Infection, anti-microbien, modélisation, évolution
Présentation
Rattaché à Paris Diderot, à l'INSERM ainsi qu'à l'université Paris 13, IAME est une unité multidisciplinaire (approche expérimentale, épidémiologie, modélisation statistique et mathématique) afin d’identifier les paramètres écologiques et évolutifs de l’adaptation des micro-organismes, en particulier ceux impliqués dans la virulence et la résistance aux antibiotiques. Le laboratoire dépend de deux départements de l'Alliance pour les sciences de la vie et de la santé (AVIESAN) : Maladies Infectieuses et Santé Publique. Situé sur le campus de Paris Diderot à la Faculté de médecine de l'Hôpital Bichat dans le nord de Paris, et relié à plusieurs hôpitaux universitaires à proximité, il offre une occasion unique de mélanger les scientifiques et cliniciens impliqués dans la recherche sur les maladies infectieuses. L'équipe consacrée à l'épidémiologie de la diversité écologique de Escherichia coli travaille sur le site Xavier Bichat (Université Paris 7) et aux laboratoires de Bactériologie des hôpitaux Avicenne et Jean Verdier.
Thèmes de recherche
Malgré un siècle d'efforts de prévention et de contrôle souvent fructueux, les maladies infectieuses restent un problème majeur de santé publique causant 13 millions de morts chaque année. De nouvelles maladies émergent, d'autres quasiment disparues ressurgissent, et l'on assiste au développement de la résistance aux agents antimicrobiens.
Deux types de causes expliquent ces données : les changements démographiques, comportementaux et technologiques des sociétés humaines associés aux modifications écologiques de la planète apparus durant le XXème siècle, et la capacité constante des microorganismes à évoluer et s'adapter. L'adaptation des populations repose sur la création de diversité génétique et l'action de la sélection naturelle. Parmi les mutants créés aléatoirement, la sélection naturelle ne retient que les individus les plus adaptés, soit les plus à même de survivre et de se reproduire dans leur environnement. Si de nombreux travaux ont très largement éclairci les aspects moléculaires de la virulence microbienne, peu d'études en revanche se sont appliquées à détailler les origines et conséquences évolutives de cette virulence.
Le but de notre recherche est de mieux détailler les paramètres écologiques et évolutifs qui permettent l'adaptation des microorganismes commensaux et pathogènes, et notamment ceux qui sont impliqués dans la transition d'un état à l'autre. Deux aspects sont essentiels pour comprendre l'évolution des microorganismes : l'adéquation entre leur génome et leur environnement d'une part et les contraintes agissant sur leur mode d'adaptation d'autre part.
Pour étudier ces deux aspects, nous avons choisi l'espèce Escherichia coli/Shigella, qui comprend des souches commensales du tube digestif mais aussi responsables de nombreuses pathologies intestinales et extra-intestinales, ainsi que les bactériophages phiX174 and phi6. A l'aide d'une approche mêlant (i) analyse de données génomiques (séquences de génomes complets, séquences de quelques gènes chez de nombreux isolats, présence/absence et expression de gènes) et (ii) analyse de nombreux phénotypes (croissance, activité métabolique, résistance aux stress divers dont les antimicrobiens, colonisation et virulence dans divers modèles animaux, circonstances cliniques d'isolement) sur des panels d'isolats naturels, nous souhaitons comprendre comment les génomes des microorganismes ont évolué et le lien avec l'émergence de la virulence.
Equipements
Structures L2, Automates incubateur/lecteur de DO
[hal-04575101] Characterization of a P1-Like Bacteriophage Carrying an SHV-2 Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase from an Escherichia coli Strain
Date: 14 May 2024 - 17:23
Desc: P1 bacteriophages lysogenize bacteria as independent plasmid-like elements. We describe here a P1-like bacteriophage, RCS47, carrying a bla SHV-2 gene, isolated from a clinical strain of Escherichia coli from phylogroup B1, and we report the prevalence of P1-like prophages in natural E. coli isolates. We found that 70% of the sequence of RCS47, a 115-kb circular molecule, was common to the reference P1 bacteriophage under GenBank accession no. AF234172.1 , with the shared sequences being 99% identical. RCS47 had acquired two main foreign DNA fragments: a 9,636-bp fragment mobilized by two IS 26 elements containing a bla SHV-2 gene, and an 8,544-bp fragment mobilized by two IS 5 elements containing an operon encoding a dimethyl sulfoxide reductase. The reference P1 prophage plasmid replication gene belonged to the IncY incompatibility group, whereas that of RCS47 was from an unknown group. The lytic capacity of RCS47 and bla SHV-2 gene transduction, through the lysogenization of RCS47 in the recipient E. coli strains, were not demonstrated. The prevalence of P1-like prophages in various animal and human E. coli strain collections, as determined by the PCR detection of repL , the lytic replication gene, was 12.6%. No differences in the prevalences of these prophages were found between extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and non-ESBL-producing strains ( P = 0.69), but this prevalence was lower in phylogroup B2 than in the other phylogroups ( P = 0.008), suggesting epistatic interactions between P1 family phages and the genetic background of E. coli strains. P1-like phages are part of the mobile elements that carry antibiotic resistance. The high prevalence of P1-like prophages suggests their role may be underestimated.
