Colistin Resistance Mechanism in <i>Enterobacter hormaechei</i> subsp. <i>steigerwaltii</i> Isolated from Wild Boar (<i>Sus scrofa</i>) in France

Abstract

Wild animals may act as efficient antimicrobial-resistance reservoirs and epidemiological links between humans, livestock, and natural environments. By using phenotypic and genotypic characterization, the present study highlighted the occurrence of an antimicrobial-resistant (i.e., amoxicillin, amoxicillin–clavulanic acid, cephalothin, and colistin) Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. steigerwaltii strain in wild boar (Sus scrofa) from France. The molecular analysis conducted showed non-synonymous mutations in the pmrA/pmrB and phoQ/phoP operons and the phoP/Q regulator mgrB gene, leading to colistin resistance. The present data highlight the need for continuous monitoring of multidrug-resistant bacteria in wild animals to limit the spread of these threatening pathogens.

Keywords

• gene inactivation
• <i>phoP/Q</i>
• <i>pmrA/B</i>
• <i>mgrB</i> regulator
• colistin resistance
• wild boar