Fusion plasmid carrying the colistin resistance gene mcr of Escherichia coli isolated from healthy residents

Hoa Thi Thanh Hoang; Ayano Higashi; Takahiro Yamaguchi; Ryuji Kawahara; Manuel Calvopina; Andres Bastidas-Caldés; Mayumi Yamamoto; Yoshimasa Yamamoto

doi:10.1016/j.jgar.2022.06.007

Fusion plasmid carrying the colistin resistance gene mcr of Escherichia coli isolated from healthy residents

J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 2022 Sep:30:152-154. doi: 10.1016/j.jgar.2022.06.007. Epub 2022 Jun 12.

Authors

Hoa Thi Thanh Hoang¹, Ayano Higashi¹, Takahiro Yamaguchi², Ryuji Kawahara², Manuel Calvopina³, Andres Bastidas-Caldés⁴, Mayumi Yamamoto⁵, Yoshimasa Yamamoto⁶

Affiliations

¹ The United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.
² Department of Microbiology, Osaka Institute of Public Health, Osaka, Japan.
³ One Health Reserach Group, Universidad De Las Americas, Quito, Ecuador.
⁴ One Health Reserach Group, Universidad De Las Americas, Quito, Ecuador; Universidad de Extremadura, Extremadura, Caceres, Spain.
⁵ The United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan; Health Administration Center, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan.
⁶ The United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan. Electronic address: yyamamot@sahs.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.

PMID: 35705132
DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2022.06.007

Abstract

Objectives: The extensive spread of colistin resistance represents an enormous concern to infectious disease treatment, because colistin is one of the few effective antibiotics against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, including carbapenem-resistant bacteria. This dissemination can be caused by plasmid transfer containing the colistin resistance gene mcr. Therefore, the plasmid host range affects horizontal gene transfer. This study reports a fusion plasmid of different incompatibility types, which could easily expand the plasmid host range, allowing widespread mcr prevalence in the microbial community.

Methods: Genome sequences of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from stool specimens of healthy human residents in Ecuador were determined using the DNBSEQ and MinION platforms. Hybrid genome assembly was performed using Unicycler, and the genomes were annotated using DFAST. Genome analysis was performed using the Geneious Prime software.

Results: Two colistin-resistant E. coli strains isolated separately from different residents presented mcr-carrying plasmids with fused different incompatibility types, IncFIA, IncHIIA, and IncHIIB. The phylogenies of these host bacteria were different. The sizes of the mcr-carrying fusion plasmids pLR-06 and pLR-50 with the full Tn6330 mcr-transposon were 260 Kbp and 198 Kbp, respectively. Both fusion plasmids possessed other resistance genes, including tet(B), tet(M), bla_TEM-1b, sul3, cmlA1, aadA1, aadA2, fosA3, and dfrA12.

Conclusion: This is the first report of a fusion plasmid comprising different incompatibility types with mcr from colistin-resistant E. coli strains isolated from community residents. The mcr fusion plasmid may play a crucial role in achieving horizontal mcr transmission and the evolution of the multidrug resistance plasmid among hosts.

Keywords: Colistin resistance; Escherichia coli; Fusion plasmid; Genome; Healthy residents; mcr.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Colistin / pharmacology
Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli Infections* / microbiology
Escherichia coli Proteins* / genetics
Humans
Plasmids / genetics

Substances

Escherichia coli Proteins
Colistin