Distribution of Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Genes within the Prophage-Associated Regions in Nosocomial Pathogens
Kohei Kondo, Mitsuoki Kawano, Motoyuki Sugai
Abstract
Although we believe phages play an important role in horizontal gene transfer in exchanging genetic material, we do not know the distribution of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and/or virulence factor (VF) genes in prophages. We collected different prophage elements from the complete genome sequences of seven species-Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and Escherichia coli-and characterized the distribution of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes located in the prophage region. While virulence genes in prophage were species specific, antimicrobial resistance genes in prophages were highly conserved in various species. An integron structure was detected within specific prophage regions such as P1-like prophage element. Maximum of 10 antimicrobial resistance genes were found in a single prophage region, suggesting that prophages act as a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes. The results of this study show the different characteristic structures between AMR- or VF-encoding prophages.