{rfName}

Indexed in

License and Use

Licencia

Altmetrics

Share

March 28, 2026
Publications
>
Article
No

Evidence of transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes from the porcine pathogen Streptococcus suis to human clinical isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae in a major pig-producing region of Spain

Publicated to: One Health. 22 101396- - 2026-03-28, DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101396

Authors:

Uruén, C., Lavilla, M. J., Libante, V., Marín, C. M., Rezusta, A., Payot, S., & Arenas, J.
[+]

España, Europa

Abstract

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a major global threat, with antibiotic use in livestock considered a significant contributing factor. In this study, we investigated Streptococcus suis, a multidrug-resistant porcine pathogen, as a potential source of AMR gene dissemination to human-associated streptococci in Aragón, Spain. Among 91 porcine isolates collected across Spain, resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline was associated with the erm(B) and tet(O) genes, which were frequently co-located on Tn5252-family integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) and integrative and mobilizable elements (IMEs). Tn5252-family ICEs shared 32–100% sequence identity and carried diverse combinations of AMR genes. Screening of 2,388 human clinical streptococcal isolates from different species obtained in Aragón revealed approximately 20% erythromycin resistance, particularly among S. pneumoniae and S. agalactiae. Analysis of erm(B)–tet(O) linkage in a subset of erythromycin-resistant isolates, followed by whole-genome sequencing, identified twelve isolates harboring Tn5252-family ICEs containing both resistance genes. Eight S. agalactiae isolates carried ICEs showing >95% nucleotide identity across >91% of their sequence compared with two ICEs identified in S. suis isolates recovered from the same region and time period. Conjugation assays confirmed ICE transfer from S. suis to S. agalactiae, S. pneumoniae, and S. pyogenes. In vitro experiments further demonstrated that recombination between ICEs promotes diversification of AMR gene cargo. Together, these results identify S. suis as both a reservoir and generator of ICEs carrying distinct AMR gene combinations that can be horizontally transferred to human pathogenic streptococci, leading to multidrug resistance in a single step. These findings provide strong evidence for interspecies AMR dissemination in regions with intensive pig production and underscore the need for integrated One Health strategies combining veterinary and clinical genomic surveillance with targeted interventions to limit the spread of mobile genetic elements across species.
[+]

Keywords

GanaderíaPorcinoResistencia a los antimicrobianosSalud públicaStreptococcus suisTransferencia de genes

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal One Health due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2026, it was in position 45/445, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Public, Environmental & Occupational Health.

[+]

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-11-15:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 4.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 4 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 1.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 1 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

[+]