Open AccessCross-Border Emergence of Escherichia coli Producing the Carbapenemase NDM-5 in Switzerland and Germany
Author(s) -
Trinad Chakraborty,
Mustafa Sadek,
Yancheng Yao,
Can Imirzalioglu,
Roger Stephan,
Laurent Poirel,
Patrice Nordmann
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of clinical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.349
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1070-633X
pISSN - 0095-1137
DOI - 10.1128/jcm.02238-20
Subject(s) - tigecycline , colistin , ceftazidime/avibactam , escherichia coli , fosfomycin , microbiology and biotechnology , meropenem , biology , carbapenem resistant enterobacteriaceae , enterobacteriaceae , ceftazidime , imipenem , carbapenem , antibiotics , bacteria , antibiotic resistance , genetics , pseudomonas aeruginosa , gene
A series of clinical NDM-5-producing Escherichia coli isolates obtained from two surveillance networks for carbapenem-producing Enterobacterales from 2018 to 2019, namely, Switzerland (NARA) and Germany (SurvCARE), were analyzed. The 33 NDM-5-producing E. coli isolates were highly resistant to β-lactams, including novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations (ceftazidime-avibactam, imipenem-relebactam, and meropenem-vaborbactam), and remained susceptible to fosfomycin, colistin, and tigecycline. These isolates were assigned to different sequence types (STs) and indicated a predominance of isolates exhibiting ST167 in Switzerland and Germany ( n = 10) (phylogenetic group C), followed by ST405 ( n = 4) (phylogenetic group E), ST1284 ( n = 4) (phylogenetic group C), and ST361 ( n = 4) (phylogenetic group C). The bla NDM-5 gene was predominantly present on an IncF-type plasmid ( n = 29) and, to a lesser extent, on the narrow-host-range IncX3 plasmid ( n = 4). Sequence analyses of eight NDM-5 plasmids indicated that NDM-5-encoding F-type plasmids varied in size between 86 and 132 kb. The two IncX3 plasmids pCH8NDM5 and pD12NDM5 were 46 and 45 kb in size, respectively. The highly conserved bla NDM-5 genetic surrounding structures (ΔIS Aba125-bla NDM-5 - ble MBL - trpT-dsbD -IS 26 ) of both the F-type and IncX3 plasmids suggested a common genetic origin. The emergence of the NDM-5 carbapenemase was evidenced in particular for the E. coli ST167 clone, which is a successful epidemic clone known to be associated with both multiresistance and virulence traits and is therefore of high public health concern. The occurrence of clonally related NDM-5-producing E. coli isolates in Switzerland and Germany further indicates the international spread of this multidrug-resistant superbug at least throughout Europe.