Jürgen Benjamin Hagemann1, Niels Pfennigwerth2, Sören G Gatermann2, Heike von Baum1, Andreas Essig1. 1. Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, D-89081 Ulm, Germany. 2. German National Reference Laboratory for Multidrug-Resistant Gram-negative Bacteria, Department of Medical Microbiology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, D-44801 Bochum, Germany.
Abstract
Background: Antimicrobial resistance due to carbapenemase expression poses a worldwide threat in healthcare. Inter-genus exchange of genetic information is of utmost importance in this context. Objectives: Here, to the best of our knowledge, we describe the first detection and characterization of a KPC-2-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Germany. Methods: Characterization of the isolate was performed using MALDI-TOF MS, automated microdilution and MLST. Carbapenemase detection was performed using phenotypic and genotypic assays. The blaKPC-2-carrying plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli NEB® 10-beta. The purified plasmid DNA was sequenced using the Illumina technique. Results: The isolate expressed ST235 and was resistant to carbapenems. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed colistin to be the only antimicrobial agent active in vitro. The blaKPC-2 gene was located on a replicon type lncHI1 plasmid as part of Tn4401. Conclusions: The first detection (to the best of our knowledge) of plasmid-encoded KPC-2 in P. aeruginosa in Germany may point to a currently underestimated spread of carbapenemases among clinically relevant Gram-negative bacteria. Here, to the best of our knowledge, we also provide the first report of blaKPC-2 associated with the IncHI1 plasmid.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance due to carbapenemase expression poses a worldwide threat in healthcare. Inter-genus exchange of genetic information is of utmost importance in this context. Objectives: Here, to the best of our knowledge, we describe the first detection and characterization of a KPC-2-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Germany. Methods: Characterization of the isolate was performed using MALDI-TOF MS, automated microdilution and MLST. Carbapenemase detection was performed using phenotypic and genotypic assays. The blaKPC-2-carrying plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli NEB® 10-beta. The purified plasmid DNA was sequenced using the Illumina technique. Results: The isolate expressed ST235 and was resistant to carbapenems. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed colistin to be the only antimicrobial agent active in vitro. The blaKPC-2 gene was located on a replicon type lncHI1 plasmid as part of Tn4401. Conclusions: The first detection (to the best of our knowledge) of plasmid-encoded KPC-2 in P. aeruginosa in Germany may point to a currently underestimated spread of carbapenemases among clinically relevant Gram-negative bacteria. Here, to the best of our knowledge, we also provide the first report of blaKPC-2 associated with the IncHI1 plasmid.
Authors: Richard A Stanton; Davina Campbell; Gillian A McAllister; Erin Breaker; Michelle Adamczyk; Jonathan B Daniels; Joseph D Lutgring; Maria Karlsson; Kyle Schutz; Jesse T Jacob; Lucy E Wilson; Elisabeth Vaeth; Linda Li; Ruth Lynfield; Paula M Snippes Vagnone; Erin C Phipps; Emily B Hancock; Ghinwa Dumyati; Rebecca Tsay; P Maureen Cassidy; Jacquelyn Mounsey; Julian E Grass; Sandra N Bulens; Maroya Spalding Walters; Alison Laufer Halpin Journal: Antimicrob Agents Chemother Date: 2022-09-06 Impact factor: 5.938
Authors: Catherine L Tooke; Philip Hinchliffe; Robert A Bonomo; Christopher J Schofield; Adrian J Mulholland; James Spencer Journal: J Biol Chem Date: 2020-12-03 Impact factor: 5.157