The Co-occurrence of mcr-3 and fosA3 in IncP plasmid in ST131 Escherichia coli: A novel case

Authors

  • Muhammad Fazal Hameed Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1242-7733
  • Yanan Chen Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
  • Hazrat Bilal Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
  • Sabir Khan Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
  • Honghua Ge Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
  • Chen Xiaofang Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
  • Pengying Gu Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.15943

Keywords:

MCR-3, FOSA3, PBRT, MLST, XBAL-PFGE

Abstract

Introduction: Plasmid-mediated colistin resistance genes, especially mcr-3 combined with the fosfomycin resistance gene fosA3, are a grave health concern. Our study was designed to determine the epidemiological characteristics of the combination of mcr-3 and fosA3 in Anhui province, China.

Methodology: A total of 127 multi-drug-resistant (MDR) E. coli strains were assessed for antibiotic resistance/sensitivity to detect mcr-3 and fosA3 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. The genes of interest were conjugated using EC600, and replicon and sequence types (STs) were identified by PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Cluster similarity and genomic relatedness among the positive isolates were confirmed by Xbal PFGE.

Results: The processed E. coli isolates were highly resistant to the tested antibiotics; the prevalence of mcr-3 was 0.78% in the transferable IncP-type plasmid in ST131, whereas fosA3 prevalence was 38.58% among different transferable plasmids, including IncFIIK, IncFII and IncA/C, and in various STs including ST69, ST1193, ST12, ST46, ST57, ST1196, ST38, ST95, ST131, ST7584 and ST10184. Both were successfully transferred to EC600. The Xbal PFGE cluster exposed similarities among the STs.

Conclusions: Our results show that to control the spread of colistin and fosfomycin resistance genes in human pathogens, the ban on colistin must be continued in animal feeding farms not only in China but around the world; additionally, awareness platforms on the use of colistin must be implemented and strict policies in poultry and pig farms must be maintained. Furthermore, fosfomycin misuse by patients and overuse by physicians must be strictly managed to stop the spread of fosfomycin resistance.

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Published

2022-04-30

How to Cite

1.
Hameed MF, Chen Y, Bilal H, Khan S, Ge H, Xiaofang C, Gu P (2022) The Co-occurrence of mcr-3 and fosA3 in IncP plasmid in ST131 Escherichia coli: A novel case. J Infect Dev Ctries 16:622–629. doi: 10.3855/jidc.15943

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Section

Original Articles