AUTHOR=Yan Xia , Su Xiaoyan , Ren Zhihua , Fan Xueyang , Li Yunli , Yue Chanjuan , Yang Mei , Deng Huidan , Deng Youtian , Xu Zhiwen , Zhang Dongsheng , Li Lin , Hou Rong , Liu Songrui , Deng Junliang 

TITLE=High Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance and Integron Gene Cassettes in Multi-Drug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates From Captive Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.801292

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.801292

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Multi-drug-resistant <italic>Klebsiella pneumoniae</italic> (MDR <italic>K. pneumonia</italic>) is increasingly being reported with corresponding increase in morbidity and mortality all over the world. However, limited information is available concerning MDR <italic>K. pneumonia</italic> in giant pandas. The objective of this study was to grasp the drug resistance profile of MDR <italic>K. pneumonia</italic> isolated from giant pandas. A total of 182 <italic>K. pneumoniae</italic> isolates were collected from fresh feces of 94 captive giant pandas of different ages and sex and separated by season. We performed a standard disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility test with the isolates and further evaluated the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) of multi-drug-resistant strains by high-throughput quantitative PCR. In addition, we then analyzed mobile genetic elements (MGEs), integron gene cassettes, and the multi-locus sequence typing of multi-drug-resistant strains by PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing results demonstrated that a total of 30 (16.5%) <italic>K. pneumoniae</italic> isolates showed multiple drug resistances. The thirty MDR <italic>K. pneumonia</italic> isolates were mainly resistant to amoxicillin (100.0%), doxycycline (86.7%), chloramphenicol (60.0%), compound trimethoprim (60.0%) and trimethoprim (56.7%). Fifty different types of antibiotic resistance genes were found, which included a total of 671 antibiotic resistance genes, in the 30 multi-drug-resistant isolates. The top ten resistance genes were: vanTC-02, aacC, blaCTX-M-04, blaSHV-01, blaSHV-02, ampC-04, blaOXY, tetD, blaTEM and tetA-02. Thirteen mobile genetic elements were detected, of which IS26 (96.67%) and intI1 (96.67%) had the highest frequency. The thirty MDR K. pneumonia isolates were negative for the traA, traF, tnsA, IS1133, ISpa7, ISkpn6, intI2 and intI3 genes. Moreover, a further investigation of integrons revealed that two types of specific gene cassettes (dfrA12 + orfF + aadA2 and dfrA12 + orfF) were identified in class 1 integrons. Multi-locus sequence typing results showed that 22 STs in the thirty MDR <italic>K. pneumonia</italic> isolates were identified, the main type was ST37 (5/30). Our results illustrate that effective surveillance and strict biosecurity strategies should be taken to prevent the spread of multi-drug-resistant bacteria, and monitor the emergence of mobile genetic elements and integrons.</p>