Characterization of Two New CTX-M-25-Group Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Variants Identified in Escherichia coli Isolates from Israel

Objectives: We characterized two new CTX-M-type extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) variants in Escherichia coli isolates from stool samples of two elderly patients admitted at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel. Both patients underwent treatment with cephalosporins prior to isolation of the E. coli strains. Methods: ESBLs were detected by the double-disk synergy test and PCR-sequencing of β-lactamase genes. The bla_CTX-M genes were cloned into the pCR-BluntII-TOPO vector in E. coli TOP10. The role of amino-acid substitutions V77A and D240G was analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis of the bla_CTX-M-94 and bla_CTX-M-100 genes and comparative characterization of the resulting E. coli recombinants. MICs of β-lactams were determined by Etest. Plasmid profiling, mating experiments, replicon typing and sequencing of bla_CTX-M flanking regions were performed to identify the genetic background of the new CTX-M variants. Results: The novel CTX-M β-lactamases, CTX-M-94 and -100, belonged to the CTX-M-25-group. Both variants differed from CTX-M-25 by the substitution V77A, and from CTX-M-39 by D240G. CTX-M-94 differed from all CTX-M-25-group enzymes by the substitution F119L. Glycine-240 was associated with reduced susceptibility to ceftazidime and leucine-119 with increased resistance to ceftriaxone. bla_CTX-M-94 and bla_CTX-M-100 were located within ISEcp1 transposition units inserted into ~93 kb non-conjugative IncFI and ~130 kb conjugative IncA/C plasmids, respectively. The plasmids carried also different class 1 integrons. Conclusions: This is the first report on CTX-M-94 and -100 ESBLs, novel members of the CTX-M-25-group.