Abstract
Carbapenems are considered last-resort antimicrobials, especially for treating infections involving multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In recent years, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria have become widespread in hospitals, community settings, and the environment, reducing the range of effective therapeutic alternatives. The use of colistin to treat infection caused by these multi-drug bacteria may favour the selection and persistence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria. In this study, it is described, for the first time to our knowledge, a carbapenemase-producing isolate of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica from healthy pigs in Spain. The isolate we report was recovered during a study to detect colistin-resistant bacteria from faecal samples of healthy food-production animals using a chromogenic selective medium. Unexpectedly, we found an isolate of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica with high Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values for several antibiotics tested. Molecular analysis did not show any mcr family genes related with colistin resistance, but two carbapenemase genes, blaB-12_1 and blaGOB-17_1, were detected. This finding in healthy animals could suggest that colistin may favour the selection and persistence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria.
Highlights
Carbapenems are considered last-resort antimicrobials, especially for treating infections involving multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria
The isolate we report was recovered during a study to detect colistin-resistant bacteria [6]
Due to broad resistance of the Elisabethkingia genus and the diverse therapeutic alternatives described in literature for infections associated with this bacterium, two different antimicrobial panels (EUVSEC and EUST) were used, covering different antimicrobial families commonly used for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria (Trek Diagnostic Systems, US)
Summary
Carbapenems are considered last-resort antimicrobials, especially for treating infections involving multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Since the first detection in 2011 in Germany, various European countries have reported carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella in food-producing animals [2]. This is the first report of a carbapenemase-producing isolate of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica from healthy pigs in Spain.
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