Autor(es):
Carneiro, Sofia ; Pinto, Miguel ; Silva, Sónia ; Santos, Andrea ; Rodrigues, Irene ; Santos, Daniela ; Duarte, Sílvia ; Vieira, Luís ; Gomes, João Paulo ; Macedo, Rita
Data: 2023
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/164079
Origem: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Assunto(s): antimicrobial resistance; genomic diversity; MABC; Mycobacterium abscessus; nontuberculous mycobacteria; Portugal; wgMLST; whole-genome sequencing; Catalysis; Molecular Biology; Spectroscopy; Computer Science Applications; Physical and Theoretical Chemistry; Organic Chemistry; Inorganic Chemistry; SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
Descrição
The acquisition of equipment for whole-genome sequencing used in this study was funded by the HERA (Human and Environmental Risk Assessment) project (Grant/2021/PHF/23776) supported by the European Commission through the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). This work was also partially funded by the GenomePT project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184) supported by COMPETE 2020 (Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI)), Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (Lisboa2020), Algarve Portugal Regional Operational Programme (CRESC Algarve2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
The Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) is an emerging, difficult to treat, multidrug-resistant nontuberculous mycobacteria responsible for a wide spectrum of infections and associated with an increasing number of cases worldwide. Dominant circulating clones (DCCs) of MABC have been genetically identified as groups of strains associated with higher prevalence, higher levels of antimicrobial resistance, and worse clinical outcomes. To date, little is known about the genomic characteristics of MABC species circulating in Portugal. Here, we examined the genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance profiles of 30 MABC strains isolated between 2014 and 2022 in Portugal. The genetic diversity of circulating MABC strains was assessed through a gene-by-gene approach (wgMLST), allowing their subspecies differentiation and the classification of isolates into DCCs. Antimicrobial resistance profiles were defined using phenotypic, molecular, and genomic approaches. The majority of isolates were resistant to at least two antimicrobials, although a poor correlation between phenotype and genotype data was observed. Portuguese genomes were highly diverse, and data suggest the existence of MABC lineages with potential international circulation or cross-border transmission. This study highlights the genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance profile of circulating MABC isolates in Portugal while representing the first step towards the implementation of a genomic-based surveillance system for MABC at the Portuguese NIH.
