Correlations of integrons and resistance gene cassettes in Gram-negative bacteria with multi-drug resistance

Abstract

To explore the correlations of integrons, gene cassettes and drug resistance phenotypes in 90 multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Class I/II/III integron and variable region of positive strains of 90 Gram-negative bacteria were amplified by PCR and types of integron variable region gene cassettes analyzed by DNA sequence. And the resistant rates of integron positive and negative strains were tested by drug susceptibility. The detection rate of integron was 81.1% (73/90) in 90 Gram-negative bacteria. The integron types were class I (n = 70), class II (n = 3) and class III (n = 0). Based on the BLAST analysis by GenBank database, in the amplified fragments of Class I integron positive strains variable region gene ranging from 730 to 3300 bp, 8 types of integron structure were identified. And there were aadB (n = 11), aac (6')-II (n = 7), aadA5 (n = 10), dfrA17-aadA5 (n = 14), dfrA12-OrfF-aadA2(n = 1), aacA4-catB8-aadA1(n = 24), aacC1-OrfA-OrfB-aadA1 (n = 3), catB3-aadB-dhfrV-aacA4-nit1-nit2 (n = 1), in which catB3-aadB-dhfrV-aacA4-nit1-nit2 was a new resistance gene cassette; the variable region fragment of class II integron positive strain was 1600 bp, with 3 carrier strains of sat2-aadA1 gene cassette.Susceptibility testing showed that the antimicrobial resistance rate of integron positive strains to aminoglycosides and sulfa were significantly higher than those of integron negative strains and accorded with the results of integration variable region gene cassettes; the positive strains were more sensitive to amikacin with a resistance rate of 32.9% (24/73); and the drug resistance rates of all beta-lactam strains were ≥ 80%. There is a higher carrier rates of classI integron in Gram-negative bacteria. And the resistant phenotype is related with the types of resistance gene cassettes of integron variable region.