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. 2016 Oct 21:6:35527.
doi: 10.1038/srep35527.

Isolation and plasmid characterization of carbapenemase (IMP-4) producing Salmonella enterica Typhimurium from cats

Sam Abraham  1 , Mark O'Dea  1 , Darren J Trott  2 , Rebecca J Abraham  1   2 , David Hughes  3 , Stanley Pang  1 , Genevieve McKew  4 , Elaine Y L Cheong  4 , John Merlino  4 , Sugiyono Saputra  2 , Richard Malik  5 , Thomas Gottlieb  4
Affiliations

Isolation and plasmid characterization of carbapenemase (IMP-4) producing Salmonella enterica Typhimurium from cats

Sam Abraham et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a pressing public health issue due to limited therapeutic options to treat such infections. CREs have been predominantly isolated from humans and environmental samples and they are rarely reported among companion animals. In this study we report on the isolation and plasmid characterization of carbapenemase (IMP-4) producing Salmonella enterica Typhimurium from a companion animal. Carbapenemase-producing S. enterica Typhimurium carrying blaIMP-4 was identified from a systemically unwell (index) cat and three additional cats at an animal shelter. All isolates were identical and belonged to ST19. Genome sequencing revealed the acquisition of a multidrug-resistant IncHI2 plasmid (pIMP4-SEM1) that encoded resistance to nine antimicrobial classes including carbapenems and carried the blaIMP-4-qacG-aacA4-catB3 cassette array. The plasmid also encoded resistance to arsenic (MIC-150 mM). Comparative analysis revealed that the plasmid pIMP4-SEM1 showed greatest similarity to two blaIMP-8 carrying IncHI2 plasmids from Enterobacter spp. isolated from humans in China. This is the first report of CRE carrying a blaIMP-4 gene causing a clinical infection in a companion animal, with presumed nosocomial spread. This study illustrates the broader community risk entailed in escalating CRE transmission within a zoonotic species such as Salmonella, and in a cycle that encompasses humans, animals and the environment.

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Conflict of interest statement

SA and DJT have received research grants and contracts from Zoetis, Novartis and Neoculi. All other authors have none to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Genomic map of pIMP4-SEM1 carried by carbapenemase-producing Salmonella enterica Typhimurium.
Significant antimicrobial and heavy-metal resistance associated genes are indicated in green and yellow colours, respectively. Predicted genomic islands are indicated in grey, and insertion sequence positions are indicated in purple.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Arrangement of multidrug-resistant regions on pIMP4-SEM1 and genome comparison to pEC-IMP and pEC-IMPQ.
Dotplots indicate the percentage identity between pEC-IMPQ and pIMP4-SEM1 and pEC-IMP and pIMP4-SEM1, with increasing plot angles demonstrating homology on the same strand and decreasing plot angles demonstrating homology on opposite strands. Regions showing significant gaps between pEC-IMPQ/pEC-IMP and pIMP4-SEM1 and are indicated by light green boxes. Regions of pIMP4-SEM1 containing the blaIMP-4-qacG-aacA4-catB3 cassette array and the aacA4- blaOXA-1-catB3-arr3 cassette array are shown as grey rectangles in the respective positions on the linear genome, with expanded views below.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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