Co-Harboring of Beta-Lactamases and <i>mcr-1</i> Genes in <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> from Healthy Carriers and Backyard Animals in Rural Communities in Ecuador
Carlos Bastidas-Caldes,
Emily Cisneros-Vásquez,
Antonella Zambrano,
Andrea Mosquera-Maza,
William Calero-Cáceres,
Joaquín Rey,
Yoshimasa Yamamoto,
Mayumi Yamamoto,
Manuel Calvopiña,
Jacobus H. de Waard
Affiliations
Carlos Bastidas-Caldes
One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Biotecnología, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
Emily Cisneros-Vásquez
One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Biotecnología, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
Antonella Zambrano
One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Biotecnología, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
Andrea Mosquera-Maza
Ministerio de Salud Pública del Ecuador, Pastaza 170505, Ecuador
William Calero-Cáceres
UTA RAM One Health, Department of Food and Biotechnology Science and Engineering, Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ambato 180103, Ecuador
Joaquín Rey
Unidad de Patología Infecciosa y Epidemiología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Yoshimasa Yamamoto
The United Graduate School of Drug Discovery and Medical Information Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
Mayumi Yamamoto
Health Administration Center, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan
Manuel Calvopiña
One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
Jacobus H. de Waard
One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de las Américas, Quito 170124, Ecuador
Few studies have addressed drug resistance of Enterobacterales in rural communities in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the coexistence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase genes in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains carrying the mcr-1 gene in rural communities in Ecuador from healthy humans and their backyard animals. Sixty-two strains, thirty E. coli and thirty-two K. pneumoniae strains carrying the mcr-1 gene were selected from a previous study. PCR were performed for the presence of ESBLs and carbapenemase genes. The strains were further characterized, and the genetic relationship was studied with multi-locus sequencing typing (MLST) of seven housekeeping genes. Fifty-nine of the sixty-two mcr-1 isolates (95%) harbored at least on β-lactam resistance gene. The most prevalent ESBL genes were the blaTEM genes (present in in 80% of the E. coli strains) and the blaSHV gene (present in 84% of the K. pneumoniae strains). MSLT analysis revealed 28 different sequence types (ST); 15 for E. coli and 12 for K. pneumoniae, with most ST never described in humans and animals. The coexistence of mcr-1 and β-lactams resistant genes in E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains is alarming and threatens the efficacy of last-resort antibiotics. Our findings highlight backyard animals as a reservoir of mcr-1/β-lactams resistant genes.
