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. 2017 Sep;22(39):17-00206.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.39.17-00206.

Widespread distribution of mcr-1- bearing bacteria in the ecosystem, 2015 to 2016

Kaichao Chen  1   2   3 , Edward Wai-Chi Chan  1   2   3 , Miaomiao Xie  2   3 , Liangwei Ye  2   3 , Ning Dong  2   3 , Sheng Chen  2   3
Affiliations

Widespread distribution of mcr-1- bearing bacteria in the ecosystem, 2015 to 2016

Kaichao Chen et al. Euro Surveill. 2017 Sep.

Abstract

The recently discovered colistin resistance-encoding element, mcr-1, adds to the list of mobile resistance genes whose products rapidly erode the antimicrobial efficacy of not only the commonly used antibiotics, but also the last line agents of carbapenems and colistin. The relative prevalence of mcr-1-bearing strains in various ecological niches including 1,371 food samples, 480 animal faecal samples, 150 human faecal samples and 34 water samples was surveyed using a novel in-house method. Bacteria bearing mcr-1 were commonly detected in water (71% of samples), animal faeces (51%), food products (36%), and exhibited stable carriage in 28% of human subjects surveyed. Such strains, which exhibited variable antibiotic susceptibility profiles, belonged to various Enterobacteriaceae species, with Escherichia coli being the most dominant in each specimen type. The mcr-1 gene was detectable in the chromosome as well as plasmids of various sizes. Among these, two conjugative plasmids of sizes ca 33 and ca 60 kb were found to be the key vectors that mediated mcr-1 transmission in organisms residing in various ecological niches. The high mcr-1 carriage rate in humans found in this study highlights the importance of continued vigilance, careful antibiotic stewardship, and the development of new antimicrobials.

Keywords: Enterobacteriaceae; animal; distribution; ecosystem; food; human; isolation method; mcr-1; water.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
S1-PFGE and Southern hybridisation (SH) analysis of mcr-1-bearing conjugative and non-conjugative plasmids harboured by strains of E. coli or other Enterobacteriaceae species isolated from various sources, December 2015−May 2016
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of the ca 33 kb and ca 60 kb mcr-1-bearing conjugative plasmids found in this study with other previously reported plasmids
Figure 3
Figure 3
Potential transmission route of mcr-1 in the ecosystem
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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