Emergence of Almost Identical F36:A-:B32 Plasmids Carrying blaNDM-5 and qepA in Escherichia coli from Both Pakistan and Canada

• Main Authors: Baloch Z, Lv L, Yi L, Wan M, Aslam B, Yang J, Liu JH
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2019-12-01
• Series: Infection and Drug Resistance
• Subjects: plasmid; animal food; carbapenemase; blandm
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/emergence-of-almost-identical-f36a-b32-plasmids-carryingnbspblandm-5nb-peer-reviewed-article-IDR

Zulqarnain Baloch,1,* Luchao Lv,1,2,* Lingxian Yi,1,2 Miao Wan,1,2 Bilal Aslam,3 Jun Yang,1,2 Jian-Hua Liu1,2 1College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, People’s Republic of China; 2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Government College University, Faisalabad 54000, Pakistan*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jian-Hua LiuCollege of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail [e-mail]: The New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) producing Enterobacteriaceae is spreading worldwide. Although the blaNDM gene has been identified in animal associated Enterobacteriaceae isolates in many countries, little is known about its occurrence in animal products in Pakistan. In this study, 13 Escherichia coli isolates were collected from chicken meat samples in Pakistan. Two isolates, 15978 and C4109, exhibited reduced susceptibility (MIC ≥1 μg/mL) to imipenem, and carried blaNDM-5 and blaNDM-7 gene, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing and Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing revealed that 15978 and C4109 belonged to ST156 and ST167, respectively. blaNDM-7 was carried by an IncX3 plasmid that has disseminated worldwide, whereas blaNDM-5 was located on an F36: A-: B32 plasmid, which shared high identity with two plasmids carried by E. coli isolates from other countries (one from a patient in Canada). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report characterizing blaNDM-carrying plasmids from chicken meat samples in Pakistan. The dissemination of almost identical blaNDM-5-bearing F36:A-:B32 and blaNDM-7-bearing IncX3 plasmids in different countries highlights the importance of international trade and travel in the spread of antimicrobial resistance strains and plasmids worldwide.Keywords: plasmid, animal food, carbapenemase, blaNDM