Global impact of mcr-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae bacteria on “one health”

Abstract

Polymyxins, especially polymyxin B and polymyxin E (colistin), are considered to be the last line of defence against infections caused by multi-drug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). However, the recent emergence and dissemination of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 and its variants pose a serious challenge to public health and the livestock industry. This review describes the prevalence and dissemination of mcr-1-positive isolates from different sources, including animals (food animals, pet animals and wildlife), humans (healthy populations and patients) and the environment (farms, urban and rural communities and natural environments) based on existing epidemiological studies of mcr-1 and MCR-1-producing Enterobacteriaceae bacteria around the world. The major mechanisms of mcr-1 transmission across humans, animals and the environment are discussed.

Keywords:

• Polymyxins
• mcr-1
• animal
• human
• environment

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China under Grant [2016YFD0501301, 2016YFD0501304, and 2016YFD0501305].