Mutational change of CTX-M-15 to CTX-M-127 resulting in mecillinam resistant Escherichia coli during pivmecillinam treatment of a patient

Karen Leth Nielsen, Katrine Hartung Hansen, Jesper Boye Nielsen, Jenny Dahl Knudsen, Kristian Schønning, Niels Frimodt-Møller, Frederik Boëtius Hertz, Filip Jansåker

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Abstract

Pivmecillinam (amdinocillin pivoxil) is the recommended first-choice antibiotic used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Denmark. The frequency of mutation to mecillinam (MEC) resistance is described as high in vitro; however, treatment of UTI has a good clinical response and prevalence of mecillinam resistance in Escherichia coli remains low despite many years of use. We describe occurrence of in vivo mecillinam resistance in a clinical isolate of ESBL-producing E. coli following pivmecillinam treatment. The identified phenotypic differences in the mecillinam resistant isolate compared with the original mecillinam susceptible isolate were a full-length LPS with O-antigen (O25), mecillinam resistance and a lower MIC for ceftazidime. Regarding genotype, the resistant isolate differed with a mutation in blaCTX-M-15 to blaCTX-M-127 , loss of a part of a plasmid and a genomic island, respectively, and insertion of a transposase in wbbL, causing the rough phenotype. The observed mecillinam resistance is expected to be caused by the mutation in blaCTX-M-15 with additional contribute from the serotype shift. We continue to recommend the use of pivmecillinam as first-line treatment for UTI.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere941
JournalMicrobiologyOpen
Volume8
Issue number12
Number of pages4
ISSN2045-8827
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

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