title: Detection of variants of the pRAS3, pAB5S9, and pSN254 plasmids in Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida: multidrug resistance, interspecies exchanges, and plasmid reshaping.
abstract: The ubiquitous water-borne Gram-negative bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida is the causative agent of furunculosis, a worldwide disease in fish farms. Plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance genes have already been described for this bacterium. The aim of the present study was to identify and characterize additional multidrug resistance plasmids in A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida. We sequenced the plasmids present in two multiple antibiotic-resistant isolates using high-throughput technologies. We also investigated 19 other isolates with various multidrug resistance profiles by genotyping PCR and assessed their resistance to tetracycline. We identified variants of the pAB5S9 and pSN254 plasmids that carry several antibiotic resistance genes and that have been previously reported in bacteria other than A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida, which suggests a high level of interspecies exchange. Genotyping analyses and the antibiotic resistance profiles of the 19 other isolates support the idea that multiple versions of pAB5S9 and pSN254 exist in A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida. We also identified variants of the pRAS3 plasmid. The present study revealed that A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida harbors a wide variety of plasmids, which suggests that this ubiquitous bacterium may contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Antony T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Mélanie V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Trudel
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Valérie E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Paquet
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Katherine H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dallaire-Dufresne
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Rana K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Daher
authors.affiliation: Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Buccale (GREB), Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frenette
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Derome
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie et de Bio-informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada steve.charette@bcm.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Steve J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Charette
mesh_terms: D048409:Aeromonas salmonicida / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D005667:Furunculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D012474:Salmon / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013752:Tetracycline