Molecular Characterization of an IncFIIk Plasmid Co-harboring bla IMP-26 and tet(A) Variant in a Clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolate

Hong Yao; Jing Cheng; Aijuan Li; Runhao Yu; Wenbo Zhao; Shangshang Qin; Xiang-Dang Du

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.01610

Molecular Characterization of an IncFII_k Plasmid Co-harboring bla _IMP-26 and tet(A) Variant in a Clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolate

Front Microbiol. 2020 Jul 24:11:1610. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01610. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Hong Yao¹, Jing Cheng², Aijuan Li¹, Runhao Yu¹, Wenbo Zhao¹, Shangshang Qin², Xiang-Dang Du¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
² School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.

Abstract

Carbapenems and tigecycline are two important classes of antimicrobial agents to treat the infections caused by Enterobacterales. Here, we reported a plasmid carrying both bla _IMP-26 and tet(A) variant in clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae KP-1572. MIC results showed that K. pneumonia KP-1572 was resistant to a wide range of antimicrobials. The bla _IMP-26 and tet(A) variant were located on an identical plasmid, which was indicated by S1-PFGE and southern blotting hybridization and can be successfully transferred by electroporation. Whole-plasmid sequencing and analysis revealed that a 142,993-bp-sized plasmid, designated pIMP1572, contains an IncFII_k backbone and a variable region harboring bla _IMP-26 and tet(A) variant. The plasmid pIMP1572 was apparently originated from a tet(A)-carrying IncFII_k plasmid but with a deletion length of 6,216-bp and a multiple drug resistance region (MDRR) insertion of 25,259 bp. The plasmid pIMP1572 in the present study represents the first report of the IncFII_k plasmid co-carrying bla _IMP and tet(A) variant, which should be monitored.

Keywords: IncFIIk plasmid; Klebsiella pneumoniae; blaIMP–26; carbapenems; resistance; tet(A) variant; tigecycline.