Differentiation of IncL and IncM Plasmids Associated with the Spread of Clinically Relevant Antimicrobial Resistance

Alessandra Carattoli; Salome N Seiffert; Sybille Schwendener; Vincent Perreten; Andrea Endimiani

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0123063

Differentiation of IncL and IncM Plasmids Associated with the Spread of Clinically Relevant Antimicrobial Resistance

PLoS One. 2015 May 1;10(5):e0123063. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123063. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Alessandra Carattoli¹, Salome N Seiffert², Sybille Schwendener³, Vincent Perreten³, Andrea Endimiani⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy; Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
² Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
³ Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁴ Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Abstract

Introduction: blaOXA-48, blaNDM-1 and blaCTX-M-3 are clinically relevant resistance genes, frequently associated with the broad-host range plasmids of the IncL/M group. The L and M plasmids belong to two compatible groups, which were incorrectly classified together by molecular methods. In order to understand their evolution, we fully sequenced four IncL/M plasmids, including the reference plasmids R471 and R69, the recently described blaOXA-48-carrying plasmid pKPN-El.Nr7 from a Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated in Bern (Switzerland), and the blaSHV-5 carrying plasmid p202c from a Salmonella enterica from Tirana (Albania).

Methods: Sequencing was performed using 454 Junior Genome Sequencer (Roche). Annotation was performed using Sequin and Artemis software. Plasmid sequences were compared with 13 fully sequenced plasmids belonging to the IncL/M group available in GenBank.

Results: Comparative analysis of plasmid genomes revealed two distinct genetic lineages, each containing one of the R471 (IncL) and R69 (IncM) reference plasmids. Conjugation experiments demonstrated that plasmids representative of the IncL and IncM groups were compatible with each other. The IncL group is constituted by the blaOXA-48-carrying plasmids and R471. The IncM group contains two sub-types of plasmids named IncM1 and IncM2 that are each incompatible.

Conclusion: This work re-defines the structure of the IncL and IncM families and ascribes a definitive designation to the fully sequenced IncL/M plasmids available in GenBank.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology*
Base Sequence
Drug Resistance, Bacterial / drug effects*
Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics*
Genome, Bacterial / genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Phylogeny
Plasmids / genetics*
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Restriction Mapping
Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

Anti-Infective Agents

Associated data

GENBANK/KM406488
GENBANK/KM406489
GENBANK/KM406490
GENBANK/KM406491

Grants and funding

Prof. Alessandra Carattoli received financial support from the Institute of Infectious Diseases of Bern (IFIK), the Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology (IVB), and the Hans Sigrist Foundation. This study was also partially financed by Grant 1.12.06 (2012-2014) from the Swiss Veterinary Federal Office (BVET).