IncFII conjugative plasmid-mediated transmission of bla(NDM-1) elements among animal-borne escherichia coli strains

This study aims to investigate the prevalence and transmission dynamics of the bla(NDM-1) gene in animal Escherichia coli strains. Two IncFII bla(NDM-1)-encoding plasmids with only minor structural variation in the MDR region, pHNEC46-NDM and pHNEC55-NDM, were found to be responsible for the transmission of bla(NDM-1) in these strains. The blaNDM-1 gene can be incorporated into plasmids and stably inherited in animal-borne E. coli strains that can be maintained in animal gut microflora even without carbapenem selection pressure.Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technolog