1. FONA-7, a Novel Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Variant of the FONA Family Identified in Serratia fonticola .
- Author
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Fuentes-Castillo D, Power P, Cerdeira L, Cardenas-Arias A, Moura Q, Oliveira FA, Levy CE, Gutkind G, Catão-Dias JL, and Lincopan N
- Subjects
- Animals, Birds microbiology, Chile epidemiology, Disease Vectors, Feces, Polymorphism, Genetic, Serratia enzymology, Serratia genetics, Whole Genome Sequencing, Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology, Bacterial Proteins genetics, Bird Diseases microbiology, Serratia drug effects, beta-Lactamases genetics
- Abstract
Serratia fonticola is a human pathogen widely found in the environment, with birds being reported as possible natural hosts. During an epidemiological and genomic surveillance study conducted to monitor the occurrence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales in South American wild birds, we identified an ESBL-positive S. fonticola in a fecal sample collected from a Hudsonian Whimbrel, during its non-breeding range on the Pacific Coast of Chile. Whole genome sequencing analysis and " in silico " modeling revealed a novel variant of the class A ESBLs FONA family, designated FONA-7, which shows 96.28% amino acid identity with FONA-6; with amino acid substitutions occurring in the signal peptide sequence (Thr22→Ser), and in the mature protein (Ser39→Asn and Thr227→Ile). This finding denotes that migratory birds can be potential vectors for the transboundary spread of ESBL-producing bacteria, creating a further theoretical risk for the origin of novel plasmid-encoded β-lactamases.
- Published
- 2021
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