Genetic carriers of antibiotic resistance
12 11 2022
Category: IM Seminar
You are invited to the institute seminar: next Monday, 14th of November at 2 pm MSc Rafał Jabłuszewski from the Department of Bacterial Genetics will present a seminar on „Identification and analysis of the genetic carriers of antibiotic resistance genes of Enterobacter spp. clinical isolates”.
Abstract:
Bacteria of the genus Enterobacter are members of the ESKAPE group, which gathers highly virulent microorganisms that can “escape” commonly used antibiotics due to their multi-drug resistance. The pathogenetic mechanism of these bacteria is multifactorial, with the involvement of many putative virulence factors, which role in the development of the disease is still not clear. A very important role in horizontal transmission of antibiotic resistance determinants and virulence factors is attributed to mobile genetic elements (MGEs) – very effective vehicles facilitating and accelerating gene flux among bacteria.
Detailed analyses of complete genomic sequences allowed identification and characterization of MGEs carried by the strains, with a special attention to plasmids, which are common components of Enterobacter spp. genomes. Analysis of the obtained complete genomic sequences allowed the identification of different types of MGEs and provided valuable data on their structure and genetic load, with a particular focus on genes of adaptive value. In addition, we identified all ARGs present in bacterial chromosomes and defined their putative genetic carriers.These analyses have led to the identification of a novel resistance island and new variants of MGEs that may play an important role in the dissemination of resistance phenotypes.