A Waterborne Outbreak of Shigella sonnei with Resistance to Azithromycin and Third-Generation Cephalosporins in China in 2015

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017 May 24;61(6):e00308-17. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00308-17. Print 2017 Jun.

Abstract

Here, we report for the first time a waterborne outbreak of Shigella sonnei in China in 2015. Eleven multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. sonnei isolates were recovered, showing high resistance to azithromycin and third-generation cephalosporins in particular, due to an mph(A)- and blaCTX-M-14-harboring IncB/O/K/Z group transmissible plasmid of 104,285 kb in size. Our study highlights the potential prevalence of the MDR outbreak of S. sonnei in China and its further dissemination worldwide with the development of globalization.

Keywords: Shigella sonnei; multidrug resistance; outbreak; waterborne.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Azithromycin / pharmacology*
  • Cephalosporins / pharmacology*
  • China
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / genetics
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Plasmids / genetics
  • Shigella sonnei / drug effects*
  • Shigella sonnei / genetics

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Cephalosporins
  • Azithromycin