Plasmid Composition, Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Genes Profiles of Ciprofloxacin- and Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Foodborne Salmonella enterica Isolates from Russia

Salmonella enterica is an important foodborne pathogen worldwide. Ciprofloxacin and extended-spectrum cephalosporins are the common first-line antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of salmonellosis, antimicrobial resistance genes for which are mostly transferred via plasmids. The goal of this work was to perform genomic analysis of plasmids from foodborne S. enterica isolates obtained in Russia based on whole-genome sequencing. In the current study, 11 multidrug-resistant samples isolated in 2021 from 8 regions of Russia were selected based on their resistance to ciprofloxacin and third-generation cephalosporins (CIP-3rd). Whole-genome short-read sequencing (WGS) was performed for all isolates; the samples belonged to five different sequence types (ST32, ST469, ST11, ST142, and ST548) which had different profiles of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence genes. We have performed additional long-read sequencing of four representative S. enterica isolates, which showed that they carried pESI-like megaplasmids of 202-280 kb length harboring extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes, fluoroquinolone, tetracycline, and aminoglycosides resistance genes, as well as several virulence determinants. We believe that the WGS data obtained will greatly facilitate further studies of foodborne S. enterica isolates epidemiology in terms of their self-transmissible plasmid composition that mediated antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants conferring selective advantages of this important bacterial pathogen.

Automated summary

This study analyzed 11 multidrug-resistant samples of Salmonella enterica obtained from 8 regions in Russia in 2021 using whole-genome sequencing. The samples exhibited different profiles of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. It was found that four representative samples carried large self-transmissible plasmids harboring genes related to antibiotic resistance and virulence. These findings contribute to our understanding of the epidemiology of this important foodborne pathogen.