[hal-04573612] Escherichia coli Population Structure and Antibiotic Resistance at a Buffalo/Cattle Interface in Southern Africa
Date: 13 May 2024 - 16:11
Desc: At a human/livestock/wildlife interface, Escherichia coli populations were used to assess the risk of bacterial and antibiotic resistance dissemination between hosts. We used phenotypic and genotypic characterization techniques to describe the structure and the level of antibiotic resistance of E. coli commensal populations and the resistant Enterobacteriaceae carriage of sympatric African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer caffer ) and cattle populations characterized by their contact patterns in the southern part of Hwange ecosystem in Zimbabwe. Our results (i) confirmed our assumption that buffalo and cattle share similar phylogroup profiles, dominated by B1 (44.5%) and E (29.0%) phylogroups, with some variability in A phylogroup presence (from 1.9 to 12%); (ii) identified a significant gradient of antibiotic resistance from isolated buffalo to buffalo in contact with cattle and cattle populations expressed as the Murray score among Enterobacteriaceae (0.146, 0.258, and 0.340, respectively) and as the presence of tetracycline-, trimethoprim-, and amoxicillin-resistant subdominant E. coli strains (0, 5.7, and 38%, respectively); (iii) evidenced the dissemination of tetracycline, trimethoprim, and amoxicillin resistance genes ( tet , dfrA , and bla TEM-1 ) in 26 isolated subdominant E. coli strains between nearby buffalo and cattle populations, that led us (iv) to hypothesize the role of the human/animal interface in the dissemination of genetic material from human to cattle and toward wildlife. The study of antibiotic resistance dissemination in multihost systems and at anthropized/natural interface is necessary to better understand and mitigate its multiple threats. These results also contribute to attempts aiming at using E. coli as a tool for the identification of pathogen transmission pathway in multihost systems.
[hal-01730461] A Global Declaration on Appropriate Use of Antimicrobial Agents across the Surgical Pathway
Date: 19 Mar 2024 - 12:20
Desc: This declaration, signed by an interdisciplinary task force of 234 experts from 83 different countries with different backgrounds, highlights the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and the need for appropriate use of antibiotic agents and antifungal agents in hospitals worldwide especially focusing on surgical infections. As such, it is our intent to raise awareness among healthcare workers and improve antimicrobial prescribing. To facilitate its dissemination, the declaration was translated in different languages.
[hal-02316576] Multi-centric evaluation of the online MSI platform for the identification of cryptic and rare species of Aspergillus by MALDI-TOF
Date: 15 Oct 2019 - 15:04
Desc: The taxonomy of Aspergillus species has recently been revolutionized with the introduction of cryptic species and section concepts. However, their species-level identification in routine laboratories remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the identification accuracy of cryptic species of Aspergillus in various laboratories using the mass spectrometry identification (MSI) platform, an independent and freely accessible online mass spectrometry database. Over a 12-month period, when a select set of MSI users identified cryptic species, they were contacted and requested to send the isolates to our laboratory for sequence-based identification. Sequence and MSI identification results were then compared. During the study period, 5108 Aspergillus isolates were identified using MSI including 1477 (28.9%) cryptic species. A total of 245 isolates that corresponded to 56 cryptic species and 13 sections were randomly selected for DNA sequencing confirmation. Agreement between the two methods was 99.6% at the section level and 66.1% at the species level. However, almost all discrepancies (72/83, 86.7%) were misidentifications between closely related cryptic species belonging to the same section. Fifty-one isolates from noncryptic species were also identified, thus yielding 100% and 92.2% agreement at the section and species level, respectively. Although the MSI fungus database is a reliable tool to identify Aspergillus at the section level, the database still requires adjustment to correctly identify rare or cryptic species at the species level. Nevertheless, the application properly differentiated between cryptic and sensu stricto species in the same section, thus alerting on possible specific isolate characteristics.
[hal-01366321] The Conserved nhaAR Operon Is Drastically Divergent between B2 and Non-B2 Escherichia coli and Is Involved in Extra-Intestinal Virulence
Date: 14 Sep 2016 - 15:15
Desc: The Escherichia coli species is divided in phylogenetic groups that differ in their virulence and commensal distribution. Strains belonging to the B2 group are involved in extra-intestinal pathologies but also appear to be more prevalent as commensals among human occidental populations. To investigate the genetic specificities of B2 subgroup , we used 128 sequenced genomes and identified genes of the core genome that showed marked difference between B2 and non-B2 genomes. We focused on the gene and its surrounding region with the strongest divergence between B2 and non-B2, the antiporter gene nhaA. This gene is part of the nhaAR operon, which is in the core genome but flanked by mobile regions, and is involved in growth at high pH and high sodium concentrations. Consistently, we found that a panel of non-B2 strains grew faster than B2 at high pH and high sodium concentrations. However, we could not identify differences in expression of the nhaAR operon using fluorescence reporter plasmids. Furthermore, the operon deletion had no differential impact between B2 and non-B2 strains, and did not result in a fitness modification in a murine model of gut colonization. Nevertheless, sequence analysis and experiments in a murine model of septicemia revealed that recombination in nhaA among B2 strains was observed in strains with low virulence. Finally, nhaA and nhaAR operon deletions drastically decreased virulence in one B2 strain. This effect of nhaAR deletion appeared to be stronger than deletion of all pathogenicity islands. Thus, a population genetic approach allowed us to identify an operon in the core genome without strong effect in commensalism but with an important role in extra-intestinal virulence, a landmark of the B2 strains.
Autres contacts
Hôpital Robert Debré
48, boulevard Sérurier
75935 PARIS CEDEX 19