Diversity of genetic environment of bla(CTX-M) genes.

Twenty-four non-clonally related enterobacterial isolates producing the emerging CTX-M-type extended-spectrum beta-lactamases were recovered from several countries including France, India, Poland, and Turkey. They had been isolated from 2000 to 2003. beta-Lactamases CTX-M-2, CTX-M-3, CTX-M-10, CTX-M-14 and CTX-M-15 were identified. Most of the isolates produced beta-lactamase CTX-M-15. Insertion sequence ISEcp1 was found upstream of bla(CTX-M-3), bla(CTX-M-10), bla(CTX-M-14) and bla(CTX-M-15) genes. A sequence similar to the inverted right repeat of ISEcp1 was identified downstream of bla(CTX-M-3), bla(CTX-M-10) and bla(CTX-M-15) genes suggesting the mobilization of these beta-lactamase genes by transposition events. In addition, Orf513 was identified upstream of the bla(CTX-M-2) gene. This work further underlined widespread of bla(CTX-M-15) gene associated with ISEcp1. Copyright 2004 Federation of European Microbiological Societies