IncFIB plasmids carrying the resistance gene blaCTX-M-15 in ESBL-producing Escherichia coli clones from pediatric patients

Abstract

Introduction: The emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs)-producing Escherichia coli clones are a public health concern worldwide. Scarce information does exist about the spread of ESBLs-producing E. coli in pediatric patients from developing countries.
 Methodology: E. coli strains were analyzed by multilocus-sequence-typing, pulsed-field-gel-electrophoresis and phylogenetic group. The antimicrobial-resistance genes were detected by PCR, and plasmid content by the PCR-based replicon-typing. Horizontal transfer was tested by conjugation and the location of the blaCTX-M-15 gene by Southern blot hybridization.
 Results: Thirty-two cefotaxime-resistant E. coli were recovered. Eleven of them were ESBL-producing isolates, which were well characterized and ascribed to seven sequence types and five phylogroups. The ESBL CTX-M-15 was the most prevalent enzyme (9 of 11). Plasmids of variable sizes (40-220 kb) were visualized, and the incompatibility (Inc) group FIB plasmid-replicon was detected in the ESBL strains and transferred by conjugation in 45.45% of them.
 Plasmid-borne toxin-antitoxin systems were the most frequently detected systems, strongly associated to IncF plasmids. The CTX-M-15-encoding gene was located on IncFIB plasmids.
 Conclusions: Even though a small number of ESBL-producing strains was recovered, we evidenced that IncFIB plasmids carry the blaCTX-M-15 gene, highlighting the role of IncF-type plasmids in facilitating the spread and maintenance of ESBL-encoding genes, which further favors the rapid increase of the antimicrobial resistance dissemination in disease-causing E. coli strains in pediatric patients.

Occurrence, Typing, and Resistance Genes of ESBL/AmpC-Producing Enterobacterales in Fresh Vegetables Purchased in Central Israel

“…Among our ESBL-producing isolates, the IncFIB plasmid was the most predominant replicon group, in agreement with previous reports on vegetable samples [14,39]. Moreover, the IncFIB plasmid group is prevalent in aquatic environments [40] and in clinical settings [41], indicating the vast transmission and dissemination of the IncFIB plasmid. The high prevalence of the IncF plasmid may be attributed to the presence of addiction systems, i.e., systems which increase plasmid stability by ensuring that only cells containing the plasmid survive, whereas those that have lost the plasmid are eliminated.…”

Genomic Analysis of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Isolated in Tamaulipas, Mexico

“…Regarding resistance to β-lactams, bla OXA-1 , bla CTX-M-15 , bla TEM-1B , and bla CMY-2 genes were presented in this study of which CTX-M-15 is the most prevalent and globally distributed ESBL in E. coli [25] and is associated with UPEC ST131 [26].…”

Comparative Analysis of Phylogenetic Relationships and Virulence Factor Characteristics between Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates Derived from Clinical Sites and Chicken Farms

“…Notably, the prevalent bla CTX-M gene subtypes of CTX-ESBL- E. coli isolates from different sources were different, although bla CTX-M-55 is a major global epidemic subtype ( 43 ). As the conjugative transfer plasmids, IncFII and IncFIb plasmids mediate the horizontal transfer of bla CTX-M ( 44 – 47 ). Therefore, the mechanism of resistance gene transfer mediated by plasmids should be further analyzed to manage the spread of drug resistance.…”