Risk of multi-drug resistance transfer via plasmids from aquaculture environment to human

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23780202
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General fisheries
• Research Institution: Dokkyo Medical University
• Principal Investigator: NONAKA Lisa 獨協医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (70363265)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): MARUYAMA Fumito 京都大学, 医学部, 准教授 (30423122)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: pAQU group / 薬剤耐性 / 多剤耐性 / プラスミド / 遺伝子伝達 / マクロライド / mef(C)-mph(G) / 養殖場

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It was found 4 strains isolated from aquaculture environment possessed transferable multiple drug resistance plasmid which were similar to autonomously transferable plasmid, pAQU1, carried by a strain of Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae 04Ya311. They ranged 150-350 kb and shared a ~100-kbp highly conserved region, suggesting that these plasmids constituted “pAQU group”. The results of the present study indicate that the pAQU group plasmids may play an important role in dissemination of ARGs in the marine environment.
Additionally, mef(C) and mph(G) which had similarity to efflux pump and phosphotransferase, respectively were found to be novel macrolide resistance genes. These genes were encoded head-on-tail on pAQU1 and it was conserved on plasmids ranging 240-350 kb of the 22 erythromycin-resistant strains belonging to Vibrio and Photobacteirum. This is a first report of macrolide-resistance genes originating from a marine environment.

Free Research Field

環境微生物学