Prevalent and diverse new plasmid-encoded heavy metal and antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella strains isolated from hospital wastewater

作者：Grace Pascale Engobo, Wenya Su, Shengyao Wang, Zhen Yan, Youming Zhang, Mengge Zhang, Xueyun Geng, Hai Xu, Ling Li, Mingyu Wang · 发表于：Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fcimb.2025.1653886 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria、Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing、Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

The rise of antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae poses a significant global health threat. Plasmids, as mobile genetic elements, play a critical role in bacterial adaptation by facilitating the spread of resistance genes. To analyze plasmid-mediated antibiotic and heavy metal resistance in clinical Klebsiella strains, 33 Klebsiella strains isolated from wastewater were subjected to third-generation nanopore sequencing to obtain high-quality whole-genome assemblies. The presence and diversity of plasmids associated with antibiotic and heavy metal resistance were analyzed, and phenotypic assays were conducted to confirm metal resistance. A total of 81 plasmids were identified across 24 strains, including 28 (34.6%) novel plasmids. Among them, 22 plasmids carried antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with 12 containing integrons, four of which were complex Class I integrons and two unconventional integrons. Notably, a novel conjugative plasmid, pKP228-1, was discovered carrying a complex Class I integron with a unique gene cassette array encoding 12 ARGs, and harboring bla NDM-1 in the adjacent IS CR1 -associated region. Another plasmid, pKP174-2, harbored mcr-8.1 and tporJ1-tmexCD1 . Additionally, 24 plasmids encoded resistance to eight heavy metals/metalloids, and 12 plasmids co-harbored both ARGs and metal resistance genes, indicating potential co-selection mechanisms. This study highlights the extensive diversity and novel structures of plasmids carrying both antibiotic ...