We sequenced the genomes of 10 Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis isolates containing bla CTX-M-65 obtained from chicken, cattle, and human sources collected between 2012 and 2015 in the United States through routine National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) surveillance and product sampling programs. We also completely assembled the plasmids from four of the isolates. All isolates had a D87Y mutation in the gyrA gene and harbored between 7 and 10 resistance genes [aph(4)-Ia, aac(3)-IVa, aph(3=)-Ic, bla fosA3, floR, dfrA14, sul1, tetA, aadA1] located in two distinct sites of a megaplasmid (ϳ316 to 323 kb) similar to that described in a bla CTX-M-65 -positive S. Infantis isolate from a patient in Italy. High-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (hqSNP) analysis revealed that all U.S. isolates were closely related, separated by only 1 to 38 pairwise high-quality SNPs, indicating a high likelihood that strains from humans, chickens, and cattle recently evolved from a common ancestor. The U.S. isolates were genetically similar to the bla CTX-M-65 -positive S. Infantis isolate from Italy, with a separation of 34 to 47 SNPs. This is the first report of the bla CTX-M-65 gene and the pESI (plasmid for emerging S. Infantis)-like megaplasmid from S. Infantis in the United States, and it illustrates the importance of applying a global One Health human and animal perspective to combat antimicrobial resistance.

The objectives of this study were to identify antimicrobial resistance genotypes for Campylobacter and to evaluate the correlation between resistance phenotypes and genotypes using in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). A total of 114 Campylobacter species isolates (82 C. coli and 32 C. jejuni) obtained from 2000 to 2013 from humans, retail meats, and cecal samples from food production animals in the United States as part of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System were selected for study. Resistance phenotypes were determined using broth microdilution of nine antimicrobials. Genomic DNA was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform, and resistance genotypes were identified using assembled WGS sequences through blastx analysis. Eighteen resistance genes, including tet ( There was a high degree of correlation between phenotypic resistance to a given drug and the presence of one or more corresponding resistance genes. Phenotypic and genotypic correlation was 100% for tetracycline, ciprofloxacin/nalidixic acid, and erythromycin, and correlations ranged from 95.4% to 98.7% for gentamicin, azithromycin, clindamycin, and telithromycin. All isolates were susceptible to florfenicol, and no genes associated with florfenicol resistance were detected. There was a strong correlation (99.2%) between resistance genotypes and phenotypes, suggesting that WGS is a reliable indicator of resistance to the nine antimicrobial agents assayed in this study. WGS has the potential to be a powerful tool for antimicrobial resistance surveillance programs. W hole-genome sequencing (WGS) technology has become a fast and affordable tool that is revolutionizing research in the fields of genetics, microbiology, and ecology, as well as public health surveillance and response. Recent studies have shown that WGS analysis can potentially be a single, rapid, and cost-effective approach to define resistance genotypes and predict resistance phenotypes of bacteria with great sensitivity and specificity (1-4).Current laboratory methods, such as broth microdilution, measure antimicrobial susceptibility based on the growth response of bacteria following exposure to the drugs. These methods are advantageous in that they help us understand the concentration of drug necessary to prevent growth of the organism, a measure that is directly related to the clinical success of antimicrobial therapy. However, such phenotypic testing can be costly and timeconsuming, especially for bacteria such Campylobacter that require special growth conditions. Several antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods have been developed for Campylobacter, including agar dilution, disk diffusion, Etest, and broth microdilution (5-7). Each of these methods can test only a limited number of antimicrobials. Reproducibility between laboratories also can be problematic, even when published guidelines are followed, due to variations in medium, incubation conditions, inoculum density, and antimicrobial stability (1,8). Several studi...

