Genomic epidemiology and genetic characteristics of clinical Campylobacter species cocirculating in West Bengal, India, 2019, using whole genome analysis.

Campylobacter species are the most common pathogens responsible for foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide. India is a region with frequent diarrheal infections and a high level of Campylobacter infection incidence, but the detailed genomic information is limited. This study aimed to characterize 112 isolates of Campylobacter from diarrhea patients at two hospitals in Kolkata, West Bengal, by whole genome analysis. The Campylobacter isolates consisted of 90 C. jejuni, 20 C. coli, and 2 C. lari isolates. Multilocus sequence typing analysis revealed that the largest sequence type (ST) populations were ST-2131 in C. jejuni and ST-830 in C. coli and seven novel STs were found in C. jejuni and one in C. coli. Notably, ST-2131, which is rarely seen elsewhere, was positive for a sialylated LOS-related gene (wlaN +neuA + cstIII) associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Antibiotic resistance factors predicted from the genome sequence included blaOXA variants (58.9%), tet(O) (54.5%), tet(W) (0.9%), ant(6)-Ia (0.9%), mutation in GyrA (T86I, T86I+D90N, T86I+P104S, T86I+D90N+P104S) (79.5%), and mutation in 23S rRNA (A2075G) (12.5%). In addition to the high drug resistance of Campylobacter in Kolkata, Campylobacter pathogens were circulating that may be associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome. This study indicates the importance of genomic analysis in the surveillance of pathogens, which provides genomic information on genetic diversity, virulence mechanisms, and determinants of antimicrobial resistance.