Chromosomal coharboring of bla(IMP-60) and mcr-9 in Enterobacter asburiae isolated from a Japanese woman with empyema: a case report

BACKGROUND: Polymyxin E (colistin) is a last-resort antibiotic to treat infections caused by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). However, reports of CPEs resistant to colistin have been increasing, and the mcr genes are emerging as resistance mechanisms. Among them, plasmid-mediate mcr-9 is known to be associated with colistin resistance, whereas reports on chromosomal mcr-9 and its association with colistin resistance in humans are few. CASE PRESENTATION: We identified Enterobacter asburiae harboring mcr-9 and bla(IMP-60) in the pleural fluid of a patient with empyema. The long-read sequencing technique revealed that these genes were located on its chromosome. Despite the lack of exposure to colistin, the organism showed microcolonies in the inhibition circle in the E-test and disk diffusion test. Antibiotic susceptibility testing by broth microdilution confirmed its resistance to colistin. CONCLUSION: Our case report showed that mcr-9 can be present not only on plasmids but also on the chromosome in E. asburiae, and that the presence of mcr-9 on its chromosome may influence its susceptibility to colistin. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-022-07730-7.