Genomic Features, Comparative Genomic Analysis, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Chryseobacterium arthrosphaerae Strain ED882-96 Isolated in Taiwan

Bacteria belonging to the genus Chryseobacterium are ubiquitously distributed in natural environments, plants, and animals. Except C. indologenes and C. gleum, other Chryseobacterium species rarely cause human diseases. This study reported the whole-genome features, comparative genomic analysis, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of C. arthrosphaerae ED882-96 isolated in Taiwan. Strain ED882-96 was collected from the blood of a patient who had alcoholic liver cirrhosis and was an intravenous drug abuser. This isolate was initially identified as C. indologenes by using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry. The analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence revealed that ED882-96 shared 100% sequence identity with C. arthrosphaerae type strain CC-VM-7(T). The results of whole-genome sequencing of ED882-96 showed two chromosome contigs and one plasmid. The total lengths of the draft genomes of chromosome and plasmid were 4,249,864 bp and 435,667 bp, respectively. The findings of both in silico DNA–DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity analyses clearly demonstrated that strain ED882-96 was a species of C. arthrosphaerae. A total of 83 potential virulence factor homologs were predicted in the whole-genome sequencing of strain ED882-96. This isolate was resistant to all tested antibiotics, including β-lactams, β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, tetracycline, glycylcycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Only one antibiotic resistance gene was recognized in the plasmid. By contrast, many antibiotic resistance genes were identified in the chromosome. The findings of this study suggest that strain ED882-96 is a highly virulent and multidrug-resistant pathogen. Knowledge regarding genomic characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns provides valuable insights into this uncommon species.