Genotypic Characteristics of CTX–VPI⁺ Clonal Complexes of <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> O1 Found in Water Bodies of the Rostov Region

Abstract

The aim of the work was to identify genotypic features of clonal complexes formed by CTX–VPI+ strains of Vibrio cholerae isolated from water bodies of the Rostov Region in different years, based on bioinformatics analysis of their whole genome sequences (WGSs).Materials and methods. Whole genome sequencing was performed on the MiSeq (Illumina) platform; identification of genetic determinants in WGSs and bioinformatics analysis – by means of BioEdit, BLASTN, BLASTP, CARD, Vector NTI software packages.Results and discussion. The strains were almost identical in each group of 2002-, 2005-, 2007-, 2020-, 2021-, and 2022-isolates and were found at different points of water sampling over a longer or shorter periods of time (from 3 weeks to 2 months). Bioinformatics analysis of WGSs of representative strains divided them into 4 clusters, which can be considered as separate clonal complexes sharing a number of characteristic genetic markers: 1) 2002-isolates containing one SNP in regulatory rpoS gene; 2) 2007-strains carrying tandemly duplicated preCTX prophage; 3) strains isolated in 2020 in Rostov-on-Don and in 2005, during epidemiological complications in the Kamensk district of the Rostov Region, which had a “hybrid” pathogenicity island including the cluster of type 3 secretion system and the nan-nag region of the VPI-2 island, and 9 SNPs in rpoS gene; 4) 2021- and 2022-strains and a single 2018-isolate containing a 9 bp deletion in vchC collagenase gene. Despite the revealed differences, representatives of all clonal complexes possessed sufficient sets of intact determinants of pathogenicity/persistence factors to realize virulent properties and ability to survive in water bodies. Detection of clonal complexes of potentially pathogenic strains in surface water bodies indicates occasional emergence of favorable conditions for their long-term circulation, which emphasizes the importance of constant monitoring of V. cholerae in the territory of Russia.