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Haraoui, L.-P.

Publications and source records attributed to Haraoui, L.-P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Emergence of Acinetobacter baumannii International Clone 10 predominantly found in the Middle East

Acinetobacter baumannii is a globally distributed human pathogen. Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant isolates of A. baumannii (CRAB) are of great concern, as treatment options are very limited. Despite having among the highest rates reported worldwide, there exists limited genomic data from CRAB strains isolated in the Middle East. Here we report epidemiological, phenotypic, and genome sequencing data (short reads and long reads) on a set of 60 A. baumannii isolates belonging to Sequence Type ST158 (Pasteur MLST scheme). They represent a novel international clone (IC), designated IC10, with limited geographic spread beyond the Middle East. Specific antibiotic-resistance genes associated with this clone were identified and data on the plasmid content associated with this lineage are presented.

microbiology↗

Earliest observation of the tetracycline destructase tet(X3)

Tigecycline is an antibiotic of last resort for infections with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Plasmids harboring variants of the tetracycline destructase tet(X) promote rising tigecycline resistance rates. We report the earliest observation of tet(X3) in a clinical strain predating tigecyclines commercialization, suggesting selective pressures other than tigecycline contributed to its emergence.

microbiology↗

Molecular epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter spp. from Israel, 2001-2006: earliest report of blaNDM predating the oldest known blaNDM-positive strains

BackgroundCarbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb) is a WHO priority 1 critical pathogen. Despite early emergence of elevated CRAb rates in Israel, limited molecular data from this location are available. We searched for carbapenemases among 198 clinical Acinetobacter spp. from Israel between 2001 and 2006. MethodsStrains from 3 archives underwent whole-genome sequencing (Illumina NovaSeq on all, MinION on a subset) and computational analyses: assembly (Unicycler), annotation (prokka), identification (Kraken, rpoB similarity), search for carbapenemases (ResFinder, BLDB curation). FindingsA. baumannii (Ab) represented 179 (90{middle dot}4%) Acinetobacter spp. Eighty-four Ab (46{middle dot}9%) carried a carbapenemase: 38 (45{middle dot}2%) blaOXA-72 (blaOXA-24-like); 28 (33{middle dot}3%) blaOXA-23-like (20 blaOXA-23 and 8 blaOXA-225); 18 (21{middle dot}5%) blaOXA-58 (16 from 2001-2). Carbapenemase rates increased yearly from 2002 (32%) to 2006 (67%). Eight species of non-baumannii Acinetobacter (NbA) accounted for 19 isolates (9{middle dot}6%). Two of three A. junii contained blaOXA-58, one of which, Ajun-H1-3, isolated in January 2004, also possessed blaNDM-1. The pNDM-Ajun-H1-3 plasmid matched numerous NDM-positive plasmids reported from 2005 onwards in Acinetobacter spp. as well as Enterobacterales. InterpretationWe assessed carbapenemase diversity among Acinetobacter spp. in Israel from 2001-2006. Findings in Ab predate observations elsewhere: rapidly rising carbapenemase rates, driven by blaOXA-23-like and blaOXA-24-like genes replacing blaOXA-58. Among NbA, an A. junii isolated in 2004 carried blaNDM-1, making it the earliest NDM-positive isolate reported to date, preceding those from 2005 in India. Further research into blaNDMs emergence is warranted, in order to shed light on the evolution and spread of this and other antibiotic-resistance genes. FundingCentre de recherche Charles-Le Moyne; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universite de Sherbrooke; Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Sante; New Frontiers in Research Fund Grant NFRFE-2019-00444; CIFAR-Azrieli Global Scholars Program.

microbiology↗