Analysis of Whole-Genome Sequences for the Prediction of Penicillin Resistance and β-Lactamase Activity in Bacillus anthracis

Abstract

Determination of antimicrobial susceptibility of B. anthracis is essential for the appropriate distribution of antimicrobial agents for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and treatment of anthrax. Analysis of WGS data allows for the rapid detection of mutations in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in an isolate, but the presence of a mutation in an AMR gene does not always accurately predict resistance. As mutations in the anti-sigma factor RsiP have been previously associated with high-level penicillin resistance in a limited number of strains, we investigated WGS assemblies from 374 strains to determine the frequency of mutations and performed functional antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Of the five strains that contained mutations in rsiP , only four were PEN-R by functional antimicrobial susceptibility testing. We conclude that while sequence analysis of this region is useful for AMR prediction in B. anthracis , genetic analysis should not be used exclusively and phenotypic susceptibility testing remains essential.