Genomic analysis of Elizabethkingia species from aquatic environments: Evidence for potential clinical transmission

Abstract

Highlights Identification of closely related (< 50 SNV) clinical and environmental aquatic Elizabethkingia anophelis isolates. Identification of a provisional novel species Elizabethkingia umaracha . Novel bla GOB and bla B carbapenemases and extended spectrum β-lactamase bla CME alleles identified in Elizabethkingia spp. Analysis of the global phylogeny and pangenome of Elizabethkingia spp. Identification of novel ICE elements carrying uncharacterised genetic cargo in 67 / 94 (71.3%) of the aquatic environments Elizabethkingia spp.

Epidemiology and Characteristics of Elizabethkingia spp. Infections in Southeast Asia

“…Recently, whole-genome sequence analysis along with optical mapping and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry led to the revision of the genus Elizabethkingia into eight species, namely E. meningoseptica , E. miricola , E. anophelis , E. bruuniana , E. ursingii , E. occulta [ 31 ], E. argenteiflava sp. nov. [ 32 ], and the latest E. umeracha [ 33 ].…”

“…The genera Elizabethkingia are aerobic, non-fermenting, non-motile, catalase-positive, oxidase-positive, indole-positive, and Gram-negative bacilli widely distributed in soil, mosquitoes, plants, fresh and marine fish [ 30 , 75 ], food products [ 76 ], hospital settings [ 77 ], stagnant water, inland wetlands, and rivers [ 33 ]. Due to their biofilm-forming ability [ 63 ], they have been isolated from sinks and taps where they colonize the most, leading to nosocomial and community infections [ 78 ] ( Table 1 ).…”

Whole-genome sequence and resistance determinants of four Elizabethkingia anophelis clinical isolates collected in Hanoi, Vietnam

“…Among them, Elizabethkingia meningoseptica , Elizabethkingia miricola and E. anophelis have been the most studied due to their clinical relevance, while the other species have rarely been associated with nosocomial infections 4 . All members of the Elizabethkingia genus are mainly considered to be environmental bacteria because they are ubiquitous in various natural reservoirs such as soil, freshwater bodies and insect or amphibian guts 5 – 7 . E. anophelis is commonly found in the midgut of different mosquito species, including the malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi 8 – 13 , and has already been detected from animal food products such as raw bovine milk 14 .…”

“…Nevertheless, its frequent detection in various areas of the hospital environment (e.g. sinks, faucets, mechanical ventilation equipment, medical devices, healthcare worker hands) and its ability to colonize and persist over long periods of time in water systems (such as tap water pipes) highlight the potential for sporadic outbreak emergence in hospitals 7 , 19 , 29 . In the last decade, E. anophelis has been confirmed as the responsible agent of several outbreaks across the world, including in Singapore 25 , the United States 23 , 30 , Hong Kong 15 and Taiwan 31 , 32 .…”

Natural occurrences and characterization of Elizabethkingia miricola infection in cultured bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana)

“…Elizabethkingia spp. is a potential zoonotic pathogen ( Vancanneyt et al., 1994 ) ; it is widely distributed in the natural environment and also exists in the hospital environment ( Moore et al., 2016 ; Chew et al., 2018 ; Hem et al., 2022 ). It is a potentially infectious pathogen in the hospital, which can cause newborn meningitis, adult sepsis, and skin and soft tissue infection, and mortality is rather high in infected patients ( Furyk et al., 2011 ).…”