New sequence type of an Enterobacter cloacae Complex strain with the potential to become a high-risk clone.

ÁLVAREZ VE, MASSÓ MG, GONZÁLEZ GD, GAMBINO AS, KNECHT CA, CORMICK BPM, LEGUINA C, PIEKAR M, POKLÉPOVICH T, CAMPOS J, ARDUINO S, CENTRÓN D, QUIROGA MP

Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance

Elsevier Science BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2022

2213-7165

Objectives: Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) has lately awakened interest due to its increasingresistance to carbapenems codified by several genes all over the globe. Even though there are somesequence types (ST) which represent high-risk clones, there is substantial clonal diversity in theECC. This work aimed to perform whole-genome sequencing (WGS), genomic analysis andphylogenetic studies of a KPC-producing multidrug-resistant (MDR) ECC isolate from Argentina.Methods: We analysed the genome of an MDR KPC-producing ECC strain isolated from a urinesample from a patient in a hospital in Argentina. The WGS was done by Illumina MiSeq-I. Thegenome was assembled with SPAdes 3.9.0, and annotated with PROKKA, RAST, and Blast.Plasmids were identified with PlasmidFinder. Antibiotic resistance genes were detected usingRESfinder, CARD, and Blastn. STs were identified with pubMLST.Results: The strain was identified as Enterobacter hormaechei which is an important emerginghuman pathogen. No ST could be assigned; 6 out of 7 alleles of multilocus sequence typing(MLST) were the same as for E. hormaechei ST66, which is a high-risk clone. We found multipleacquired antibiotic resistance genes including blaKPC-2 in an IncM1 plasmid, and a secretion systemVI, which can favour the prevalence of ECC strains while competing with other bacteria.