Colistin-Resistant Enterobacter kobei carrying mcr-9.1 and blaCTX-M-15
infecting a critically endangered Franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia
blainvillei), Brazil
Abstract
The emergence of mobile mcr genes mediating resistance to colistin is a
critical public health issue that has hindered the treatment of serious
infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens in humans and other
animals. We report the emergence of the mcr-9.1 gene in a
polymyxin-resistant extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
Enterobacter kobei infecting a free-living Franciscana dolphin
(Pontoporia blainvillei), threatened with extinction in South America.
Genomic analysis confirmed a wide resistome with additional presence of
genes conferring resistance to clinically relevant β-lactam
[blaCTX-M-15, blaACT-9, blaOXA-1 and blaTEM-1B], aminoglycoside
[aac(3)-IIa, aadA1, aph(3’‘)-Ib and aph(6)-Id], trimethoprim
[dfrA14], tetracycline [tetA], quinolone [aac(6’)-Ib-cr and
qnrB1], fosfomycin [fosA], sulphonamide [sul2], and phenicol
[catA1 and catB3] antibiotics. The identification of mcr-9.1 in a
CTX-M-15-producing pathogen infecting a critically endangered animal is
worryingly, due to the restricted therapeutic options, and should be
interpreted as a sign of further spread of critical-priority pathogens
and their resistance genes in threatened ecosystems.