Dysgonomonas mossii Strain Shenzhen WH 0221, a New Member of the Genus Dysgonomonas Isolated from the Blood of a Patient with Diabetic Nephropathy, Exhibits Multiple Antibiotic Resistance

Herein, we present a new bacterial strain isolated from infected blood of a patient with diabetic nephropathy. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry failed to identify the strain. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed the highest similarity (>99.5%) with genus Dysgonomonas, but the strain could not be distinguished from Dysgonomonas oryzarvi and Dysgonomonas mossii. Whole genome sequencing, followed by phylogenetic analysis and average nucleotide identity (>95%) analysis, confirmed that the new strain represented Dysgonomonas mossii, leading it to be named Dysgonomonas mossii strain Shenzhen WH 0221. Shenzhen WH 0221 was 3.60 Mb with 37.4% GC content. It was Gram-stain negative, facultatively anaerobic, and grown on Columbia agar supplemented with 5% of sheep blood, exhibiting a smooth surface and pinpoint morphology. The morphological characteristics of this strain include a short rod shape without flagella and a size of 0.45–0.55 × 0.95–1.52 μm observed under transmission electron microscopy. The physiological and biochemical features and major cellular fatty acids (characterized by C(14:0) 3-OH, C(14:0) 9-CH(3), and C(16:0)) differed from D. mossii CCUG 43457(T) and other members of the genus Dysgonomonas. The isolate was found resistant to most cephalosporins, penicillin, norfloxacin, vancomycin, and chloramphenicol, but was susceptible to meropenem, imipenem, tetracycline, clindamycin, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Genes kdpE, ykkD, cmeB, TLA-3, and vanRM found in its genome are probably associated with multiple antibiotic resistance. Lipopolysaccharides, capsules, and cytolysin may also help to illuminate its potential pathogenicity. This is the first report of a case of sepsis caused by Dysgonomonas mossii, and its pathogenic system was analyzed by whole genome sequencing. IMPORTANCE This study identified a new strain, Dysgonomonas mossii strain Shenzhen WH 0221, which has been first reported to cause sepsis isolated from infected blood of a patient with diabetic nephropathy. Physiological and biochemical characterizations, as well as overall fatty acid profile, distinguish Shenzhen WH 0221 from other species of the same genus. However, limited antibiotics were researched for Dysgonomonas mossii. Seventeen antibiotics spanning at least 6 classes were studied, providing a valuable guide to the clinical usage of drugs to treat Dysgonomonas mossii infection. For the first time, we report genome-based functional predictions for Dysgonomonas mossii. Five antibiotic resistance ontologies and more than 200 virulence factors likely underlie the multidrug resistance of Shenzhen WH 0221 and its potential pathogenicity.