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Proteus mirabilis isolated from untreated hospital wastewater, Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria showed low-level resistance to fluoroquinolone and carried qnrD3 on Col3M plasmids

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Abstract

Untreated wastewater emanating from healthcare facilities are risk factors for the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the human–environment interface. In this study, we investigated the determinants of resistance in three multidrug resistant strains of Proteus mirabilis isolated from untreated wastewater collected from three government owned hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria. Despite showing low-level resistance to ciprofloxacin, whole genome sequencing revealed the transferable mechanism of quinolone resistance (TMQR) gene qnrD3 carried on Col3M plasmids in all the isolates. Core genome phylogenetic analysis showed the isolates are closely related differing from each other by ≤ 23 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Further, they shared the closest evolutionary relationship with isolates from China. Similarly, the Col3M plasmids is most closely related to p3M-2A found in P. vulgaris 3 M isolated from the intestine of shrimps in China. This to the best of our knowledge is the first report of Col3M plasmids carrying qnrD3 in environmental bacterial isolates. Our results indicate a possible silent spread of this important plasmid associated with the dissemination of qnrD3 in Nigeria, and further highlights the important role played by untreated wastewater from healthcare facilities in the spread of AMR in low- and middle-income countries.

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Funding

This study was supported by an Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation Renewed Research Stay Fellowship to OOA at the Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, for the sequencing of the bacteria isolates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiology Programme, Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria

    Adenike Omolola Ajayi-Odoko & Ayantade Dayo Victor Ayansina

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA

    Odion O. Ikhimiukor

  3. Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

    Odion O. Ikhimiukor & Olawale Olufemi Adelowo

  4. Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG-5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany

    Jochen A. Müller & Olawale Olufemi Adelowo

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  1. Adenike Omolola Ajayi-Odoko
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  2. Ayantade Dayo Victor Ayansina
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  3. Odion O. Ikhimiukor
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  4. Jochen A. Müller
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  5. Olawale Olufemi Adelowo
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Contributions

Adenike Omolola Ajayi-Odoko (AOA), Ayantade Dayo Victor Ayansina (ADVA), and Olawale Olufemi Adelowo (OOA) conceived and designed the study; AOA, OOA, Jochen A. Müller (JAM), and Odion O. Ikhimiukor performed experiment, collected, and analyzed data. OOA and JAM acquired funding. The first draft of the manuscript was written by OOA, all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Olawale Olufemi Adelowo.

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11356_2023_25618_MOESM1_ESM.csv

Supplementary file1 Genome assembly characteristics of the thirty-seven isolates included in the FastANI plot (CSV 4.13 KB)

Supplementary file2 Data of isolates included in the Core genome pairwise SNP distance calculations (CSV 13.8 KB)

Supplementary file3 qnrD-bearing Col3M plasmids included in the phylogenetic analysis (XLSX 12.6 KB)

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Ajayi-Odoko, A.O., Ayansina, A.D.V., Ikhimiukor, O.O. et al. Proteus mirabilis isolated from untreated hospital wastewater, Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria showed low-level resistance to fluoroquinolone and carried qnrD3 on Col3M plasmids. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 47158–47167 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25618-0

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