Emergence and Spread of Carbapenem-Resistant and Aminoglycoside-Panresistant <italic toggle="yes">Enterobacter cloacae</italic> Complex Isolates Coproducing NDM-Type Metallo-β-Lactamase and 16S rRNA Methylase in Myanmar

Abstract

ABSTRACT Surveillance of 10 hospitals and a regional public health laboratory in Myanmar identified 31 isolates of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae complex harboring blaNDM-type. Of these isolates, 19 were highly resistant to aminoglycosides and harbored one or more genes encoding 16S rRNA methylases, including armA, rmtB, rmtC, and/or rmtE. Of the 19 isolates, 16 were Enterobacter xiangfangensis ST200, with armA on the chromosome and a plasmid harboring blaNDM-1 and rmtC, indicating that these isolates were clonally disseminated nationwide in Myanmar. IMPORTANCE The emergence of multidrug-resistant E. cloacae complex has become a public health threat worldwide. E. xiangfangensis is a recently classified species belonging to E. cloacae complex. Here, we report a clonal dissemination of multidrug-resistant E. xiangfangensis ST200 producing two types of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-type MBL), NDM-1 and -4, and three types of 16S rRNA methylases, ArmA, RmtC, and RmtE, in hospitals in Myanmar. The observation of these multidrug-resistant E. xiangfangensis ST200 isolates stresses the urgency to continue molecular epidemiological surveillance of these pathogens in Myanmar and in South Asian countries.

Keywords

• NDM-type metallo-β-lactamase
• 16S rRNA methylase
• Enterobacter cloacae complex