The Prophage and Plasmid Mobilome as a Likely Driver of Mycobacterium abscessus Diversity

Abstract

<i>Mycobacterium abscessus</i> is an emerging pathogen that is often refractory to antibiotic control. Treatment is further complicated by considerable variation among clinical isolates in both their genetic constitution and their clinical manifestations. Here, we show that the prophage and plasmid mobilome is a likely contributor to this variation. Prophages and plasmids are common, abundant, and highly diverse, and code for large repertoires of genes influencing virulence, antibiotic susceptibility, and defense against viral infection. At least 85% of the strains we describe carry one or more prophages, representing at least 17 distinct and diverse sequence "clusters," integrated at 18 different <i>attB</i> locations. The prophages code for 19 distinct configurations of polymorphic toxin and toxin-immunity systems, each with WXG-100 motifs for export through type VII secretion systems. These are located adjacent to attachment junctions, are lysogenically expressed, and are implicated in promoting growth in infected host cells. Although the plethora of prophages and plasmids confounds the understanding of <i>M. abscessus</i> pathogenicity, they also provide an abundance of tools for <i>M. abscessus</i> engineering.<b>IMPORTANCE</b><i>Mycobacterium abscessus</i> is an important emerging pathogen that is challenging to treat with current antibiotic regimens. There is substantial genomic variation in <i>M. abscessus</i> clinical isolates, but little is known about how this influences pathogenicity and <i>in vivo</i> growth. Much of the genomic variation is likely due to the large and varied mobilome, especially a large and diverse array of prophages and plasmids. The prophages are unrelated to previously characterized phages of mycobacteria and code for a diverse array of genes implicated in both viral defense and <i>in vivo</i> growth. Prophage-encoded polymorphic toxin proteins secreted via the type VII secretion system are common and highly varied and likely contribute to strain-specific pathogenesis.