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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, September 2008, p. 3099-3105, Vol. 52, No. 9
0066-4804/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.01093-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Complete Sequence of p07-406, a 24,179-Base-Pair Plasmid Harboring the bla_VIM-7 Metallo-β-Lactamase Gene in a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolate from the United States

Department of Cellular Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, United Kingdom,¹ Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Cardiff, Cardiff CF14 4XN, United Kingdom,² JMI Laboratories, 345 Beaver Kreek Centre, Suite A, North Liberty, Iowa 52317³

Received 21 August 2007/ Returned for modification 2 December 2007/ Accepted 21 June 2008

An outbreak involving a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain that was resistant to all tested antimicrobials except polymyxin B occurred in a hospital in Houston, TX. Previous studies on this strain showed that it possesses a novel mobile metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) gene, designated bla_VIM-7, located on a plasmid (p07-406). Here, we report the complete sequence, annotation, and functional characterization of this plasmid. p07-406 is 24,179 bp in length, and 29 open reading frames were identified related to known or putatively recognized proteins. Analysis of this plasmid showed it to be comprised of four distinct regions: (i) a region of 5,200 bp having a Tn501-like mercuric resistance (mer) transposon upstream of the replication region; (ii) a Tn3-like transposon carrying a truncated integron with a bla_VIM-7 gene and an insertion sequence inserted at the other end of this transposon; (iii) a region of four genes, upstream of the Tn3-like transposon, possessing very high similarity to plasmid pXcB from Xanthomonas campestris pv. citri commonly associated with plants; (iv) a backbone sequence similar to the backbone structure of the IncP group plasmid Rms149, pB10, and R751. This is the first plasmid to be sequenced carrying an MBL gene and highlights the amelioration of DNA segments from disparate origins, most noticeably from plant pathogens.

Published ahead of print on 30 June 2008.