First Indian report on B4/H24RxC ST410 multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli from bloodstream infection harbouring blaOXA-181 and blaCTX-M-15

Objectives: Escherichia coli is regarded as one of the most commonly isolated Gram-negative pathogens from bloodstream infections. Increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among E. coli is a threat to disease management as well as further dissemination of AMR genes to other clinically important pathogens. Here we report the genome of a multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli (BA22372) from a bloodstream infection belonging to ST410 B4/H24RxC subtype from India. Methods: Genomic DNA of E. coli BA22372 was sequenced using Ion Torrent (TM) PGM (TM) and MinION (TM) sequencing. Hybrid genome assembly was performed using short and long reads from both methods to achieve accurate and complete genome data. Results: Here we report the genome of MDR E. coli BA22372 harbouring bla(OXA-181) and bla(CTX-M-15) in two individual plasmids, namely pOXA181_22372 (IncX3) and pCTX-M-15_22372 (IncF). The pCTX-M-15 plasmid is well known to co-harbour bla(NDM-5), which was not seen in the studied isolate here. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of B4/H24RxC MDR E. coli from India co-harbouring bla(CTX-M-15) and bla(OXA-181) along with other AMR genes. Information from this genome data revealed the possession of AMR genes in two individual plasmids and their potential for rapid dissemination. This isolate is of high health concern as it harbours a plasmid with replicatory mechanisms capable of acquiring bla(NDM-5), which is a great threat for rapid dissemination of AMR. This study enhances our understanding of the AMR mechanisms among different clones of E. coli. (C) 2020 International Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd.