PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Clostridioides difficile has significant clinical importance as a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections, with symptoms ranging from mild diarrhoea to severe colitis, and possible life-threatening complications. C. difficile ribotype (RT) 002, mainly associated with MLST sequence type (ST) 8, is one of the most common RTs found in humans. This study aimed at investigating the genetic characteristics of 537 C. difficile genomes of ST8/RT002. To this end, we sequenced 298 C. difficile strains representing a new European genome collection, with strains from Germany, Denmark, France and Portugal. These sequences were analysed against a global dataset consisting of 1,437 ST8 genomes available through Enterobase. Our results showed close genetic relatedness among the studied ST8 genomes, a diverse array of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and the presence of multiple mobile elements. Notably, the pangenome analysis revealed an open genomic structure. ST8 shows relatively low overall variation. Thus, clonal isolates were found across different One Health sectors (humans, animals, environment and food), time periods, and geographical locations, suggesting the lineage\'s stability and a universal environmental source. Importantly, this stability did not hinder the acquisition of AMR genes, emphasizing the adaptability of this bacterium to different selective pressures. Although only 2.4 % (41/1,735) of the studied genomes originated from non-human sources, such as animals, food, or the environment, we identified 9 cross-sectoral core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) clusters. Our study highlights the importance of ST8 as a prominent lineage of C. difficile with critical implications in the context of One Health. In addition, these findings strongly support the need for continued surveillance and investigation of non-human samples to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of C. difficile.
摘要：
艰难梭菌作为医疗保健相关感染的主要原因具有重要的临床重要性。症状从轻度腹泻到严重结肠炎，和可能危及生命的并发症.主要与MLST序列类型(ST)8相关的艰难梭菌核糖核酸型(RT)002是在人类中发现的最常见的RT之一。本研究旨在调查ST8/RT002的537个艰难梭菌基因组的遗传特征。为此,我们对298个艰难梭菌菌株进行了测序，这些菌株代表了一个新的欧洲基因组集合，来自德国的菌株，丹麦,法国和葡萄牙。针对由通过Enterobase可获得的1,437个ST8基因组组成的全局数据集对这些序列进行分析。我们的结果显示了所研究的ST8基因组之间紧密的遗传相关性，一系列不同的抗菌素耐药性(AMR)基因和多种可移动元素的存在。值得注意的是,pangenome分析揭示了一个开放的基因组结构。ST8显示相对低的总体变化。因此，在不同的一个卫生部门发现了克隆分离株(人类，动物,环境和食物)，时间段,和地理位置，表明谱系的稳定性和普遍的环境来源。重要的是,这种稳定性并不妨碍AMR基因的获得，强调这种细菌对不同选择压力的适应性。尽管只有2.4％（41/1,735）的研究基因组来自非人类来源，比如动物,食物,或环境，我们确定了9个跨部门核心基因组多位点序列分型（cgMLST）簇。我们的研究强调了ST8作为艰难梭菌的突出谱系的重要性，在一个健康的背景下具有重要意义。此外,这些发现强烈支持需要继续对非人类样本进行监测和调查,以更全面地了解艰难梭菌的流行病学.
