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Interspecies transfer of an IncM plasmid carrying carbapenem resistance genes in the Western Australian community
Thesis   Open access

Interspecies transfer of an IncM plasmid carrying carbapenem resistance genes in the Western Australian community

Selena M Lloyd
Honours, Murdoch University
2024
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Abstract

The increase in carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae is a health concern worldwide. Plasmid transfer allows carbapenem resistance genes to be shared between bacteria in this family. The objective of this study was to establish evidence of possible plasmid transmission between carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae within a host. A combination of long-read and short-read sequencing was utilised to complete the plasmid genome. The plasmid was annotated using bioinformatics tools and compared against a database of different plasmid backbone types. The most commonly identified plasmid backbone was the IncM plasmid which was carried in six of the nine isolates. Several isolates carried a plasmid without carbapenem resistance genes alongside a carbapenem resistance plasmid. All IncM plasmids were either similar to or identical to IncM plasmids previously identified in Sydney and Melbourne. Based on the plasmid backbone and orientation of genes in the plasmids at least two instances of interspecies transfer likely occurred between isolates within a single host. IncM plasmids were identified in six Enterobacteriaceae species, suggesting that this plasmid backbone has a broad host range allowing it to transfer carbapenem resistance to a wide range of Enterobacteriaceae species.

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