A high prevalence of bla OXA-48 in Klebsiella (Raoultella) ornithinolytica and related species in hospital wastewater in South West England

Klebsiella species occupy a wide range of environmental and animal niches, occasionally cause opportunistic infections that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. In particular, pneumoniae ( Kpne ) has gained notoriety as major nosocomial pathogen, due principally the rise in non-susceptibility carbapenems other beta-lactam Whilst it been proposed urban water cycle facilitates transmission pathogens between clinical settings environment, level risk posed by strains hospital wastewater remains unclear. We used whole genome sequencing (WGS) compare contemporaneous samples from an English influent associated treatment plant (WWTP). As we aimed characterize representative communities, did not actively select for antibiotic resistance (other than ampicillin), nor specific species. Two species, K . Raoultella ornithinolytica Korn ), were equal dominance wastewater, four present low abundance this sample. contrast, despite being most closely with healthcare settings, was dominant within WWTP influent. total, 29 % all isolates harboured bla OXA-48 gene on pOXA-48-like plasmid, these almost exclusively recovered wastewater. This far more common (68 isolates) (3.4 isolates). general plasmid-borne, but chromosomal, genes significantly enriched These data implicate important reservoir antibiotic-resistant , point unsuspected role group maintenance dissemination plasmid-borne article contains hosted Microreact.