As a potential "Superbug," Pseudomonas aeruginosa remains the leading concern in antimicrobial resistance. In this study, the emergence of clinical P. aeruginosa isolate was found to carry crpP and blaGES-5 on the chromosome and blaKPC-2 on a plasmid. A clinical P. aeruginosa strain Guangzhou-PaeC79 with an extensively drug-resistant phenotype was isolated, which was resistant to all classes of clinical commonly used antibiotics. It contains one chromosomal DNA and one plasmid, with seven acquired antimicrobial resistance genes identified on the chromosome, including carbapenem resistance gene blaGES-5 and fluoroquinolone resistance gene crpP, and carbapenem resistance gene blaKPC-2 located on an IncP-6-type plasmid pPAEC79 carrying a Tn3-like element. Carriage of any two of the resistance genes has never been previously reported, and simultaneous carriage of three bla and crpP may explain the bacterial phenotype as high-level resistance to imipenem and meropenem (≥16 μg/mL) and resistance to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.
Keywords: P. aeruginosa; blaGES-5; blaKPC-2; crpP.