| Summary: | Plasmids carrying high-risk resistance mechanisms in pathogenic <i>E. coli</i> have gained particular attention in veterinary medicine, especially since the discovery of the colistin resistance gene, <i>mcr-1</i>. Here, we provide the first evidence of its emergence and describe the complete <i>mcr-1</i> plasmid sequence of a multi-resistant avian pathogenic <i>E. coli</i> (APEC) strain from waterfowl in Hungary. Whole-genome sequencing analysis and core-genome MLST were performed to characterize the genome structure of the <i>mcr-1</i> plasmid and to reveal the phylogenetic relation between the Hungarian duck strain Ec45-2020 and the internationally circulating <i>mcr-1</i>-positive <i>E. coli</i> strains from poultry and humans. Results showed that plasmid pEc45-2020-33kb displayed a high level of genome identity with <i>mcr-1</i> plasmids of IncX4 type widespread among human, animal and food reservoirs of enteric bacteria of public health. The <i>mcr-1</i>-positive <i>E. coli</i> strain Ec45-2020 belongs to the ST162 genotype, considered as one of the globally disseminated zoonotic genotypes of MDR <i>E. coli</i>. In accordance with international findings, our results underline the importance of continuous surveillance of enteric bacteria with high-risk antimicrobial resistance genotypes, including neglected animals, such as waterfowls, as possible reservoirs for the colistin resistance gene <i>mcr-1</i>.
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