Genome-wide association study of antibiotic resistance in clinical Burkholderia pseudomallei strains from Hainan province, China

Abstract Background Burkholderia pseudomallei is a gram-negative soil-borne Bacillus pathogen that causes melioidosis and poses a significant threat to human health. This study aimed to investigate pan-genetic resistance genes using the genome sequences of 556 clinical strains. The predominant resistant phenotypes observed among these strains were resistance to DOX and AMC. Results We identified OprM and MexB as genes significantly associated with DOX-resistant phenotypes. Moreover, gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was performed to explore the functional implications of the genes found in the DOX and AMC-resistant strains, indicating their involvement in the negative regulation of cellular and carboxylic acid biosynthetic processes. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed distinct pathways enriched in DOX-resistant strains, namely oxidative phosphorylation and glutathione metabolism, whereas AMC-resistant strains exhibited enrichment in lysine biosynthesis; valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation; and, amino acid and nucleotide sugar metabolism pathways. Conclusions This study helps to understand the evolution of drug resistance in this bacterium and potential targets for predicting drug resistance, and provides a foundation for clinical diagnosis within hospital microbiology and medical facilities.