Antimicrobial resistance gene lack in tick-borne pathogenic bacteria

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genomics
• Public Health

Background:

• Tick-borne bacterial infections pose significant public health risks.
• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health challenge, driven by antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of ARGs in the genomes of various tick-borne bacterial species.
• To identify potential reservoirs and spreaders of AMR within tick-borne pathogens.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of whole-genome sequencing data (short/long reads) from 1550 bacterial isolates.
• Isolates belonged to genera: Anaplasma, Bartonella, Borrelia, Coxiella, Ehrlichia, Francisella, and Rickettsia.
• Data sourced from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA).

Main Results:

• Francisella tularensis isolates predominantly carried the FTU-1 beta-lactamase gene (98.9%), often part of its genome.
• 16.3% of F. tularensis samples contained additional ARGs.
• ARGs were found in only 2.2% of isolates from other genera (Bartonella, Coxiella, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia).
• Coxiella isolates from farm animals had significantly higher odds of ARG occurrence compared to other sources.

Conclusions:

• A general lack of ARGs was observed in most investigated tick-borne bacteria.
• Coxiella species associated with farm animals may contribute to the dissemination of AMR.
• Further research is needed to understand the implications of AMR in Coxiella species within agricultural settings.