Emergence of CMY-2- and DHA-1-type AmpC β-lactamases in Enterobacter cloacae isolated from several hospitals of Qazvin and Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The emergence of plasmid-mediated AmpC (pAmpC) β-lactamases conferring resistance to third-generation cephalosporins has become a major clinical concern worldwide. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of pAmpC-producing E. cloacae isolates and typing of them in Qazvin and Tehran provinces, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 cefoxitin non-susceptible isolates of E. cloacae were obtained from educational hospitals of Qazvin and Tehran, Iran. Bacterial identification was performed by standard laboratory methods and API 20E strips. Susceptibility to cefoxitin was determined by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. PCR and sequencing were employed to detect pAmpC families’ genes (ACC, FOX, MOX, DHA, CIT and EBC) and the clonal relatedness of pAmpC-positive isolates was evaluated by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR method. RESULTS: In total, 20 (16.7%) isolates of E. cloacae were positive for presence of pAmpC genes among those bla(DHA-1) (14.2%) was the most common gene followed by bla(CMY-2) (2.5%). Results of ERIC-PCR showed that that the prevalence of DHA-1 and CMY-2-producing E. cloacae isolates was not due to clonal outbreaks. CONCLUSION: In present study, we showed the first emergence of DHA-1 and CMY-2 types of pAmpC-producing E. cloacae isolates in Iran. The appearance of pAmpC should be considered as a warning for the implementation of appropriate infection control and therapeutic policies in order to prevent the dissemination of these resistant organisms in our hospital settings.