First detection of VIM-4 metallo-β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in Russia

An Escherichia coli isolate co-producing VIM-4 metallo-β-lactamase and CTX-M-15 extended spectrum β-lactamase was recovered from the urine of a patient with head trauma in Moscow, Russia. The bla(VIM-4) and bla(CTX-M-15) genes were carried, respectively, by transmissible plasmids of IncW and IncI1 groups. The nucleotide sequence of the VIM-4-encoding integron was nearly identical to that of In416, which represent a large group of structurally related integrons previously found in Enterobacteriaceae all around the Mediterranean basin. This is the first report of a metallo-β-lactamase-producing E. coli in Russia.