Antibiotic resistance profiles and genomic analysis of Klebsiella pneumoniae ST15 with mcr-1 gene isolated from mink in China.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: () is a zoonotic opportunistic pathogen that can cause pneumonia in minks, significantly impacting the mink breeding industry. In this study, astrain carrying thegene was isolated from mink in Shandong Province, China. To investigate its genetic composition and resistance mechanisms, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing were conducted. RESULTS: The results revealed thatstrain was ST15, with serotypes KL24 and O1/02V1. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that the strain was multi-drug resistant. The ST15 isolate carried several resistance genes, which correlated with its resistance profile. Two plasmids, classified as IncHI2 and IncR, were identified in the strain. Thegene was located on the IncHI2 plasmid, which also harbored other resistance genes. Another plasmid was found to carry additional drug resistance genes, contributing to the strain’s broad-spectrum resistance phenotype. Upstream of thegene is the ISApl1, which is closely associated with the dissemination of thegene instrain. CONCLUSION: This study reported the presence of thegene in an ST15strain isolated from mink. The findings highlight the role of antibiotic resistance and the riskiness offrom animals harboring thegene. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12917-026-05335-9.