Carbapenemase-producing Elizabethkingia meningoseptica from healthy pigs associated with colistin use in Spain
Investigation published in Antibiotics
September 11st, 2019
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 eningoseptica 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
Miguela-Villoldo P., Hernandez M., Moreno MA., Rodriguez-Lazaro D., Quesada A., Dominguez L. and Ugarte-Ruiz M..
 | Servicio de Zoonosis de Transmisión Alimentaria y Resistencia a Antimicrobianos (ZTA). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
 | Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Microbiología. Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL). |
 | Unidad de Microbiología. Departamento de Biotecnología y Ciencia de los Alimentos. Universidad de Burgos (UBU). |
 | Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Genética. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Extremadura (UNEX). |
| Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología Ganadera y Cinegética (INBIO G+C). Universidad de Extremadura (UNEX). |
