Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from the Pearl River Delta region, China

Qianru Wang; Qingmei Li; Fangzhu Ouyang; Bixia Ke; Shiqin Jiang; Jiajun Liu; Jin Yan; Baisheng Li; Wei Tan; Dongmei He

doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.111025

Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from the Pearl River Delta region, China

Int J Food Microbiol. 2024 Dec 15:429:111025. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.111025. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Qianru Wang¹, Qingmei Li², Fangzhu Ouyang³, Bixia Ke³, Shiqin Jiang⁴, Jiajun Liu³, Jin Yan³, Baisheng Li⁵, Wei Tan⁶, Dongmei He⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiological Laboratory, Baoan District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518101, China.
² Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART), Shenzhen 518107, China.
³ Institute of Pathogenic Microbiology, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogen Detection for Emerging Infectious Disease Response, Guangzhou 511430, China.
⁴ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shenzhen Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shenzhen 518104, China.
⁵ Institute of Pathogenic Microbiology, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogen Detection for Emerging Infectious Disease Response, Guangzhou 511430, China. Electronic address: libsn@126.com.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address: weitany@gmail.com.
⁷ Institute of Pathogenic Microbiology, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogen Detection for Emerging Infectious Disease Response, Guangzhou 511430, China. Electronic address: 1056945039@qq.com.

PMID: 39693858
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.111025

Abstract

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in southern China is a densely populated area and a hotspot for Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections. However, systematic research on this pathogen, particularly comparing clinical and environmental strains, remains limited. This study analyzed the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of 200 V. parahaemolyticus isolates from 12 cities in the PRD region from 2022 to 2023. The results indicated that the most prevalent serotypes were O3:K6 (39.5 %) and O10:K4 (27.5 %), predominantly found in clinical isolates. Most clinical isolates exhibited the characteristics of toxRS/new⁺, tdh⁺, and trh^-, along with the sequence type 3 (ST3), while environmental isolates did not possess these genetic markers. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that although clinically recommended antibiotics remain effective, some isolates have exhibited resistance, with environmental isolates displaying higher rates of antimicrobial resistance than clinical isolates. Moreover, a total of 26 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) associated with 10 antibiotic categories were identified, showing variations in distribution patterns among isolates from different sources. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that clinical isolates formed a distinct lineage, contrasting with the greater diversity observed in environmental isolates. Whole-genome analysis further revealed significant differences in pathogenicity-related genes between the two groups, with genes associated with biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance being more commonly found in environmental isolates. These findings underscore the genetic variability and distinct patterns of antimicrobial resistance between clinical and environmental V. parahaemolyticus strains, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance and targeted interventions to effectively address foodborne illnesses.

Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Genetic diversity; Molecular epidemiology; Sequence type; Serotype; Vibrio parahaemolyticus.