Relationships between Virulence Genes and Antibiotic Resistance Phenotypes/Genotypes in Campylobacter spp. Isolated from Layer Hens and Eggs in the North of Tunisia: Statistical and Computational Insights

Abstract

Globally, Campylobacter is a significant contributor to gastroenteritis. Efficient pathogens are qualified by their virulence power, resistance to antibiotics and epidemic spread. However, the correlation between antimicrobial resistance (AR) and the pathogenicity power of pathogens is complex and poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate genes encoding virulence and AR mechanisms in 177 Campylobacter isolates collected from layer hens and eggs in Tunisia and to assess associations between AR and virulence characteristics. Virulotyping was determined by searching 13 virulence genes and AR-encoding genes were investigated by PCR and MAMA-PCR. The following genes were detected in C. jejuni and C. coli isolates: tet(O) (100%/100%), blaOXA-61 (18.82%/6.25%), and cmeB (100%/100%). All quinolone-resistant isolates harbored the Thr-86-Ile substitution in GyrA. Both the A2074C and A2075G mutations in 23S rRNA were found in all erythromycin-resistant isolates; however, the erm(B) gene was detected in 48.38% and 64.15% of the C. jejuni and C. coli isolates, respectively. The machine learning algorithm Random Forest was used to determine the association of virulence genes with AR phenotypes. This analysis showed that C. jejuni virulotypes with gene clusters encompassing the racR, ceuE, virB11, and pldA genes were strongly associated with the majority of phenotypic resistance. Our findings showed high rates of AR and virulence genes among poultry Campylobacter, which is a cause of concern to human health. In addition, the correlations of specific virulence genes with AR phenotypes were established by statistical analysis.

Antimicrobial Usage, Susceptibility Profiles, and Resistance Genes in Campylobacter Isolated from Cattle, Chicken, and Water Samples in Kajiado County, Kenya

“…The cme B gene, conferring resistance to multiple antibiotics including macrolides (erythromycin), β -lactams (ampicillin), tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin) was detected in over 54% of the isolates (69% C. coli and 48.6% C. jejuni ). However, the findings of this study are much lower than previous reports in Tunisia [ 36 ].…”

“…Te results found in this study are comparable to a study conducted recently in various Kenyan counties, including Kajiado County [14]. Beyond Kenya, similar fndings were reported in studies carried out in Spain [35], Tunisia [36], South Korea [37], and China [38].…”

Antibiotic resistance mechanism and diagnosis of common foodborne pathogens based on genotypic and phenotypic biomarkers

“…Examples of enzymes for group transfer are acyltransferases, phosphotransferases (e.g., macrolide 2′‐phosphotransferase), thioltransferases, nucleotidyltransferases, ADP‐ribosyltransferases, and glycosyltransferases. Additionally, bacterial enzymes used for modifying the targets of antibiotics include rRNA methyltransferases, serine racemase, ligase, and phosphoethanolamine transferases (Gharbi, Kamoun, et al., 2022). In a study by Huang et al.…”

“…The binding of the TRPP promotes the dissociation of antibiotics from the binding site on the ribosome through direct spatial overlap. ARE ABC‐F proteins (e.g., Vga, Lsa, Sal, Vml) mainly react with bacterial ribosomes to protect against the translation inhibitors, such as lincosamide, macrolides, oxazolidones, and phenicols (Gharbi, Kamoun, et al., 2022; Schreyer et al., 2022; Sharkey & O'Neill, 2018). The target protection‐associated genes (e.g., tetM , tetO ) are promising candidates as biomarkers for detecting antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens.…”

“…Bacteria can produce enzymes to catalyze the chemical modification of antibiotics or modify the targets of antibiotics, which is an important strategy for bacterial antibiotic resistance development (Table 4), and over a quarter of the retrieved records reported enzymemediated antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens (Gharbi, Kamoun, et al, 2022). In a study by Huang et al (2021), all the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli isolated from cattle were found to carry the bla EC gene, which corresponded to the β-lactam resistance phenotype.…”