Heterogeneity by antibiotic sensitivity and genotype of Vibrio Cholerae El Tor strains isolated from environmental objects in Russia

BACKGROUND: Waterborne diseases kill 3.4 million people worldwide each year. Cholera is one such disease. Up to 4 million cases of this infection occur in the world every year, leading to more than 100,000 deaths. The plasticity of the genome of the causative agent of cholera, the mobility of genetic elements carrying factors of pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance, contribute to the variability and unpredictability of the spectrum of resistance, the formation of new pheno- and genotypes. A single Vibrio cholerae isolate can contain up to 40 different genes that can confer resistance to 22 antibiotics, representing nine different classes of antimicrobial drugs. The ability of Vibrio cholerae to long-term survival in aquatic ecosystems in which there is an active exchange of genetic information and new ecological lines may arise that have potential advantages in the adaptation of microorganisms to adverse conditions, emphasizes the complexity of the ways of transmission of this infection and the need for studies at the environmental level. Periodic deliveries of cholera to the territory of the Russian Federation with (without) the spread of the infectious agent, V. cholerae contamination of surface water bodies used as sources of water supply and for recreational water use, the possibility of implementing the main route for cholera (water) the pathway for the spread of the pathogen of the infection indicate the need for conducting annual monitoring of antimicrobial resistance as part of the epidemiological surveillance of cholera in order to obtain information on the distribution, nature and dynamics of resistance in a specific period of time in a given territory.

AIM: Analysis of the spectrum of antibiotic resistance of Vibrio cholerae O1 serogroup strains isolated from environmental objects in various territories of the Russian Federation in 2020.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 25 strains V. cholerae О1 El Tor, isolated from environmental objects in the Russian Federation in 2020. The sensitivity / resistance of the studied strains to 13 antibacterial drugs was determined by the method of serial dilutions on a solid nutrient medium in accordance with guidelines. PCR-genotyping of strains V. cholerae El Tor was performed for 14 target genes, followed by cluster analysis.

RESULTS: The strains showed resistance markers to furazolidone, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, nalidixic acid, ceftriaxone, which formed 5 phenotypes. PCR-genotyping genotyping of 14 target genes divided the strains into five genotypes (A1–A5), corresponding to certain territories. The antibiotic resistance profiles within the same genotype in V. cholerae О1 El Tor belonging to different territories were both the same and different.

CONCLUSION: The genotypic diversity of isolated strains was revealed, the variability of resistance markers even in one region, which indicates both changes in the V. cholerae population and the possibility of circulation of various geno- and phenotypes, which emphasizes the importance of constant monitoring of these pathogens.