Heavy Metal Pollution From a Major Earthquake and Tsunami in Chile Is Associated With Geographic Divergence of Clinical Isolates of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Latin America

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dc.catalogadoryvc
dc.contributor.authorMartínez, José R.W.
dc.contributor.authorAlcalde-Rico, Manuel
dc.contributor.authorJara-Videla, Estefanía
dc.contributor.authorRíos, Rafael
dc.contributor.authorMoustafa, Ahmed M.
dc.contributor.authorBlake, Hanson
dc.contributor.authorRivas, Lina
dc.contributor.authorCarvajal, Lina P.
dc.contributor.authorRincon, Sandra
dc.contributor.authorDíaz, Lorena
dc.contributor.authorJinnethe Reyes, Jinnethe
dc.contributor.authorQuesille-Villalobos, Ana
dc.contributor.authorRiquelme-Neira, Roberto
dc.contributor.authorUndurraga, Eduardo A.
dc.contributor.authorOlivares-Pacheco, Jorge
dc.contributor.authorGarcía Cañeta, Patricia del Carmen
dc.contributor.authorAraos, Rafael
dc.contributor.authorPlanet, Paul J.
dc.contributor.authorArias, César A.
dc.contributor.authorMunita, José M.
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-26T19:23:46Z
dc.date.available2025-09-26T19:23:46Z
dc.description.abstractMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a priority pathogen listed by the World Health Organization. The global spread of MRSA is characterized by successive waves of epidemic clones that predominate in specific geographical regions. The acquisition of genes encoding resistance to heavy-metals is thought to be a key feature in the divergence and geographical spread of MRSA. Increasing evidence suggests that extreme natural events, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, could release heavy-metals into the environment. However, the impact of environmental exposition to heavy-metals on the divergence and spread of MRSA clones has been insufficiently explored. We assess the association between a major earthquake and tsunami in an industrialized port in southern Chile and MRSA clone divergence in Latin America. We performed a phylogenomic reconstruction of 113 MRSA clinical isolates from seven Latin American healthcare centers, including 25 isolates collected in a geographic area affected by an earthquake and tsunami that led to high levels of heavy-metal environmental contamination. We found a divergence event strongly associated with the presence of a plasmid harboring heavy-metal resistance genes in the isolates obtained in the area where the earthquake and tsunami occurred. Moreover, clinical isolates carrying this plasmid showed increased tolerance to mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. We also observed a physiological burden in the plasmid-carrying isolates in absence of heavy-metals. Our results are the first evidence that suggests that heavy-metal contamination, in the aftermath of an environmental disaster, appears to be a key evolutionary event for the spread and dissemination of MRSA in Latin America.
dc.fechaingreso.objetodigital2025-09-26
dc.format.extent18 páginas
dc.fuente.origenORCID
dc.identifier.doi10.1101/2023.05.18.541300
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.18.541300
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/105795
dc.information.autorucEscuela de medicina; Garcia Cañete, Patricia Del Carmen; 0000-0002-3817-4896; 73909
dc.language.isoen
dc.nota.accesocontenido completo
dc.revistabioRxiv
dc.rightsacceso abierto
dc.rights.licenseCC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 4.0 Internacional
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectMRSA
dc.subjectHeavy metals
dc.subjectPlasmid
dc.subjectEarthquake
dc.subjectTsunami
dc.subjectDisaster Microbiology
dc.subject.ddc610
dc.subject.deweyMedicina y saludes_ES
dc.titleHeavy Metal Pollution From a Major Earthquake and Tsunami in Chile Is Associated With Geographic Divergence of Clinical Isolates of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Latin America
dc.typeartículo
sipa.codpersvinculados73909
sipa.trazabilidadORCID;2025-09-26
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