Resistance phenotype and virulence potential of Leclercia adecarboxylata strains isolated from different sources

Introduction. Leclercia adecarboxylata is a member of Enterobacterales, often considered an opportunistic pathogen. Recent reports have highlighted L. adecarboxylata as an emerging pathogen harbouring virulence and resistance determinants. Gap statement. Little information exists on virulence and resistance determinants in L. adecarboxylata strains isolated from environmental, food, and clinical samples. Aim. To determine the presence of resistance and virulence determinants and plasmid features in L. adecarboxylata strains isolated from environmental, food, and clinical samples, as well as their phylogenetic relationship. Results. All strains tested showed resistance to β-lactams and quinolones but were sensitive to aminoglycosides and nitrofurans. However, even though fosfomycin resistance is considered a characteristic trait of L. adecarboxylata, the resistance phenotype was only observed in 50 % of the strains; bla_TEM was the most prevalent BLEE gene (70 %), while the quinolone qnrB gene was observed in 60 % of the strains. Virulence genes were differentially observed in the strains, with adhesion-related genes being the most abundant, followed by toxin genes. Finally, all strains carried one to seven plasmid bands ranging from 7 to 125 kbps and harboured several plasmid addiction systems, such as ParDE, VagCD, and CcdAB in 80 % of the strains. Conclusions. L. adecarboxylata is an important emerging pathogen that may harbour resistance and virulence genes. Addition-ally, it has mobilizable genetic elements that may contribute to the dissemination of genetic determinants to other bacterial genera.