Abstract
Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis (S. Infantis) is one of the dominant serovars of the bacterial pathogen S. enterica. In recent years, the number of human infections caused by S. Infantis has been increasing in many countries, and often the emerging population harbors a unique virulence-resistant megaplasmid called plasmid of emerging S. Infantis (pESI). Here, we report the complete gap-free genome sequence of the S. Infantis Israeli emerging clone and compare its chromosome and pESI sequences with other complete S. Infantis genomes. We show a conserved presence of the Salmonella pathogenicity islands 1–6, 9, 11, 12, and CS54 and a common integration of five bacteriophages in the S. Infantis chromosome. In contrast, we found variable presence of additionally three chromosomally integrated phages and eight modular regions in pESI, which contribute to the genetic and phenotypic diversity (including antimicrobial resistance) of this ubiquitous foodborne pathogen.
Highlights
The abundant foodborne pathogen Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) is a Gram-negative, highly diverse bacterium that can infect and colonize a broad array of animal and human hosts
We showed that plasmid of emerging S. Infantis (pESI) encodes several virulence factors, including the yersiniabactin—iron acquisition system, as well as the Klf and Ipf chaperon-usher fimbriae
Our results demonstrate a conserved distribution of 10 Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI) and five chromosomal prophages integrated into the genome of S
Summary
The abundant foodborne pathogen Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) is a Gram-negative, highly diverse bacterium that can infect and colonize a broad array of animal and human hosts This single bacterial species comprises of >2,600 antigenically distinct serovars that can be classified according to their host-specificity and their occasioned disease (Gal-Mor 2019). Infantis is a globally emerging serovar and a primary source of poultry infection and human salmonellosis. We showed that pESI encodes several virulence factors, including the yersiniabactin—iron acquisition system, as well as the Klf and Ipf chaperon-usher fimbriae This plasmid carries various mobile elements encoding antibiotic and mercury resistance genes and at least three independent toxin/antitoxin systems (MazEF/PemKI, CcdAB, and VagCD) (Aviv et al 2014, 2016, 2017).
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