Genomic traits of Aeromonas veronii isolated from slaughtered Danish broilers

Aeromonas veronii is a Gram-negative opportunistic bacterium found in fish, poultry and humans and has occasionally been associated with disease although not generally considered a poultry pathogen. A. veronii was recently isolated from both healthy and condemned broiler carcasses at a major Danish abattoir. In this study, we did a whole genomic analysis of 24A. veronii strains from the abattoir to determine their potential sources and relatedness as well as their pathogenic potential, antimicrobial resistance determinants and associated mobile elements. No strains were multi-drug resistant, but all strains carried the beta-lactam resistance genes cphA3 and bla_OXA-12 without being phenotypically resistant to carbapenems. One strain carried an IncA plasmid with tet(A), tet(B) and tet(E) genes. A phylogenetic tree including public A. veronii sequences showed that our isolates were not clonal but were dispersed around the phylogenetic tree, suggesting a diffuse spread of A. veronii across human, aquatic and poultry samples. Strains carried different virulence factors known to be associated with pathogenesis and severity of disease in animals and humans, e.g. type II (aerolysin, amylases, proteases, and cytotoxic enterotoxin Act) and III secretion systems where the latter has been associated with mortality in hospitalized patients. Although our genomic analysis of A. veronii shows zoonotic potential, epidemiological studies of human gastro-enteritis cases of A. veronii associated with consumption of broiler meat are needed. It remains to be proven if A. veronii is a true poultry pathogen and part of the established microflora in abattoirs and the gut-intestinal microflora of poultry.