The Resistome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Relationship to Phenotypic Susceptibility

Abstract

ABSTRACTMany clinical isolates ofPseudomonas aeruginosacause infections that are difficult to eradicate due to their resistance to a wide variety of antibiotics. Key genetic determinants of resistance were identified through genome sequences of 390 clinical isolates ofP. aeruginosa, obtained from diverse geographic locations collected between 2003 and 2012 and were related to microbiological susceptibility data for meropenem, levofloxacin, and amikacin. β-Lactamases and integron cassette arrangements were enriched in the established multidrug-resistant lineages of sequence types ST111 (predominantly O12) and ST235 (O11). This study demonstrates the utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in defining relevant resistance elements and highlights the diversity of resistance determinants withinP. aeruginosa. This information is valuable in furthering the design of diagnostics and therapeutics for the treatment ofP. aeruginosainfections.