Dissemination of IMP-6 metallo-[beta]-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa sequence type 235 in Korea.
Seok, Yoonmi 1; Bae, Il Kwon 1; Jeong, Seok Hoon 1,*; Kim, Soo Hyun 2; Lee, Hyukmin 3; Lee, Kyungwon 1
[Article] Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 66(12):2791-2796, December 2011.

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Objectives: To investigate the epidemiological traits of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates producing metallo-[beta]-lactamases (MBLs) in Korea.

Methods: A total of 386 non-duplicate P. aeruginosa clinical isolates were collected from Korea in 2009. Detection of MBL genes was performed by PCR. The genetic organization of class 1 integrons carrying the MBL gene cassette was investigated by PCR mapping and sequencing. The epidemiological relationships of the isolates were investigated by multilocus sequence typing and PFGE.

Results: Of 386 P. aeruginosa isolates, 30 (7.8%) isolates carried the blaIMP-6 gene and 1 (0.3%) isolate carried the blaVIM-2 gene. A probe specific for the blaIMP-6 gene was hybridized to an ~950 kbp I-CeuI-macrorestriction fragment from all 30 isolates and a probe specific for the blaVIM-2 gene also hybridized to an ~500 kbp I-CeuI-macrorestriction fragment from 1 isolate (BDC10). All 31 MBL-producing isolates shared an identical sequence type (ST), ST235, and they carried the same blaOXA-50 allelic type, blaOXA-50g. All MBL-producing isolates showed similar XbaI-macrorestriction patterns (similarity >85%), irrespective of MBL genotype.

Conclusions: P. aeruginosa ST235 carrying the chromosomally located blaIMP-6 gene is widely disseminated in Korea.

(C) British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2011. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.