Woodford N, Carattoli A, Karisik E, Underwood A, Ellington MJ, Livermore DM. Complete nucleotide sequences of plasmids pEK204, pEK499, and pEK516, encoding CTX-M enzymes in three major Escherichia coli lineages from the United Kingdom, all belonging to the international O25:H4-ST131 clone.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2009;
53:4472-82. [PMID:
19687243 PMCID:
PMC2764225 DOI:
10.1128/aac.00688-09]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 235] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2009] [Revised: 07/07/2009] [Accepted: 08/06/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We determined the complete nucleotide sequences of three plasmids that encode CTX-M extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-defined United Kingdom variants (strains A, C, and D) of the internationally prevalent Escherichia coli O25:H4-ST131 clone. Plasmid pEK499 (strain A; 117,536 bp) was a fusion of type FII and FIA replicons and harbored the following 10 antibiotic resistance genes conferring resistance to eight antibiotic classes: bla(CTX-M-15), bla(OXA-1), bla(TEM-1,) aac6'-Ib-cr, mph(A), catB4, tet(A), and the integron-borne dfrA7, aadA5, and sulI genes. pEK516 (strain D; 64,471 bp) belonged to incompatibility group IncFII and carried seven antibiotic resistance genes: bla(CTX-M-15), bla(OXA-1), bla(TEM-1), aac6'-Ib-cr, catB4, and tet(A), all as in pEK499. It also carried aac3-IIa, conferring gentamicin resistance, and was highly related to pC15-1a, a plasmid encoding the CTX-M-15 enzyme in Canada. By contrast, pEK204 (strain C; 93,732 bp) belonged to incompatibility group IncI1 and carried only two resistance genes, bla(CTX-M-3) and bla(TEM-1). It probably arose by the transposition of Tn3 and ISEcp1-bla(CTX-M-3) elements into a pCOLIb-P9-like plasmid. We conclude that (i) United Kingdom variants of the successful E. coli ST131 clone have acquired different plasmids encoding CTX-M ESBLs on separate occasions, (ii) the bla(CTX-M-3) and bla(CTX-M-15) genes on pEK204 and pEK499/pEK516 represent separate escape events, and (iii) IncFII plasmids harboring bla(CTX-M-15) have played a crucial role in the global spread of CTX-M-15 ESBLs in E. coli.
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