AUTHOR=Prah Isaac , Nukui Yoko , Yamaoka Shoji , Saito Ryoichi 

TITLE=Emergence of a High-Risk Klebsiella michiganensis Clone Disseminating Carbapenemase Genes

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.880248

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.880248

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=Carbapenemase-producing organisms are major contributors to the extensive spread of carbapenem resistance. We characterized a blaNDM-5-producing Klebsiella michiganensis strain (KO_408) from Japan and sought to understand the driving force behind the recent dissemination of IncX3-blaNDM-5 plasmids in different bacterial hosts. KO_408 was isolated from the respiratory culture of a 71-year-old patient diagnosed with pneumonia. Antibiotic susceptibility testing, conjugation, and whole-genome sequencing were performed for KO_408. Fitness, stability, and competitive assays were performed using the IncX3-blaNDM-5 plasmid, pKO_4-NDM-5. Phylogenetic analyses of KO_408 and pKO_4-NDM-5 were performed, and the genetic context of the blaNDM-5 gene was described. KO_408 was ascribed to a novel sequence type, ST256, and harbored resistance genes conforming to its MDR phenotype. The blaNDM-5 gene was localized on the ~44.9 kb IncX3 plasmid, which was transferable in the conjugal assay. The acquisition of pKO_4-NDM-5 did not impose any fitness burden and showed high stability in the host cells. However, transformants with pKO_4-NDM-5 were outcompeted by their host cells and transconjugants with the IncX3-blaOXA-181 plasmid. The genetic environment of blaNDM-5 in pKO_4-NDM-5 has been previously described. pKO_4-NDM-5 showed a close phylogenetic distance with seven similar plasmids from China. KO_408 clustered with strains within the KoI phylogroup, which is closely associated with carbapenemase genes. This study highlights the emergence of a high-risk Klebsiella michiganensis clone harboring carbapenemase genes and affirms that the recent spread of IncX3-blaNDM-5 plasmids might be due to their low fitness cost and stability but not their competitive prowess.