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Mcr-1 gene seen in K. pneumoniae bacteria
Why it is in news?
- A study published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy found that about 10% of the pneumoniae bacteria studied were resistant to colistin.
- Increased prevalence of mcr-1 gene that confers multidrug-resistance has now been reported in Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria, increasing the fear of infection by pan drug-resistant bugs. This gene endows resistance against last hope antibiotic — colistin.
History of mcr-1 gene
- This gene was first reported in December 2015 in coli isolated from chicken in China.
- By 2017 it had spread to all continents and [is] seen in bacteria isolated from humans, chicken and environment,
Outcomes of study
- Evidence suggests that the overuse of colistin in farm animals has given rise to the emergence of mcr-1 gene.
- Since this gene is present on a mobile genetic element (plasmid) of bacteria such as coli and K. pneumoniae, the frequency of transmission to other bacteria is likely to be very high.
- The presence of the gene in the chromosome also means that Indian population may be harbouring mcr-1 gene for a longer period of time and it remained undetected.
- mcr-1 gene was more prevalent in pneumoniae than E. coli, which is in stark contrast to findings from other countries.
- While less than 1% of the E. coli studied was resistant to colistin, it was about 10% in the case of K. pneumoniae.
Source
The Hindu