Genomic epidemiology of global VIM-producing Enterobacteriaceae

Background: International data on the molecular epidemiology of Enterobacteriaceae with VIM carbapenemases are limited. Methods: We performed short read (Illumina) WGS on a global collection of 89 VIM-producing clinical Enterobacteriaceae (2008-14). Results: VIM-producing (11 varieties within 21 different integrons) isolates were mostly obtained from Europe. Certain integrons with bla_VIM were specific to a country in different species and clonal complexes (CCs) (In87, In624, In916 and In1323), while others had spread globally among various Enterobacteriaceae species (In110 and In1209). Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common species (n = 45); CC147 from Greece was the most prevalent clone and contained In590-like integrons with four different bla_VIMs. Enterobacter cloacae complex was the second most common species and mainly consisted of Enterobacter hormaechei (Enterobacter xiangfangensis, subsp. steigerwaltii and Hoffmann cluster III). CC200 (from Croatia and Turkey), CC114 (Croatia, Greece, Italy and the USA) and CC78 (from Greece, Italy and Spain) containing bla_VIM-1 were themost common clones among the E. cloacae complex. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of surveillance programmes using the latest molecular techniques in providing insight into the characteristics and global distribution of Enterobacteriaceae with bla_VIMs.