We screened, for the first time, plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mcr-3 genes among 636 Escherichia coli isolates collected from swine in South Korea. Whole-genome sequencing showed that the E. coli strain harbored the mcr-3 gene in a p17S-208 plasmid with an IncHI2-ST3 plasmid type and a size of 260,399 base pairs. The deduced amino acid sequences revealed that persistent evolution in the bacterial genome has resulted in mcr gene variants. There is a need for extensive surveillance to prevent the dissemination of colistin resistance mcr genes from animal to human.
Journal: Microbial drug resistance
DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2018.0132
Year: 2019