The whole-genome sequencing data of three N. gonorrhoeae
strains isolated in the Russian Federation in 2015 are presented.
According to the NG-MAST protocol, these strains are related to the globally
spread ST 1407 genogroup. The analysis of their resistomes showed the absence
of ermA/B/C/F genes and the presence of wild-type alleles of
rpsE, rrs, rrl, rplD, rplV, macAB, and mefA
genes, and these patterns explain the susceptibility of the sequenced
strains to aminocyclitols (spectinomycin) and macrolides (azithromycin).
Conjugative resistance determinants (blaTEM, tetM) were absent
in the genomes, and the penC/ pilQ, parE, and
norM alleles were shown to be wild-type, whereas single or
multiple nucleotide substitutions were identified in the genes encoding targets
for β-lactams (ponA, penA), tetracyclines
(rpsJ), and fluoroquinolones (gyrA, parC).
The additional mutations were found in porB gene and the
promoter of mtrR gene, which nonspecifically reduced the
susceptibility to antimicrobials due to the membrane permeability decrease and
efflux pump overexpression. The diversity of mutations observed in the analyzed
genomes prompted a revision of the phylogenetic relationships between the
strains by comparing more than 790 groups of housekeeping genes. A high
homology between the N. gonorrhoeae ST 1407 and N.
gonorrhoeae ST 12556 genomes was confirmed; the latter had probably
diverged from a common ancestor as a result of single mutation events. On the
other hand, N. gonorrhoeae ST 12450 was an example of
phenotypic convergence which appeared in the emergence of new drug resistance
determinants that partially coincide with those of the ST 1407 genogroup.
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