Molecular characters and phylogenetic analysis of Clostridium perfringens from different regions in China, from 2013 to 2021

Abstract

Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is a significant foodborne pathogen and a common cause of intestinal diseases in both animals and humans. Altogether, 186 isolates were obtained from humans (n = 147), animals (n = 25), and food (n = 14), comprising 174 type A strains (93.55%), 11 type F strains (5.91%), and one type D strain (0.54%); and were analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Additionally, some specific ST complexes were analyzed by cgMLST and cgSNP to investigate genetic relatedness. MLST indicated the most prevalent STs of C. perfringens of human and animal origin were as follows: ST221 (5/147), ST62 (4/147), ST408 (4/147), and ST493 (4/147) were predominant in humans, while ST479 (5/25) was the major type in animals. Within the same ST complex, genetically unrelated relationships or potential clustering/transmission events were further recognized by cgMLST and cgSNP, illustrating that these two methods are valuable in defining outbreaks and transmission events. All tested isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and meropenem. The rates of resistance to metronidazole, penicillin, cefoxitin, moxifloxacin, and clindamycin were low (metronidazole: 1.08%; penicillin: 9.68%; cefoxitin: 0.54%; moxifloxacin: 6.45%; and chloramphenicol: 3.76%). Interestingly, 49.66% of human origin were clindamycin-resistant, and 18.2% were penicillin-insensitive. Importantly, the portion of MDR isolates was significantly lower than in previous reports. The study provides an overview of the epidemiological characteristics of C. perfringens with different origins and hosts in China. C. perfringens demonstrated remarkable genetic diversity and distinct molecular features compared to antibiotic-resistance profiles from other studies.

Single Atom Editing of the Glycosylated Natural Product Fidaxomicin Improves Acid Stability and Retains Antibiotic Activity

“…Gratifyingly, all S-Fdx derivatives were found highly active against C. perfringens with MIC values ranging from 0.06 to 0.5 µg/mL. In comparison, the currently used metronidazole (MET) 24,27,29,53 has a MIC range of 1 to 2 µg/mL against the investigated C. perfringens isolates.…”

“…[23][24][25] The development of new therapies for C. perfringens infections is crucial given the development of resistances by C. perfringens against currently used antibiotics (clindamycin, penicillin, metronidazole, etc. ), [26][27][28][29] and the prevalence of penicillin allergies. With the promising in vitro activity of Fdx, 15 the synthesis of acid-stable glycomimetics constitutes a viable strategy to extend the portfolio of treatment options against…”

Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: A paradigm shift from general to precision medicine

“…aph(6)-la gene encodes APH(6)-la enzymes that phosphorylate 6'-hydroxyl group of streptomycin and spectinomycin. 42 Enzyme rRNA methyltransferase encoded by emr genes (erythromycin ribosomal methylation), causes macrolide resistance by enzymatic modification of the target site through methylation. This enzyme adds one or two methyl groups to the adenine residue in position A2058 of domain V present in the 23S rRNA, a part of the large (50S) ribosomal subunit.…”