly, although the majority of R27 transfer events were to members of Enterobacteriaceae, we found a subset of transfer events to other families, even other phyla. This indicates that HI1A plasmids facilitate horizontal gene transfer both within Enterobacteriaceae, but also across families of, in particular, Gammaproteobacteria, such as Moraxellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae and Shewanellaceae. pB10 displayed a similar potential host range to R27. In contrast to R27, pB10 had a high host divergence. By culture enrichment of the transconjugant communities, we show that sewage strains of Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonadaceae can stably maintain R27 and pB10, respectively. Our results suggest that dissemination in the urban residual water system of HI1A plasmids may result in an accelerated acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens.

AB - Horizontal gene transfer via plasmids is important for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes among medically relevant pathogens. Specifically, the transfer of IncHI1A plasmids is believed to facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, such as carbapenemases, within the clinically important family Enterobacteriaceae. The microbial community of urban wastewater treatment plants has been shown to be highly permissive towards conjugal transfer of IncP1 plasmids. Here, we tracked the transfer of the P1 plasmid pB10 and the clinically relevant HI1A plasmid R27 in the microbial communities present in urban residential sewage entering full-scale wastewater treatment plants. We found that both plasmids readily transferred to these communities and that strains in the sewage were able to further disseminate them. Furthermore, R27 has a broad potential host range, but a low host divergence. Interestingly, although the majority of R27 transfer events were to members of Enterobacteriaceae, we found a subset of transfer events to other families, even other phyla. This indicates that HI1A plasmids facilitate horizontal gene transfer both within Enterobacteriaceae, but also across families of, in particular, Gammaproteobacteria, such as Moraxellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae and Shewanellaceae. pB10 displayed a similar potential host range to R27. In contrast to R27, pB10 had a high host divergence. By culture enrichment of the transconjugant communities, we show that sewage strains of Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonadaceae can stably maintain R27 and pB10, respectively. Our results suggest that dissemination in the urban residual water system of HI1A plasmids may result in an accelerated acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens.

KW - 16S rRNA

KW - antibiotic resistance

KW - horizontal gene transfer

KW - microbial ecology

KW - plasmids

KW - wastewater treatments plants

U2 - 10.1111/mec.16346

DO - 10.1111/mec.16346

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35014098

AN - SCOPUS:85124510358

VL - 31

SP - 1595

EP - 1608

JO - Molecular Ecology

JF - Molecular Ecology

SN - 0962-1083

IS - 5

ER -