Dissemination of clinical Escherichia coli harboring the mcr-1 gene in Pakistan

BackgroundColistin is an antibiotic used as a last resort to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Plasmid-mediated mobile colistin-resistant (mcr) genes in Escherichia coli (E. coli) are disseminated globally and are considered to be a major public health threat. This study...

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Main Authors: Sabahat Abdullah, Muhammad Ahmad Mushtaq, Kalim Ullah, Brekhna Hassan, Mariya Azam, Muhammad Asif Zahoor, Juan Wang, Jianzhen Xu, Mark A. Toleman, Mashkoor Mohsin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1502528/full
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author Sabahat Abdullah
Sabahat Abdullah
Muhammad Ahmad Mushtaq
Kalim Ullah
Brekhna Hassan
Mariya Azam
Mariya Azam
Muhammad Asif Zahoor
Juan Wang
Jianzhen Xu
Mark A. Toleman
Mashkoor Mohsin
author_facet Sabahat Abdullah
Sabahat Abdullah
Muhammad Ahmad Mushtaq
Kalim Ullah
Brekhna Hassan
Mariya Azam
Mariya Azam
Muhammad Asif Zahoor
Juan Wang
Jianzhen Xu
Mark A. Toleman
Mashkoor Mohsin
author_sort Sabahat Abdullah
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundColistin is an antibiotic used as a last resort to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Plasmid-mediated mobile colistin-resistant (mcr) genes in Escherichia coli (E. coli) are disseminated globally and are considered to be a major public health threat. This study aimed to determine the molecular characteristics of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in clinical settings in Pakistan.MethodsA total of 240 clinical E. coli strains isolated from urine and pus cultures were collected from two hospitals in Faisalabad and analyzed for phenotypic resistance to colistin by cultivation on CHROMagar plates supplemented with colistin 2 ug/ml. Molecular characteristics of colistin-resistant isolates were analyzed using conventional PCR, whole genome sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis.ResultsPCR and whole genome analysis confirmed the presence of the mcr-1 gene in 10 E. coli isolates. The minimum inhibitory concentration for colistin ranged from 4 ug/ml to 32 ug/ml. ResFinder analysis revealed the presence of multiple resistance determinants conferring co-resistance to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim, sulfonamides, tetracycline, quinolones, florfenicol, and macrolides. Hybrid genomic assembly indicated that mcr-1 is carried on IncI2 plasmids. Plasmid replicon typing indicated that IncI2-type plasmids (n = 10) were the most prevalent plasmids in these strains, followed by IncFIB (n = 8), IncFIC (n = 7), IncFIA (n = 6), IncFII (4), IncQ1 (n = 3), IncI1 (n = 1), IncY (n = 1), and IncN (n = 1). The Achtman MLST typing scheme revealed a large diversity of STs among the mcr-1-positive E. coli. VirulenceFinder analysis revealed the presence of numerous virulence factors ranging from 4 to 19.ConclusionOur study revealed the emergence and dissemination of colistin-resistant E. coli isolates carrying mcr-1 in hospital settings, posing a potential risk to anti-infective therapy. More efforts should be taken to monitor the prevalence of mcr-1-carrying bacteria in Pakistan.
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spelling doaj-art-267397641a6b4a7186f20a02ca3bb6a02025-08-20T02:45:30ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-01-011510.3389/fmicb.2024.15025281502528Dissemination of clinical Escherichia coli harboring the mcr-1 gene in PakistanSabahat Abdullah0Sabahat Abdullah1Muhammad Ahmad Mushtaq2Kalim Ullah3Brekhna Hassan4Mariya Azam5Mariya Azam6Muhammad Asif Zahoor7Juan Wang8Jianzhen Xu9Mark A. Toleman10Mashkoor Mohsin11Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, PakistanDepartment of Bioinformatics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, ChinaInstitute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, PakistanDepartment of Bioinformatics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, ChinaSchool of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Institute of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United KingdomInstitute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, PakistanInstitute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), The University of Lahore, Lahore, PakistanInstitute of Microbiology, Government College University, Faisalabad, PakistanDepartment of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, ChinaDepartment of Bioinformatics, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, ChinaSchool of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Institute of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United KingdomInstitute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, PakistanBackgroundColistin is an antibiotic used as a last resort to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Plasmid-mediated mobile colistin-resistant (mcr) genes in Escherichia coli (E. coli) are disseminated globally and are considered to be a major public health threat. This study aimed to determine the molecular characteristics of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in clinical settings in Pakistan.MethodsA total of 240 clinical E. coli strains isolated from urine and pus cultures were collected from two hospitals in Faisalabad and analyzed for phenotypic resistance to colistin by cultivation on CHROMagar plates supplemented with colistin 2 ug/ml. Molecular characteristics of colistin-resistant isolates were analyzed using conventional PCR, whole genome sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis.ResultsPCR and whole genome analysis confirmed the presence of the mcr-1 gene in 10 E. coli isolates. The minimum inhibitory concentration for colistin ranged from 4 ug/ml to 32 ug/ml. ResFinder analysis revealed the presence of multiple resistance determinants conferring co-resistance to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, trimethoprim, sulfonamides, tetracycline, quinolones, florfenicol, and macrolides. Hybrid genomic assembly indicated that mcr-1 is carried on IncI2 plasmids. Plasmid replicon typing indicated that IncI2-type plasmids (n = 10) were the most prevalent plasmids in these strains, followed by IncFIB (n = 8), IncFIC (n = 7), IncFIA (n = 6), IncFII (4), IncQ1 (n = 3), IncI1 (n = 1), IncY (n = 1), and IncN (n = 1). The Achtman MLST typing scheme revealed a large diversity of STs among the mcr-1-positive E. coli. VirulenceFinder analysis revealed the presence of numerous virulence factors ranging from 4 to 19.ConclusionOur study revealed the emergence and dissemination of colistin-resistant E. coli isolates carrying mcr-1 in hospital settings, posing a potential risk to anti-infective therapy. More efforts should be taken to monitor the prevalence of mcr-1-carrying bacteria in Pakistan.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1502528/fullEscherichia coliColistinMCR-1whole-genome sequencingantibiotic resistance
spellingShingle Sabahat Abdullah
Sabahat Abdullah
Muhammad Ahmad Mushtaq
Kalim Ullah
Brekhna Hassan
Mariya Azam
Mariya Azam
Muhammad Asif Zahoor
Juan Wang
Jianzhen Xu
Mark A. Toleman
Mashkoor Mohsin
Dissemination of clinical Escherichia coli harboring the mcr-1 gene in Pakistan
Frontiers in Microbiology
Escherichia coli
Colistin
MCR-1
whole-genome sequencing
antibiotic resistance
title Dissemination of clinical Escherichia coli harboring the mcr-1 gene in Pakistan
title_full Dissemination of clinical Escherichia coli harboring the mcr-1 gene in Pakistan
title_fullStr Dissemination of clinical Escherichia coli harboring the mcr-1 gene in Pakistan
title_full_unstemmed Dissemination of clinical Escherichia coli harboring the mcr-1 gene in Pakistan
title_short Dissemination of clinical Escherichia coli harboring the mcr-1 gene in Pakistan
title_sort dissemination of clinical escherichia coli harboring the mcr 1 gene in pakistan
topic Escherichia coli
Colistin
MCR-1
whole-genome sequencing
antibiotic resistance
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1502528/full
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