First Spanish library of antibiotic-resistant bacteria created

The key to understanding whether they can be controlled with certain antibiotics can be found in the genomic sequences of the bacteria. Given their importance for public health, their profiles were grouped in the first Spanish library of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

A digital database containing nearly 500 bacteria has been published by the National Center for Genomic Analysis (CNAG), Roche Diagnostics and the Hospital Complex of the University of A Coruña – Institute of Biomedical Research (INIBIC), thanks to a new methodology that makes it possible to obtain complete bacterial genomes faster and on a larger scale .

This allows you to regularly monitor the patterns of transmission of this resistance. According to Tyler Alioto, study author and CNAG team leader, “Full characterization of bacteria can only be achieved using complete genome assemblies that provide the core chromosome in addition to the set of plasmids and their copy numbers.”

“To demonstrate that this can be done at scale, we sequenced 500 antibiotic-resistant bacteria using a combination of next-generation genomic technologies and developed an automated workflow to process the data,” he adds.

The inCREDBle portal, as this DNA library is called and available for consultation, viewing and downloading, brings together a total of 461 strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria collected from 41 hospitals located in 13 different regions of Spain.

The new digital database complements the genomic profile of these bacteria with clinical, geographic and microbiological data, as well as other online research related to antimicrobial resistance, becoming the most comprehensive resource for studying Enterobacteriaceae, one of the most antibiotic-resistant families.

Distribution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by geographic location at the national level. /CNAG

Key to future treatment

The main goal is to provide more information about the mechanisms by which species of the order Enterobacterales acquire or develop drug resistance, as well as the underlying mechanisms of its spread.

“One of the strategies proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance is monitoring for resistant or multidrug-resistant pathogens. It is the genomic database we created that allows us to identify, localize and monitor gram-negative bacteria that carry one of the most dangerous mechanisms of antibiotic resistance – enzymes called carbapenemases,” says Herman Bouw, author of the study.

“The work can be used for future studies with a larger number of strains, including a greater variety of resistant pathogens. This will provide dynamic, real-time information on the transmission of multidrug-resistant microorganisms in our country,” emphasizes Bou, head of INIBIK.

The study provides new data related to the structure of plasmids precisely because of their important role in the transmission of antimicrobial resistance. A deeper understanding of these mechanisms may help develop more effective treatments to avoid such resistance.

“Databases like this are really important for understanding the genetics and biology by which some of these bacteria act against antibiotics. They are a very valuable research tool; they help develop new diagnostic methods and high-quality treatments. dangerous microorganisms,” continues Miguel Alvarez-Tejado from Roche Diagnostics.

Major threats to public health

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause respiratory and urinary infections have become a public health problem worldwide due to their ability to develop resistance to the most effective antibiotics available today, the carbapenems.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), drug resistance renders antibiotics ineffective and makes treating infections difficult or impossible.

The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens threatens our ability to treat common infections and perform life-saving procedures such as cancer chemotherapy, cesarean sections, hip replacements, organ transplants and other surgeries.

This study, which provides Spain’s first database of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and a new genomic methodology to create a DNA profile of these bacteria, contributes to the action plan promoted by WHO to counter this global threat. knowledge base and evidence through observation and research of these bacteria.

Link:

Alioto, Tyler S., et al. “Development of a New Optimized Workflow (AACRE) and Database (inCREDBle) for Genomic Analysis of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae.” Microbial genomics, 2023.