Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance (Dec 2024)

Emergence of the mobile colistin resistance gene mcr-1 in a Leclercia adecarboxylata strain isolated from wastewater in Seoul

  • Jin Seok Kim,
  • Hyo-Won Jeong,
  • Young Hee Jin,
  • JinWoo Kim,
  • Jin-ah Kim,
  • Sook Hyun Park,
  • So-Mi Yoon,
  • Sang-Eun Jung,
  • Jung Im Jang,
  • Eun Ji Kim,
  • Jae In Lee,
  • Jib-Ho Lee

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 39
pp. 37 – 40

Abstract

Read online

Colistin is considered the last resort for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, the spread of the plasmid-borne colistin-resistance gene mcr-1 has become a public health threat. In this study, we identified mcr-1-harboring Leclercia adecarboxylata strain (WWCOL-134) isolated from wastewater in Seoul. The strain had a colistin MIC value of 2 µg/ml and was resistant to cefotaxime, gentamicin, tetracycline, trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. The mcr-1 gene, along with an array of resistance genes, was located on a 236-kb plasmid (pCOL134-1), which contained the typical IncHI2 backbone of reported mcr-1-carrying plasmids, and was transferred to an Escherichia coli strain by conjugation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the emergence of mcr-1-harboring Leclercia sp. isolate. Our findings demonstrate the ongoing spread of colistin resistance among Enterobacterales species, emphasizing the need for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in wastewater environments.

Keywords