Abstract:
International data on the molecular epidemiology of Enterobacteriaceae with IMP
carbapenemases are lacking. We performed short read (Illumina) whole genomic sequencing
on a global collection of 38 IMP-producing clinical Enterobacteriaceae (2008-14).
IMP-producing Enterobacteriaceae (7 varieties within 11 class 1 integrons) were mainly
present in South Pacific and Asia. Specific blaIMP containing integrons (In809 with blaIMP-4,
In722 with blaIMP-6, In687 with blaIMP-14) were circulating among different bacteria in
countries such as Australia, Japan and Thailand. In1312 with blaIMP-1 was present in K.
pneumoniae from Japan and C. freundii from Brazil. Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=22) was the
most common species; clonal complex (CC) 14 from the Philippines and Japan was the most
common clone and contained In1310 with blaIMP-26 and In1321 with blaIMP-6. Enterobacter
cloacae complex (n=9) consisted of E. hormaechei and E. cloacae cluster III. CC78 (from
Taiwan) containing In73 with blaIMP-8, was the most common clone among E. cloacae
complex. This study highlights the importance of surveillance programs using the latest
molecular techniques in providing insight into the characteristics and global distribution of
Enterobacteriaceae with blaIMPs.
