Outer Membrane Vesicles of <em>Avian Pathogenic</em><em>Escherichia coli</em> Mediate the Horizontal Transmission of <em>bla</em><sub>CTX-M-55</sub>
Chao Li,
Renqiao Wen,
Rongrong Mu,
Xuan Chen,
Peng Ma,
Kui Gu,
Zheren Huang,
Zijing Ju,
Changwei Lei,
Yizhi Tang,
Hongning Wang
Affiliations
Chao Li
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Renqiao Wen
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Rongrong Mu
Provincial Key Laboratory for Transfusion-Transmitted Infectious Diseases, Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu 610052, China
Xuan Chen
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Peng Ma
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Kui Gu
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Zheren Huang
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Zijing Ju
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Changwei Lei
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Yizhi Tang
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
Hongning Wang
Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, No. 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China
The CTX-M-55 type extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae is increasing in prevalence worldwide without the transmission mechanism being fully clarified, which threatens public and livestock health. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) have been shown to mediate the gene horizontal transmission in some species. However, whether blaCTX-M-55 can be transmitted horizontally through OMVs in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) has not been reported yet. To test this hypothesis, an ESBL-producing APEC was isolated and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to analyze the location of blaCTX-M-55. Ultracentrifugation and size exclusion chromatography was used to isolate and purify OMVs, and the transfer experiment of blaCTX-M-55 via OMVs was performed finally. Our results showed that the blaCTX-M-55 was located on an IncI2 plasmid. The number and diameter of OMVs secreted by ESBL-producing APEC treated with different antibiotics were significantly varied. The transfer experiment showed that the OMVs could mediate the horizontal transfer of blaCTX-M-55, and the frequency of gene transfer ranged from 10−5 to 10−6 CFU/mL with the highest frequency observed in the Enrofloxacin treatment group. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the antibiotics in promoting and disseminating resistance in the poultry industry and support the restrictions on the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry.
