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ToolsBloomfield, Samuel J., Palau, Raphaёlle, Holden, Emma R., Webber, Mark A. and Mather, Alison E. (2024) Genomic characterization of Pseudomonas spp. on food: Implications for spoilage, antimicrobial resistance and human infection. BMC Microbiology, 24. ISSN 1471-2180
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Abstract
Background: Pseudomonas species are common on food, but their contribution to the antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) burden within food or as a source of clinical infection is unknown. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for a wide range of infections and is often hard to treat due to intrinsic and acquired ARGs commonly carried by this species. This study aimed to understand the potential role of Pseudomonas on food as a reservoir of ARGs and to assess the presence of potentially clinically significant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains on food. To achieve this, we assessed the genetic relatedness (using whole genome sequencing) and virulence of food-derived isolates to those collected from humans. Results: A non-specific culturing approach for Pseudomonas recovered the bacterial genus from 28 of 32 (87.5%) retail food samples, although no P. aeruginosa was identified. The Pseudomonas species recovered were not clinically relevant, contained no ARGs and are likely associated with food spoilage. A specific culture method for P. aeruginosa resulted in the recovery of P. aeruginosa from 14 of 128 (11%) retail food samples; isolates contained between four and seven ARGs each and belonged to 16 sequence types (STs), four of which have been isolated from human infections. Food P. aeruginosa isolates from these STs demonstrated high similarity to human-derived isolates, differing by 41–312 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). There were diverse P. aeruginosa collected from the same food sample with distinct STs present on some samples and isolates belonging to the same ST differing by 19–67 SNPs. The Galleria mellonella infection model showed that 15 of 16 STs isolated from food displayed virulence between a low-virulence (PAO1) and a high virulence (PA14) control. Conclusion: The most frequent Pseudomonas recovered from food examined in this study carried no ARGs and are more likely to play a role in food spoilage rather than infection. P. aeruginosa isolates likely to be able to cause human infections and with multidrug resistant genotypes are present on a relatively small but still substantial proportions of retail foods examined. Given the frequency of exposure, the potential contribution of food to the burden of P. aeruginosa infections in humans should be evaluated more closely.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | Data Availability Statement: The sequence data generated during the current study are available in the Sequence Read Archive under Bioproject: PRJNA973713. Funding Information: This project was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Institute Strategic Programme Microbes in the Food Chain BB/R012504/1 and its constituent project BBS/E/F/000PR10348 (Theme 1, Epidemiology and Evolution of Pathogens in the Food Chain) and Food Standards Agency (FSA) project FS101185 through an FSA Fellowship to AEM. Support was also provided in part by a Medical Research Foundation Emerging Leaders Prize (MRF-160-0011-ELP-MATH-C0804) to AEM and BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme Microbes and Food Safety BB/X011011/1 and its constituent project BBS/E/F/000PR13634 (Theme 1, Microbial threats from foods in established and evolving food systems). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | antimicrobial resistance,food,pseudomonas aeruginosa,pseudomonas spp,spoilage,whole genome sequencing,microbiology,microbiology (medical) ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2400/2404 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Metabolic Health |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Oct 2024 10:30 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Oct 2024 10:30 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/97098 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12866-023-03153-9 |
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