ABSTRACT
Disinfectants and biosecurity are critically important to control microbial diseases. Resistance to disinfectants compromises sectors such as agriculture and healthcare systems. Currently, efflux pumps are the most common mechanism of antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to identify the efflux transporters responsible for disinfectant resistance in a multidrug-resistant isolate Serratia sp. HRI compared to a susceptible Serratia sp. type strain. An efflux system profile was generated using the Transporter Automatic Annotation Pipeline (TransAAP) for both isolates. Thereafter, the efflux pump inhibitors, reserpine (RSP) and carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) were used to reveal the role of efflux pumps in susceptibility to three disinfectants (Didecyldimethylammonium chloride, HyperCide®, and benzalkonium chloride). Interestingly, the resistant isolate had fewer efflux systems in total compared to the type strain and fewer efflux systems classified as resistance efflux pumps. After the addition of RSP, a significant reduction in resistance capabilities against all three antimicrobials was observed for both isolates. However, CCCP supplementation produced mixed results with some outcomes suggesting the involvement of the Eagle effect. This study provides evidence that efflux pumps are responsible for the disinfectant resistance phenotype of the Serratia species due to the increased susceptibility when efflux pump inhibitors are added.
ABSTRACT
Antimicrobial resistance is a significant issue, and it threatens the prevention and effective treatment of a range of bacterial infections. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of the multidrug-resistant isolate Serratia sp. strain HRI. A hybrid assembly was created using sequences from a first (MiSeq) and second (PacBio) sequencing run. This work is imperative for understanding antimicrobial resistance and adds to the knowledge base for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria.
