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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2005, p. 4485-4491, Vol. 49, No. 11
0066-4804/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.49.11.4485-4491.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Novel Acquired Metallo-ß-Lactamase Gene, blaSIM-1, in a Class 1 Integron from Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Isolates from Korea

Kyungwon Lee,1,2,3 Jong Hwa Yum,2,3 Dongeun Yong,1,2,3 Hyuk Min Lee,1,2 Heung Dong Kim,4 Jean-Denis Docquier,5 Gian Maria Rossolini,5 and Yunsop Chong1,2*

Department of Laboratory Medicine,1 Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance,2 Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Sciences,3 Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-752, Korea,4 Department of Molecular Biology, Microbiology Section, University of Siena, Siena I-53100, Italy5

Received 10 March 2005/ Returned for modification 30 May 2005/ Accepted 9 August 2005

Carbapenem resistance mediated by acquired carbapenemase genes has been increasingly reported, particularly for clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. Of 1,234 nonduplicate isolates of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacter spp. isolated at a tertiary-care hospital in Seoul, Korea, 211 (17%) were positive for metallo-ß-lactamase (MBL). Of these, 204 (96%) had either the blaIMP-1 or blaVIM-2 allele. In addition, seven Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were found to have a novel MBL gene, which was designated blaSIM-1. The SIM-1 protein has a pI of 7.2, is a new member of subclass B1, and exhibits 64 to 69% identity with the IMP-type MBLs, which are its closest relatives. All SIM-1-producing isolates exhibited relatively low imipenem and meropenem MICs (8 to 16 µg/ml) and had a multidrug resistance phenotype. Expression of the cloned blaSIM-1 gene in Escherichia coli revealed that the encoded enzyme is capable of hydrolyzing a broad array of ß-lactams, including penicillins, narrow- to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins, and carbapenems. The blaSIM-1 gene was carried on a gene cassette inserted into a class 1 integron, which included three additional cassettes (arr-3, catB3, and aadA1). The strains were isolated from sputum and urine specimens from patients with pneumonia and urinary tract infections, respectively. All patients had various underlying diseases. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of SmaI-digested genomic DNAs showed that the strains belonged to two different clonal lineages, indicating that horizontal transfer of this gene had occurred and suggesting the possibility of further spread of resistance in the future.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchondong, Seodaemunku, Seoul 120-752, Korea. Phone: 82-2-222-82446. Fax: 82-2-313-0908. E-mail: whonetkor{at}yumc.yonsei.ac.kr.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2005, p. 4485-4491, Vol. 49, No. 11
0066-4804/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.49.11.4485-4491.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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