Three carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates of the Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) were recovered from different patients in a hospital. All 3 isolates carried 2 carbapenemase genes blaKPC-2 and blaNDM-1. A study was performed to characterize their relatedness and to investigate possible links among the patients. Whole genome sequencing revealed that the isolates were Enterobacter hormaechei and belonged to ST177 of the ECC. There were 19-142 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between the isolates, suggesting that the isolates were likely from a central reservoir, which might have existed for some time. blaKPC-2 and blaNDM-1 were carried on 2 different IncF-type plasmids in the isolates. The 3 blaNDM-1-carrying plasmids were almost identical and were self-transmissible, while the blaKPC-2-carrying plasmids were only transmissible in the presence of the blaNDM-1-carrying plasmid. The source of and direct links among them were not identified, suggesting a hospital transmission of a common multidrug resistant strain.
Keywords: Carbapenemases; Enterobacter cloacae; Enterobacter hormaechei; Plasmids; Resistance; β-Lactamases.
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