Acquisition of mcr-1 and co-carriage of virulence genes in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli isolates from municipal wastewater influents in Japan.

In conclusion, mcr-1-positive E. coli environmental isolates were mostly characterised by positive for APEC-associated virulence genes. Co-presence of those genes may suggest the existence of common source in animals and/or their associated environments.IMPORTANCE Colistin is considered as a last-line therapeutic option in severe infections due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, in particular carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Increasing prevalence of mcr genes in diverse Enterobacteriaceae species, mainly E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae from humans and food animals has become a significant concern to public health all over the world. In Japan, mcr genes have so far been detected in food animals, raw meat, wastewater, and human clinical samples. This study reports the co-presence of mcr-1 and APEC-associated virulence genes in five of seven E. coli isolates recovered from aquatic environments in Japan. Our study highlights the importance and urgency of action to reduce environmental contamination by mcr genes that may likely occur due to exposure to untreated wastewater through combined sewer overflow by recent unusual weather.
PMID: 31492666 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology - September 5, 2019 Category: Microbiology Authors: Hayashi W, Tanaka H, Taniguchi Y, Iimura M, Soga E, Kubo R, Matsuo N, Kawamura K, Arakawa Y, Nagano Y, Nagano N Tags: Appl Environ Microbiol Source Type: research