Identification of <i>mcr-1</i> Genes and Characterization of Resistance Mechanisms to Colistin in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Colombian Hospitals

We report the presence of the <i>mcr-1</i> gene among 880 <i>Escherichia coli</i> clinical isolates collected in 13 hospitals from 12 Colombian cities between 2016 and 2019. Seven (0.8%) isolates were colistin resistant (MIC ≥ 4 µg/mL). These colistin-resistant isolates were...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Elsa De La Cadena, Mateo Mahecha, Ana María Velandia, Juan Carlos García-Betancur, Laura J. Rojas, Jessica Porras, Christian Pallares, María Virginia Villegas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Antibiotics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/3/488
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Summary:We report the presence of the <i>mcr-1</i> gene among 880 <i>Escherichia coli</i> clinical isolates collected in 13 hospitals from 12 Colombian cities between 2016 and 2019. Seven (0.8%) isolates were colistin resistant (MIC ≥ 4 µg/mL). These colistin-resistant isolates were screened for the presence of the <i>mcr-1</i> gene; five carried the gene. These five isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify additional resistomes and their ST. In addition, antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that all <i>E. coli</i> isolates carrying <i>mcr-1</i> were susceptible to third generation-cephalosporin and carbapenems, except one, which carried an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (CTX-M-55), along with the fosfomycin resistance encoding gene, <i>fosA</i>. WGS indicated that these isolates belonged to four distinct sequence types (ST58, ST46, ST393, and a newly described ST14315) and to phylogroups B1, A, and D. In this geographic region, the spread of <i>mcr-1</i> in <i>E. coli</i> is low and has not been inserted into high-risk clones such as ST131, which has been present in the country longer.
ISSN:2079-6382