The global distribution and spread of the mobilized colistin resistance gene mcr-1.

ABSTRACT: Colistin represents one of the few available drugs for treating infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. As such, the recent plasmid-mediated spread of the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 poses a significant public health threat, requiring global monitoring and surveillance. Here, we characterize the global distribution of mcr-1 using a data set of 457 mcr-1-positive sequenced isolates. We find mcr-1 in various plasmid types but identify an immediate background common to all mcr-1 sequences. Our analyses establish that all mcr-1 elements in circulation descend from the same initial mobilization of mcr-1 by an ISApl1 transposon in the mid 2000s (2002-2008; 95% highest posterior density), followed by a marked demographic expansion, which led to its current global distribu

SUBMITTER: Wang R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5862964 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature