Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles And Phylogenetic Analysis Ofcampylobacter Jejunistrains Isolated In Brazil By Whole Genome Sequencing

Aims:The objectives of this work were to use whole genome sequencing (WGS) to determine the antimicrobial resistance genotypes of 116Campylobacter jejunistrains isolated in Brazil and to compare it with the results obtained by antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). In addition, WGS was used to uncover the phylogenetic relationship among those strains. Results:By AST, theC. jejunistrains resistant to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, doxycycline, and erythromycin were 51 (44%), 41 (35.3%), 41 (35.3%), and 6 (5.2%), respectively. By WGS, the genesaph(3 ')III,aadE,bla(OXA-449),bla(OXA-184),bla(OXA-61), andtet(O) were detected in 6 (5.2%), 3 (2.6%), 1 (0.9%), 10 (8.6%), 55 (47.4%), and 44 (38%) strains, respectively. Fifty-four (46.6%) strains showed the mutation T86I in thegyrAgene, and four (3.4%) strains presented the mutation A2075G in the 23S rRNA gene. The correlation between AST and WGS was 100% for ciprofloxacin, 97.5% for tetracyclines, and 66.7% for erythromycin. The whole genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) tree clustered theC. jejunistrains into two clades comprising strains that were highly related from different sources, places, and years. Conclusion:The high rates ofC. jejunistrains resistant to ciprofloxacin and tetracyclines are of concern and may represent a public health problem. WGS has a potential to be a powerful tool for the prediction of resistance of antibiotics used to treat campylobacteriosis. The results obtained by whole genome SNP analysis suggested the potential for transmission between clinical and nonclinical sources and between human and animal sources over the course of 20 years in Brazil.