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Tracking Recombination Events That Occur in Conjugative Virulence Plasmid p15WZ-82_Vir during the Transmission

Xuemei Yang1, Lianwei Ye1, Edward Wai-Chi Chan2

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Msystems
|July 16, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Genetic rearrangement of virulence plasmids in Klebsiella variicola leads to new mosaic plasmids. These novel conjugative plasmids carry both virulence and antibiotic resistance genes, aiding pathogen evolution and spread.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Large virulence plasmids are increasingly detected in clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, often contributing to hypervirulence.
  • These plasmids are typically nonconjugative, limiting their transmission.
  • Understanding plasmid evolution and the mechanisms of gene acquisition is crucial for combating antibiotic resistance and virulence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the generation of new plasmid types through genetic rearrangement involving a conjugative virulence plasmid.
  • To determine the role of homologous recombination in the formation of mosaic plasmids carrying virulence and resistance genes.
  • To explore the implications of these events for plasmid evolution and the spread of antimicrobial resistance and virulence factors.

Main Methods:

  • Recovery and characterization of a conjugative virulence plasmid (p15WZ-82_Vir) from a clinical Klebsiella variicola strain.
  • Analysis of genetic rearrangement and homologous recombination events in recipient strains.
  • Identification of mosaic plasmids containing virulence, antibiotic resistance, and conjugation genes.

Main Results:

  • Several new plasmid types were generated from the conjugative virulence plasmid p15WZ-82_Vir via genetic rearrangement.
  • Partial integration of p15WZ-82_Vir with existing resistance plasmids was observed through homologous recombination.
  • Mosaic plasmids simultaneously carrying virulence, antibiotic resistance, and conjugation genes were formed, promoting the transmission of these elements.

Conclusions:

  • Conjugative events and homologous recombination play a vital role in the evolution of mosaic plasmids.
  • The formation of self-transmissible plasmids encoding both hypervirulence and multidrug resistance facilitates the rapid development of highly pathogenic bacterial strains.
  • This study provides insights into the mechanisms driving the emergence of multidrug-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Keywords:
Klebsiella pneumoniaeconjugativehomologous recombinationhypervirulence plasmidplasmid evolution

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