Genomics Insight into <i>cfr</i>-Mediated Linezolid-Resistant LA-MRSA in Italian Pig Holdings
Manuela Iurescia,
Elena Lavinia Diaconu,
Patricia Alba,
Fabiola Feltrin,
Carmela Buccella,
Roberta Onorati,
Angelo Giacomi,
Andrea Caprioli,
Alessia Franco,
Antonio Battisti,
Virginia Carfora
Affiliations
Manuela Iurescia
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Elena Lavinia Diaconu
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Patricia Alba
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Fabiola Feltrin
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Carmela Buccella
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Roberta Onorati
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Angelo Giacomi
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Andrea Caprioli
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Alessia Franco
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Antonio Battisti
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
Virginia Carfora
National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of General Diagnostics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e Della Toscana “M. Aleandri”, 00178 Rome, Italy
The cfr genes encode for a 23S rRNA methyltransferase, conferring a multiresistance phenotype to phenicol, lincosamide, oxazolidinone, pleuromutilin, and streptogramin A antibiotics. These genes have been described in staphylococci, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In this study, we retrospectively performed an in-depth genomic characterisation of three cfr-positive, multidrug-resistant (MDR) livestock-associated (LA) MRSA clonal complexes (CCs) 1 and 398 detected in different Italian pig holdings (2008–2011) during population studies on Italian livestock (2008–2014). We used a combined Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) whole genome sequencing (WGS) approach on two isolates (the 2008 CC1 and the 2010 CC398 isolates, but not the 2011 CC1 isolate). Interestingly, the three isolates presented different cfr variants, with only one displaying a linezolid-resistant phenotype. In isolate 2008 CC1, the cfr gene was identified within a Tn558 composite transposon-like structure flanked by IS elements located on a novel 44,826 bp plasmid. This represents the first report of CC1 LA-MRSA harbouring the cfr gene in its functional variant. Differently, cfr was chromosomally located in isolate 2010 CC398. Our findings have significant public health implications, confirm the need for the continuous genomic surveillance of cfr-positive zoonotic LA-MRSA, and backdate cfr presence in LA-MRSA from Italian pigs to at least 2008.
