Spread of Serratia marcescens coharboring aac(6')-Ib-cr, bla CTX-M, armA, and bla OXA-1 carried by conjugative IncL/M type plasmid in Korean hospitals.
The prevalence of aac(6')-Ib-cr and its associated genes and mobile elements was investigated in Serratia marcescens collected from 12 hospitals in Korea in 2005 and 2006. A total of 215 isolates (from 166 and 149 isolates collected in 2005 and 2006, respectively) were included in the study. Aac(6')-Ib-cr was detected in only two isolates collected in 2005 and in 12 isolates collected from three hospitals in 2006. All 12 isolates carried class 1 integron and coharbored bla(CTX-M) and armA. Bla(OXA-1) and ISCR1 were detected in 10 and 8 isolates, respectively. All 12 isolates carried IncL/M type plasmid and 6 of them also carried IncA/C type plasmid. Conjugal transfer was successful for 9 of 12 aac(6')-Ib-cr, all 12 bla(CTX-M), 8 of 12 armA, and 6 of 10 bla(OXA-1). Of the 12 transconjugants, IncL/M type plasmid, IntI1, ISEcp1, and ISCR1 were detected in 12, 9, 12, and 8, respectively. The transferability of aac(6')-Ib-cr, armA, and bla(OXA-1) was 100% for isolates harboring ISCR1, against 25%, 0%, and 0%, respectively, for isolates not harboring ISCR1. Both clonal and horizontal transfer were demonstrated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and plasmid profile analysis, respectively. Stringent infection control practices and further investigation of association between mobile elements and resistance genes are warranted.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. yjpk@catholic.ac.kr
Yeon-Joon
YJ
Park
Soo-Young
SY
Kim
Jin Kyung
JK
Yu
Sang Il
SI
Kim
Young
Y
Uh
Seong Geun
SG
Hong
Lee
L
Jongwook
Hyo-Sun
HS
Kwak
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D009268:Nalidixic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D016868:Serratia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D009268:Nalidixic Acid; D002939:Ciprofloxacin