Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture (한국환경농학회지)

The Korean Society of Environmental Agriculture (한국환경농학회)
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Plasmid Sequence Data Analysis to Investigate Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transfer among Swine, Swine Farm and Their Owners

돼지와 양돈장 및 농장 관계자 간에 발생하는 항생제 내성 유전자 전파 조사를 위한 플라스미드 염기서열 분석

  • Yujin Jeong (Faculty of Biotechnology, College of Applied Life Sciences, Jeju National University) ;
  • Sunwoo Lee (Faculty of Biotechnology, College of Applied Life Sciences, Jeju National University) ;
  • Jung Sik Yoo (Division of Antimicrobial Resistance Research, National Institute of Infectious Disease, National Institute of Health, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency) ;
  • Dong-Hun Lee (Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University) ;
  • Tatsuya Unno (Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University)
  • 정유진 (제주대학교 생명자원과학대학 생명공학부) ;
  • 이선우 (제주대학교 생명자원과학대학 생명공학부) ;
  • 유정식 (질병관리청 국립보건연구원 감염병연구센터 약제내성연구과) ;
  • 이동훈 (충북대학교 자연과학대학 미생물학과) ;
  • 운노타쯔야 (충북대학교 자연과학대학 미생물학과)
  • Received : 2023.10.26
  • Accepted : 2023.11.07
  • Published : 2023.12.31
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Abstract

Antibiotics either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. However, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are difficult to treat with antibiotics. Infections caused by such bacteria often lead to severe diseases. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) can be horizontally transmitted across different bacterial species, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of how ARGs spread across various environments. In this study, we analyzed the plasmid sequences of 33 extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli isolated from pigs, farms, and their owners. We conducted an antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) with aztreonam and seven other antibiotics, as well as whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the strains using MinION. Our results demonstrated that the plasmids that did not harbor ARGs were mostly non-conjugative, whereas the plasmids that harbored ARGs were conjugative. The arrangement of these ARGs exhibited a pattern of organization featuring a series of ARG cassettes, some of which were identical across the isolates collected from different sources. Therefore, this study suggests that the sets of ARG cassettes on plasmids were mostly shared between pigs and their owners. Hence, enhanced surveillance of ARG should be implemented in farm environments to proactively mitigate the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the research program funded by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (2020-ER5408-00). The pathogen resources (NCCP NMS1179 and 32 other strains) for this study were provided by the National Institute of Health Multidrug Resistant Bacteria Specialized Pathogen Resources Bank in Korea. This work was supported by a funding for the academic research program of Chungbuk National University in 2023.

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