WGS can provide comprehensive resistance genotypes and is capable of accurately predicting resistance phenotypes, making it a valuable tool for surveillance. Moreover, the data presented here showing the ability to accurately predict resistance suggest that WGS may be used as a screening tool in selecting anti-infective therapy, especially as costs drop and methods improve.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a result of replication of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) predominantly in CD4؉ T lymphocytes and macrophages. However, most of these cells in vivo are immunologically quiescent, a condition restricting HIV-1 replication. Vpr is an HIV-1 virion protein suspected to enhance HIV-1 replication in vivo. We demonstrate in this report that Vpr specifically activates HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR)-directed transcription. This effect is most pronounced on a minimal promoter from HIV-1 LTR containing the TATA box and binding motifs for the ubiquitous cellular transcription factor Sp1. Evidence is presented that Vpr interacts with Sp1 when Sp1 is bound to the Sp1 motifs within the HIV-1 LTR. Both Vpr-Sp1 interaction and Vpr trans-activation require a central Leu/Ile-rich domain in Vpr. Our findings suggest that Vpr trans-activation through Sp1 is most critical for the immediate early transcription of HIV-1 when other positive regulators, such as NF-B, are limited or inactive, a condition presumably present in vivo. By interacting with Sp1, Vpr also has the potential to influence cellular gene expression and cellular functions. Thus, therapeutic approaches directed toward blocking the Vpr trans-activation function could prove valuable in treating AIDS. HIV-11 is the etiological agent of AIDS. The hallmark of AIDS is the slow but progressive depletion of CD4 ϩ -T cells, a class of T cells crucial for immune functions. Depletion of CD4 ϩ -T cell results in immunodeficiency and AIDS-related disorders, including encephalopathy, dementia, and malignancies (1). Despite tremendous efforts in the past, the mechanism of these AIDS-related disorders has remained unclear. However, it is clear that these are a consequence of function of HIV-1 encoded gene products. For example, the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein was implicated to be involved in toxic effects on neuronal cells (2). Recently, the HIV-1 Vpr protein in peripheral blood of HIV-1-infected people was shown to activate HIV-1 replication in latently infected cells (3,4). This effect of Vpr was suggested to contribute to HIV-1 pathogenesis in vivo.The HIV-1 genome encodes structural as well as regulatory gene products (5, 6). Recently, great efforts have been made toward understanding the function of the so-called accessory regulatory genes, namely vif, vpr, vpu, and nef. These genes are generally non-essential for HIV-1 to replicate in activated T cells. Yet, animal model studies with two of these genes, vpr and nef, suggested that they are required for in vivo replication and pathogenesis of the simian immunodeficiency virus (7,8). The paradox between HIV-1 replication in vitro and that in vivo suggests that HIV-1 replication may be subjected to different modes of regulation in vivo compared to in vitro. For example, in vitro studies have shown that HIV-1 replication is highly dependent on cellular activation and availability of activated NF-B transcription factor (5, 6, 9). However, in vivo, the majority of the sus...

Reports of transmissible colistin resistance show the importance of comprehensive colistin resistance surveillance. Recently, a new allele of the mobile colistin resistance (mcr) gene family designated mcr-9, which shows variation in genetic context and colistin susceptibility, was reported. We tested over 100 Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli isolates with mcr-9 from the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) in the United States for their susceptibility to colistin and found that every isolate was susceptible, with an MIC of ≤1 μg/ml. Long-read sequencing of 12 isolates revealed mcr-9 on IncHI plasmids that were either independent or integrated into the chromosome. Overall, these results demonstrate that caution is necessary when determining the clinical relevance of new resistance genes.

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Background: The incidence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections is increasing in the United States, and it is possible that municipal wastewater could be a reservoir of this microorganism. To date, no U.S. studies have evaluated the occurrence of MRSA in wastewater.Objective: We examined the occurrence of MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) at U.S. wastewater treatment plants.Methods: We collected wastewater samples from two Mid-Atlantic and two Midwest wastewater treatment plants between October 2009 and October 2010. Samples were analyzed for MRSA and MSSA using membrane filtration. Isolates were confirmed using biochemical tests and PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Sensititre® microbroth dilution. Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) screening, and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were performed to further characterize the strains. Data were analyzed by two-sample proportion tests and analysis of variance.Results: We detected MRSA (n = 240) and MSSA (n = 119) in 22 of 44 (50%) and 24 of 44 (55%) wastewater samples, respectively. The odds of samples being MRSA-positive decreased as treatment progressed: 10 of 12 (83%) influent samples were MRSA-positive, while only one of 12 (8%) effluent samples was MRSA-positive. Ninety-three percent and 29% of unique MRSA and MSSA isolates, respectively, were multidrug resistant. SCCmec types II and IV, the pvl gene, and USA types 100, 300, and 700 (PFGE strain types commonly found in the United States) were identified among the MRSA isolates.Conclusions: Our findings raise potential public health concerns for wastewater treatment plant workers and individuals exposed to reclaimed wastewater. Because of increasing use of reclaimed wastewater, further study is needed to evaluate the risk of exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in treated wastewater.

bAminoglycoside resistance in Campylobacter has been routinely monitored in the United States in clinical isolates since 1996 and in retail meats since 2002. Gentamicin resistance first appeared in a single human isolate of Campylobacter coli in 2000 and in a single chicken meat isolate in 2007, after which it increased rapidly to account for 11.3% of human isolates and 12.5% of retail isolates in 2010. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that gentamicin-resistant C. coli isolates from retail meat were clonal. We sequenced the genomes of two strains of this clone using a next-generation sequencing technique in order to investigate the genetic basis for the resistance. The gaps of one strain were closed using optical mapping and Sanger sequencing, and this is the first completed genome of C. coli. The two genomes are highly similar to each other. A self-transmissible plasmid carrying multiple antibiotic resistance genes was revealed within both genomes, carrying genes encoding resistance to gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, streptothricin, and tetracycline. Bioinformatics analysis and experimental results showed that gentamicin resistance was due to a phosphotransferase gene, aph(2؆)-Ig, not described previously. The phylogenetic relationship of this newly emerged clone to other Campylobacter spp. was determined by whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which showed that it clustered with the other poultry isolates and was separated from isolates from livestock.