Characterization of pHeBE7, an IncFII-type virulence-resistance plasmid carrying blaCTX-M-98b, blaTEM-1, and rmtB genes, detected in Escherichia coli from a chicken isolate in China

In this study, we sequenced the complete pHeBE7 plasmid, an 86,015-bp plasmid that contains the bla CTX-M-98b, bla TEM-1, rmtB, and traT genes, using whole-genome sequencing. The backbone of pHeBE7 shows a high similarity (>99%) to pMC-NDM, which carries the bla NDM-1 gene, however its mosaic regions remain relatively unique among sequenced plasmids. We discovered that a typical ISEcp1-bla CTX-M-IS903 element in the mosaic region harbors the bla CTX-M-98b gene. Conjugation and growth competition assays indicate that pHeBE7 can be easily transmitted and that it confers a limited fitness cost to the recipient cell. The genetic characterization of pHeBE7 may improve our knowledge of how antibiotic resistance disseminates in enterobacteria.
Source: Plasmid - Category: Biotechnology Source Type: research