Corynebacterium argentoratense isolated from the pharyngeal microbiota of human

  Objective  For the first time, Corynebacterium argentoratense was isolated from the respiratory tract of healthy people, and the drug resistance and pathogenicity of this bacterium can be further explored to obtain more comprehensive information on this bacterium .

  Methods  Biochemical identification and 16S rRNA full-length gene sequence analysis were used to isolate and identify C.argentoratense from throat swab samples collected during health examinations of college students in 2020. Meanwhile, antibiotic resistance, genome sequencing, drug resistance gene, and virulence gene analysis of the identified strains were conducted.

  Results  Five strains of C. argentoratense were isolated from 717 pharyngeal swabs of healthy college students. Drug sensitivity results showed that all 5 strains were resistant to penicillin, moxifloxacin, and gentamicin. Four strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin and clindamycin, with multiple resistance. Genome sequence analysis showed that clindamycin-resistant strains all contained drug resistance gene erm(X). The isolates carried virulence factors including Sigma A, GroEL(Hsp60)/Cpn60.2, Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDK), EF-Tu, MprA/B, DtxR, Irp6, and HmuTUV. The pathogenicity analysis showed that all 5 strains of C. argentoratense carried 10 genes, including glyA1, mihF, and CarD, which were closely related to the virulence of M. tuberculosis.

  Conclusion  For the first time, C. argentoratense was isolated from the pharynx of healthy people, and it carried drug resistance and virulence genes.