First description of Shigella sonnei Harbouring blaCTX-M-55 outside Asia

Abstract

Shigella sonnei harbouring blaCTX-M-55 was isolated outside of Asia for the first time. The blaCTX-M-55 gene was found to be downstream of ISEcp1 and located in a ̴130-kb conjugative plasmid belonging to the I1 incompatibility group. The strain was recovered from a 7-year-old Ecuadorian girl with watery diarrhoea who had not travelled abroad. Recent local data describe the emergence of blaCTX-M-55 and other variants typically found in Asia in the Andean Region, suggesting that increased travel of humans and trade relationships with Asian countries are influencing the current Ecuadorian bacterial resistance situation.