AUTHOR=Hao Haihong , Ren Ni , Han Jing , Foley Steven L. , Iqbal Zahid , Cheng Guyue , Kuang Xiuhua , Liu Jie , Liu Zhenli , Dai Menghong , Wang Yulian , Yuan Zonghui 

TITLE=Virulence and Genomic Feature of Multidrug Resistant Campylobacter jejuni Isolated from Broiler Chicken

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01605

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2016.01605

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>The aim of this study was to reveal the molecular mechanism involved in multidrug resistance and virulence of <italic>Campylobacter jejuni</italic> isolated from broiler chickens. The virulence of six multidrug resistant <italic>C. jejuni</italic> was determined by <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in vivo</italic> methods. The <italic>de novo</italic> whole genome sequencing technology and molecular biology methods were used to analyze the genomic features associated with the multidrug resistance and virulence of a selected isolate (<italic>C. jejuni</italic> 1655). The comparative genomic analyses revealed a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms, deletions, rearrangements, and inversions in <italic>C. jejuni</italic> 1655 compared to reference <italic>C. jejuni</italic> genomes. The co-emergence of Thr-86-Ile mutation in <italic>gyrA</italic> gene, A2075G mutation in 23S rRNA gene, <italic>tetO, aphA</italic> and <italic>aadE</italic> genes and pTet plasmid in <italic>C. jejuni</italic> 1655 contributed its multidrug resistance to fluoroquinolones, macrolides, tetracycline, and aminoglycosides. The combination of multiple virulence genes may work together to confer the relative higher virulence in <italic>C. jejuni</italic> 1655. The co-existence of mobile gene elements (e.g., pTet) and CRISPR-Cas system in <italic>C. jejuni</italic> 1655 may play an important role in the gene transfer and immune defense. The present study provides basic information of phenotypic and genomic features of <italic>C. jejuni</italic> 1655, a strain recently isolated from a chicken displaying multidrug resistance and relatively high level of virulence.</p>