An Escherichia coli isolate from hospital sewage carries blaNDM-1 and blaoxa-10

Carbapenems, as the last line of defense against Gram-negative bacteria, are increasingly being challenged by drug-resistant bacteria, especially Enterobacteriaceae. In this study, a carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacterium, named AH001, was isolated from hospital sewage, and a modified Hodge test confirmed that this bacterium can produce carbapenemase. Further analysis revealed that this bacterium exhibits multidrug resistance against an additional seven antibiotics. Whole-genome sequencing and analysis showed that AH001 could not be classified by existing MLST, and its serotype could not be distinguished among O9, O89 or O168 according to O antigen prediction. More attention should be given to the role of environmental sources of Escherichia coli in the development and transfer of drug resistance in the hospital environment.

Automated summary

The study identified a carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacterium AH001 with multidrug resistance isolated from hospital sewage. Whole-genome sequencing showed that AH001 could not be classified by existing MLST, and its serotype could not be distinguished among O9, O89 or O168 according to O antigen prediction. This highlights the importance of environmental sources of Escherichia coli in the development and transfer of drug resistance in the hospital setting.