High colonization rate of a novel carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella lineage among migratory birds at Qinghai Lake, China

Abstract

Objectives The emergence of carbapenemase-positive Enterobacteriaceae poses a serious threat to public health worldwide. Here we conducted a molecular surveillance study on carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) colonization among migratory birds at Qinghai Lake in China. Methods A total of 420 samples from migratory birds and their surrounding environment were collected at three sites along the Qinghai Lake bird island. Carbapenem-non-susceptible isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS. Carbapenemase producers were determined by Carba NP testing. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, transfer ability and PFGE were also performed, and 46 isolates from different pulsotypes were analysed by WGS. Results Three hundred and fifty isolates were carbapenemase producers based on Carba NP testing, while 233 Klebsiella spp. and 2 Escherichia coli isolates were NDM-5-carriers. PFGE was performed and showed that the isolates were grouped into five pulsotypes; among these, type A was predominant (86.7%, n = 202) and belonged to a novel Klebsiella lineage, ST1697. WGS analysis indicated that ST1697 strains may be a hybrid of the recombination of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae and Klebsiella pneumoniae genomes. Conclusions This high frequency of carbapenemase producers in migratory birds is unexpected. These results provide new insight into the spread of antibiotic resistance, and highlight that continued vigilance for MDR carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in migratory birds is urgently needed.

Emergence and Comparative Genomics Analysis of Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Carrying mcr-1 in Fennec Fox Imported from Sudan to China

“…Permission was obtained from the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of China. Individual fresh fecal samples were collected using a sterile swab and subsequently diluted in sterile physiological saline solution as described previously (7). The diluted fecal samples were plated on MacConkey agar supplemented with 1 mg/liter cefotaxime and 1 mg/liter meropenem and incubated for 18 h at 37°C.…”

Wide Spread of blaCTX–M–9/mcr-9 IncHI2/ST1 Plasmids and CTX-M-9-Producing Escherichia coli and Enterobacter cloacae in Rescued Wild Animals

“…It may however reflect a lack of studies, or the accumulation of case reports that do not accurately reflect the true epidemiology. Indeed, investigations on AMR in wild birds sometimes revealed unexpected reservoirs, such as recently where a high proportion of CP-resistant NDM-5-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae was observed in migratory birds in China ( Liao et al, 2019 ). With regard to colistin resistance, a limited number of studies reported the plasmid-mediated mcr-1 gene in wild birds ( Tarabai et al, 2019 ).…”

Microorganisms Resistant to Antimicrobials in Wild Canarian Egyptian Vultures (Neophron percnopterus majorensis)

“…Surprisingly, we also found isolates resistant to imipenem, an antibiotic restricted exclusively to hospital use. High levels of resistance to carbapenems by bacteria isolated from migratory birds have been described by other authors [27,28]. Imipenem resistance was low (6.9%) and found mainly in E. coli, Proteus and Providencia.…”