A novel type 1/2 hybrid IncC plasmid carrying fifteen antimicrobial resistance genes recovered from Proteus mirabilis in China

IncC plasmids are of great concern as vehicles of broad-spectrum cephalosporins and carbapenems resistance genes blaCMY and blaNDM. The aim of this study was to sequence and characterize a multidrug resistance (MDR) IncC plasmid (pPm14C18) recovered from Proteus mirabilis. pPm14C18 was identified in a CMY-2-producing P. mirabilis isolate from chicken in China in 2014, and could be transferred to Escherichia coli conferring an MDR phenotype. Whole genome sequencing confirmed pPm14C18 was a novel type 1/2 hybrid IncC plasmid 165,992 bp in size, containing fifteen antimicrobial resistance genes. It harboured a novel MDR mosaic region comprised of a hybrid Tn21tnp-pDUmer, in which blaCTX-M-65, dfrA32 and ereA were firstly reported in IncC plasmid. Phylogenetic relationship reconstruction based on the nucleotide sequences of the 52 IncC backbones showed all type 1 IncC plasmids were clustered into one clade, and then merged with pPm14C18 and finally with the type 2 IncC plasmids and another type 1/2 hybrid IncC plasmid pYR1. The MDR IncC plasmids in P. mirabilis of animal origin might threaten public health, which should be drawn more attention.