First Report and Characterization of a Plasmid-Encoded in a Multi-Drug-Resistant Clinical Isolate.

Antibiotic resistance remains one of the most pressing public health issues facing the world today. At the forefront of this battle lies the ever-increasing identification of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and carbapenemases within human pathogens, conferring resistance towards broad-spectrum and last-resort antimicrobials. This study was prompted due to the identification of a pathogenic isolate (strain MAH-4) collected from abdominal fluid, which presented a robust resistance pattern against second-, third-, and fourth-generation cephalosporins, ertapenem, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin, and beta lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations. Whole genome sequencing was performed and identified a 328 kb plasmid (pMAH4) encoding 10 antibiotic resistance genes, including , , and of MAH-4. This is the first report of beta-lactamase SFO-1 within a clinical strain of . Due to the remarkable sequence identity of pMAH4 to plasmids associated with genera like and the extensive capabilities of for horizontal gene transfer, our identification of a clinical isolate encoding SFO-1 on a plasmid suggests antibiotic resistance gene mobility between and non- species.