Epidemiology of Carrying Multidrug-Resistant IncHI5 Plasmids in the Southeast Coastal Area of China.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore the genomic characterization of multidrug-resistant IncHI5-carrying strains and detailed genomic dissection of the IncHI5 plasmids.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Through whole-genome sequencing, the IncHI5 plasmid pK92-qnrS was obtained from a single clinical isolate K92. All complete genomes of strains from the Genome database of NCBI were collected and used to construct a maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree. The epidemiology and geographic distribution of all the strains were conducted. An extensive comparison of the seven IncHI5 plasmids of (one from this study, six from GenBank) was applied.

RESULTS

This study revealed that all strains carrying IncHI5 plasmids from different clonal groups were located in the southeast coastal area of China. The backbone regions of IncHI5 plasmids were composed of replicon ( and ), partition (), and conjugal transfer (/). The main accessory resistant regions of IncHI5 could be divided into two categories, Tn-related region and Tn-related region. These seven IncHI5 plasmids carried multiple drug-resistance genes which were all mediated by the mobile genetic elements (MGEs).

CONCLUSION

Data presented here help to provide an overall in-depth understanding of epidemiology and geographic distribution of IncHI5-carrying and the structure and evolutionary history of IncHI5 plasmids.