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A high number of multidrug-resistant and predominant genetically related cluster of Shigella flexneri strains isolated over 34 years in Brazil

  • Bacterial Fungal and Virus Molecular Biology - Research Paper
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Abstract

Shigella flexneri has been a major public health problem in developing countries. This work analyzed the frequency of 16 virulence genes, the genotypic diversity, and the antimicrobial resistance profiles of 130 S. flexneri strains isolated in Brazil. The ipaH gene was found in all the 130 strains. The frequencies of the other genes were variable ial (88.5%), sigA (82.3%), iuc (74.6%), virA (73%), pic (72.3%), virF (57.7%), sat (48.5%), ipaBCD (37%), sen (36%), set1A (35.4%), sepA (30%), set1B (30%), virB (14%), icsA (10%), and ipgD (5.4%). A total of 57 (43.8%) strains were multidrug-resistant. ERIC-PCR grouped 96 of the strains into a single cluster with ≥ 70.4% of similarity, 75 of these strains presented a similarity ≥ 80.9%. PFGE grouped 120 of the strains into a single cluster with 57.4% of similarity and 82 of these strains presented a similarity ≥ 70.6%. In conclusion, the high frequency of some virulence genes reinforces the pathogenic potential of the strains studied. The high rates of MDR strains are alarming once it may lead to failure when antimicrobial treatment is necessary. Genotype techniques reveled a major cluster with high genetic similarity including S. flexneri strains from the different Brazilian states and distinct years of isolation, showing that they probably emerged from a common ancestor.

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Funding

We thank Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (Process number 2014/ 13029-0 and 2016/2716-3) and CAPES for financial support (Finance Code 001). During the course of this work, J. C. G. was supported by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and J. P Falcão recieved a productive fellowship (CNPq) (Process number 303475/2015-3 and 304399/2018-3).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Av. do Café, s/no-Campus Universitário USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil

    Júlia Cunha Gonzales, Amanda Aparecida Seribelli, Carolina Nogueira Gomes, Fábio Campioni, Jaqueline Passaglia & Juliana Pfrimer Falcão

  2. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Dália dos Prazeres Rodrigues

  3. Instituto Adolfo Lutz de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

    Paulo da Silva

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  1. Júlia Cunha Gonzales
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  2. Amanda Aparecida Seribelli
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  3. Carolina Nogueira Gomes
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Correspondence to Juliana Pfrimer Falcão.

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Gonzales, J.C., Seribelli, A.A., Gomes, C.N. et al. A high number of multidrug-resistant and predominant genetically related cluster of Shigella flexneri strains isolated over 34 years in Brazil. Braz J Microbiol 51, 1563–1571 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-020-00332-y

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