Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae carrying bla-bla isolated from flies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

OBJECTIVES

Flies have been implicated in the dispersal of medically important bacteria including members of the genus Klebsiella between different environmental compartments. The aim of this study was to retrieve and characterize antibiotic-resistant bacteria from flies collected near to hospitals.

METHODS

Flies were collected in the vicinity of medical facilities and examined for bacteria demonstrating phenotypic resistance to ceftriaxone, followed by determination of phenotypic and genotypic resistance profiles. In addition, whole genome sequencing followed by phylogenetic analysis and resistance genotyping were performed with the multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain Lemef23, identified as Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae.

RESULTS

The strain Lemef23, classified by multiple locus sequence typing as novel ST 3397, harboured numerous resistance genes. The bla was located on a Tn3000 element, a common genetic platform for the carriage of this gene in Brazil. Inference of phylogenetic orthology of strain Lemef23 and other clinical isolates suggested an anthropogenic origin.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study support the role of flies as vectors of MDR bacteria of clinical importance and provide the first record of bla and bla in a Brazilian isolate of K. quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae, demonstrating the value of surveying insects as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance.