Short Communication Dissemination of an international high-risk clone of Escherichia coli ST410 co-producing NDM-5 and OXA-181 carbapenemases in Seoul, Republic of Korea

The rapid increase in carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales is a global health concern. During 20172020, a total of 44 Escherichia coli isolates co-harbouring bla NDM-5 and bla OXA-181 were collected from patients at 17 hospitals in Seoul and characterized based on antimicrobial susceptibility, resistance genes and plasmid replicons detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Clonal relatedness was estimated using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). All isolates had an identical multidrug resistance profile, including resistance to carbapenems, cephalosporins, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and susceptibility to amikacin, colistin, and tigecycline. Resistance genes ( bla CTX-M-15 , bla CMY-2 , bla TEM-1B , bla OXA-1 , aac(6')-Ib-cr , and qnrS ) and plasmid replicons (IncFIA, IncFIB, and IncX3) was observed in almost all isolates. All isolates belonged to ST410 and were genetically similar ( > 88% similarity), with some PFGE types shared among isolates from different hospitals. Analysis of the whole genome revealed that the isolates clustered together with other strains of the international high-risk clone ST410 B4/H24RxC from other countries. These findings underline the ongoing spread of the high-risk clone of NDM-5- and OXA-181-producing E. coli ST410 B4/H24RxC among hospitals in Seoul. Continuous monitoring and implementation of infection control measures are crucial to track and prevent further spread of these resistant strains. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd and International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study collected 44 Escherichia coli isolates co-harbouring bla NDM-5 and bla OXA-181 from patients in 17 hospitals in Seoul, showing high genetic similarity and multidrug resistance. These isolates belonged to the international high-risk clone ST410 B4/H24RxC, emphasizing the importance of continuous monitoring and infection control measures to prevent further spread of these resistant strains.