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Molecular Characterization of an Atypical IncX3 Plasmid pKPC-NY79 Carrying bla KPC-2 in a Klebsiella pneumoniae

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Abstract

The IncX family of plasmids has recently been expanded to include at least four subtypes, IncX1–IncX4. The revised classification provides an opportunity for improving our understanding of the sequence diversity of the IncX plasmids and the resistance genes they carried. We described the complete nucleotide sequence of a novel IncX3 plasmid, pKPC-NY79 (42,447 bp) from a sequence-type 258 Klebsiella pneumoniae strain that was isolated from a patient who was hospitalized in New York, United States. In pKPC-NY79, the plasmid scaffold and genetic load region were highly similar to homologous regions in pIncX-SHV (IncX3, JN247852) and the bla KPC carrying pKpQIL (IncFIIk, GU595196), respectively, indicating that it has possibly arisen through recombination of plasmids. The bla KPC-2 gene, as part of a transposon Tn4401a, was found within the genetic load region. The backbone of pKPC-NY79 differs from pIncX-SHV by a deletion involving the gene tandem hns–topB (encoding H-NS protein and topoisomerase III, respectively) and a putative ATPase gene. Unexpectedly, the impact of the hns–topB deletion on host fitness and plasmid stability was found to be small. In conclusion, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the plasmid platforms carrying bla KPC and of variations in the backbone of the IncX3 plasmids.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Grants from the Research Fund for the Control of Infectious Diseases (RFCID) of the Health and Food Bureau of the Government of the HKSAR. We thank Pak-Chung Sham, Levina Lam, Ben Ho, and Wilson Chan of the Centre for Genomic Science, University of Hong Kong for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital and Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China

    Pak-Leung Ho, Yuk-Yam Cheung, Wai-U Lo, Zhen Li, Kin-Hung Chow, Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan & Vincent Chi-Chung Cheng

  2. Centre for Genomic Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Chi-Ho Lin

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  1. Pak-Leung Ho
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  2. Yuk-Yam Cheung
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Correspondence to Pak-Leung Ho.

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Ho, PL., Cheung, YY., Lo, WU. et al. Molecular Characterization of an Atypical IncX3 Plasmid pKPC-NY79 Carrying bla KPC-2 in a Klebsiella pneumoniae . Curr Microbiol 67, 493–498 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-013-0398-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-013-0398-2

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