Carbapenemase-Producing Elizabethkingia Meningoseptica from Healthy Pigs Associated with Colistin Use in Spain

Carbapenems are considered last-resort antimicrobials, especially for treating infections involving multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In recent years, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria have become widespread in hospitals, community settings, and the environment, reducing the range of effective therapeutic alternatives. The use of colistin to treat infection caused by these multi-drug bacteria may favour the selection and persistence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria. In this study, it is described, for the first time to our knowledge, a carbapenemase-producing isolate of <i>Elizabethkingia meningoseptica</i> from healthy pigs in Spain. The isolate we report was recovered during a study to detect colistin-resistant bacteria from faecal samples of healthy food-production animals using a chromogenic selective medium. Unexpectedly, we found an isolate of <i>Elizabethkingia meningoseptica</i> with high Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values for several antibiotics tested. Molecular analysis did not show any <i>mcr</i> family genes related with colistin resistance, but two carbapenemase genes, <i>bla</i>_{B-12_1} and <i>bla</i>_{GOB-17_1}, were detected. This finding in healthy animals could suggest that colistin may favour the selection and persistence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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