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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Antibiotic Resistance and New Antimicrobial drugs
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1464736

Genomic Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance of Morganella Clinical Isolates between 2016 and 2023

Provisionally accepted
Wentao Zhu Wentao Zhu 1Qian Liu Qian Liu 2Jinlv Liu Jinlv Liu 3*Yaqi Wang Yaqi Wang 3*Hong Shen Hong Shen 1*Ming Wei Ming Wei 1*Ji Pu Ji Pu 3*Li Gu Li Gu 1*Jing Yang Jing Yang 3*
  • 1 Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
  • 2 Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
  • 3 National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Morganella morganii is a Gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen that is often associated with nosocomial infections. Here, the genomic characteristics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Morganella clinical isolates between 2016 and 2023 were determined. A total of 218 clinical isolates were mainly identified from urinary tract (48.2%) and respiratory tract (16.5%), with 105 isolates randomly selected for whole genome sequencing. The highest rates of antibiotic resistance were observed with SAM (68.3%), followed by CIP (39.9%), and SXT (37.2%). Distance analysis suggested that the 105 newly sequenced isolates could be divided into two groups: M. morganii subsp. morganii and M. morganii subsp. sibonii. While, the average nucleotide identity between these groups showed only 91.5-92.2% similarity, raising the possibility that they may be distinct species. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that the 102 M. morganii isolates fell into six clades, with clades 4-6 making up the majority.Core genome multi-locus sequence type analysis indicted high genomic diversity among different hosts and relatively stability (< 10 SNPs accumulated over three years) within the same host. Together with epidemiological data, isolates of four genetic clusters could be possible nosocomial transmissions. The identified 80 AMR genes belonged to 15 drug-related classes, with tet(B) gene being the most prevalent, followed by sul1, catA2, and sul2 genes. This study provided comprehensive genomic insights and AMR patterns of Morganella isolates in China, highlighting the necessity for continuous monitoring through whole genome sequencing.

    Keywords: Morganella morganii, antimicrobial resistance, clinical, Whole-genome sequencing, Taxonomy

    Received: 16 Jul 2024; Accepted: 23 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhu, Liu, Liu, Wang, Shen, Wei, Pu, Gu and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jinlv Liu, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
    Yaqi Wang, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
    Hong Shen, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
    Ming Wei, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
    Ji Pu, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
    Li Gu, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
    Jing Yang, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.