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Bacterial viruses enable their host to acquire antibiotic resistance genes from neighbouring cells

Author

Listed:
  • Jakob Haaber

    (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen)

  • Jørgen J. Leisner

    (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen)

  • Marianne T. Cohn

    (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
    Present address: Novozymes, Krogshøjvej 36, DK-2880 Bagsværd, Denmark)

  • Arancha Catalan-Moreno

    (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
    Present address: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología (IDAB), Avda de Pamplona 123, 31192 Mutilva, Spain)

  • Jesper B. Nielsen

    (Hvidovre University Hospital)

  • Henrik Westh

    (Hvidovre University Hospital
    Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen)

  • José R. Penadés

    (Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Glasgow University)

  • Hanne Ingmer

    (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen)

Abstract

Prophages are quiescent viruses located in the chromosomes of bacteria. In the human pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, prophages are omnipresent and are believed to be responsible for the spread of some antibiotic resistance genes. Here we demonstrate that release of phages from a subpopulation of S. aureus cells enables the intact, prophage-containing population to acquire beneficial genes from competing, phage-susceptible strains present in the same environment. Phage infection kills competitor cells and bits of their DNA are occasionally captured in viral transducing particles. Return of such particles to the prophage-containing population can drive the transfer of genes encoding potentially useful traits such as antibiotic resistance. This process, which can be viewed as ‘auto-transduction’, allows S. aureus to efficiently acquire antibiotic resistance both in vitro and in an in vivo virulence model (wax moth larvae) and enables it to proliferate under strong antibiotic selection pressure. Our results may help to explain the rapid exchange of antibiotic resistance genes observed in S. aureus.

Suggested Citation

  • Jakob Haaber & Jørgen J. Leisner & Marianne T. Cohn & Arancha Catalan-Moreno & Jesper B. Nielsen & Henrik Westh & José R. Penadés & Hanne Ingmer, 2016. "Bacterial viruses enable their host to acquire antibiotic resistance genes from neighbouring cells," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms13333
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13333
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    Cited by:

    1. Khan, Amjad & Wahl, Lindi M., 2020. "Quantifying the forces that maintain prophages in bacterial genomes," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 168-179.

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