High risk of intestinal colonization with ESBL-producing Escherichia coli among soldiers of military contingents in specific geographic regions

One-hundred Polish soldiers of a contingent in Afghanistan in 2019 were screened for Enterobacterales resistant to newer-generation β-lactams at their departure and return. Seventeen percent were colonized in the gut at the departure, whereas 70% acquired carriage in Afghanistan. The commonest organisms were extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-Ec; 96.6%). All isolates were sequenced and were clonally diverse overall, even within the same sequence type, indicating that independent acquisitions mainly. ESBL-Ec were often multi-drug-resistant. Soldiers stationing in certain regions are at high risk of acquiring resistant bacteria that may cause endogenous infection, be transmitted to vulnerable individuals, and spread resistance genes.

Towards endemicity: large-scale expansion of the NDM-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST11 lineage in Poland, 2015-16

OBJECTIVES

In 2015 and 2016 Poland recorded rapid proliferation of New Delhi MBL (NDM)-producing Enterobacterales, with at least 470 and 1780 cases, respectively. We addressed the roles of the Klebsiella pneumoniae ST11 NDM-1 outbreak genotype, already spreading in 2012-14, and of newly imported organisms in this increase.

METHODS

The study included 2136 NDM-positive isolates identified between April 2015 and December 2016, following transfer of patients with K. pneumoniae ST147 NDM-1 from Tunisia to Warsaw in March 2015. The isolates were screened by PCR mapping for variants of blaNDM-carrying Tn125-like elements. Selected isolates were typed by PFGE and MLST. NDM-encoding plasmids were analysed by nuclease S1/hybridization, transfer assays, PCR-based replicon typing and PCR mapping.

RESULTS

The organisms were mainly K. pneumoniae containing the Tn125A variant of the ST11 epidemic lineage (n = 2094; ∼98%). Their representatives were of the outbreak pulsotype and ST11, and produced NDM-1, encoded by specific IncFII (pKPX-1/pB-3002cz)-like plasmids. The isolates were recovered in 145 healthcare centres in 13/16 administrative regions, predominantly the Warsaw area. The 'Tunisian' genotype K. pneumoniae ST147 NDM-1 Tn125F comprised 18 isolates (0.8%) from eight institutions. The remaining 24 isolates, mostly K. pneumoniae and Escherichia coli of diverse STs, produced NDM-1 or NDM-5 specified by various Tn125 derivatives and plasmids.

CONCLUSIONS

The K. pneumoniae ST11 NDM-1 outbreak has dramatically expanded in Poland since 2012, which may bring about a countrywide endemic situation in the near future. In addition, the so-far limited K. pneumoniae ST147 NDM-1 outbreak plus multiple NDM imports from different countries were observed in 2015-16.

NDM-1- or OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae colonising Polish tourists following a terrorist attack in Tunis, March 2015

We describe the introduction of NDM-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST147 and Escherichia coli ST410, and OXA-48-producing K. pneumoniae ST101 strains to Poland by two patients transported to the country after hospitalisation in Tunisia. The patients had gunshot wounds following the terrorist attack in the Bardo National Museum in Tunis in March 2015. Our report reinforces the need for microbiological screening of patients returning from travel on admission to healthcare institutions, especially following hospitalisation in countries where carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae are endemic.

MLST reveals potentially high-risk international clones of Enterobacter cloacae

OBJECTIVES

To perform the first multinational Enterobacter cloacae clonality study, using the MLST scheme newly developed in Japan.

METHODS

The analysis included 195 rectal carriage E. cloacae isolates resistant to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs), collected from patients in 12 hospital units across Europe and Israel. All of the isolates were typed by PFGE and 173 isolates were subjected to MLST. ESC resistance was analysed phenotypically; genes encoding ESBLs and carbapenemases were identified by PCR and sequencing.

RESULTS

MLST distinguished 88 STs, which correlated with the PFGE data. PFGE was more discriminatory, producing 129 pulsotypes (169 patterns). Numerous STs were observed in several countries each. The most widespread were ST66, ST78, ST108 and ST114, each having at least 10 isolates from three to five countries, diversified into multiple pulsotypes, with clusters of related isolates in one or more centres. Analysis of the STs against the MLST database revealed several epidemic clonal complexes, such as those with central genotypes ST74 (including ST78) or ST114 (including ST66). ESC resistance was equally related to overexpression of the AmpC cephalosporinase and to ESBL production. Among ESBL producers some spreading subclones were identified, including specific ST66, ST78 and ST114 pulsotypes, associated with CTX-M-15 production. Several isolates produced carbapenemase VIM-1 or KPC-2.

CONCLUSIONS

Together with the information available in the MLST database, our results suggest that, like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. cloacae harbours clonal lineages of increased epidemic potential that may be associated with resistance spread.