SHORT COMMUNICATION The emergence of mcr-1-mediated colistin-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in domestic and imported turkey meat in the Czech Republic 2017–2018 Tereza Gelbicova 1 & Ivana Kolackova 1 & Marcela Krutova 2 & Renata Karpiskova 1 Received: 5 December 2018 /Accepted: 8 April 2019 # Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i. 2019 Abstract We investigated the occurrence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae in turkey meat produced in the Czech Republic as well as in turkey meat imported into the Czech Republic from other European Union countries. Seventeen samples of raw turkey meat from the Czech Republic (n = 4), Hungary (n = 2), Poland (n = 6) and Germany (n = 5) were cultured in peptone water at 37 °C overnight and the enriched cultures were tested for the presence of mcr-1-5 genes. PCR-positive enriched cultures were inoculated onto selective agar with colistin (3.5 mg/L). A minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of colistin was determined by using the broth microdilution method in PCR-positive isolates. In addition, a macrorestriction analysis was performed using XbaI endonuclease. Of 17 meat samples, 12 samples from Poland (6/6), Germany (3/5) and the Czech Republic (3/4) proved positive for the presence of the mcr-1 gene. Forty-two isolates carrying the mcr-1 gene were obtained: Escherichia coli (n = 39) revealing 32 distinct XbaI profiles and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 3) with 2 distinct XbaI profiles. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the mcr-1 positive isolates was as follows: 4 mg/L (n = 28), 8 mg/L (n = 12), 32 mg/L (n = 1) and 64 mg/L (n = 1). The high prevalence (70.6%; 12/17 samples) of mcr-1-mediated colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae found in the turkey meat samples analysed in this study, builds on previously published evidence that poultry, and their products, represent a substantial risk for the dissemination of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in Europe. Introduction Currently, colistin is used as a last line option to treat severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram- negative pathogens in hospitalised patients. In contrast, in veterinary medicine, colistin has been used extensively within intensive husbandry systems and its use is being re-evaluated (Catry et al. 2015). The emergence of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in livestock and humans is now a topic of the utmost impor- tance of public health because its dissemination could lead to outbreaks of virtually untreatable infections. The BOne health approach^ is needed in order to monitor successfully the oc- currence and spread of gram-negatives carrying mobilised co- listin resistance genes and to identify the reservoirs and the possible routes of the transmission (Skov and Monnet 2016). Poultry have been recognised as an important reservoir of mcr-encoded colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Europe (Catry et al. 2015; Skov and Monnet 2016; Webb et al. 2016; Carfora et al. 2018; Perrin-Guyomard et al. 2016; Kluytmans- van den Bergh et al. 2016; Schrauwen et al. 2017; Manageiro et al. 2017; Figueiredo et al. 2016; El Garch et al. 2018; Alba et al. 2018; Donà et al. 2017; Irrgang et al. 2016; Hasman et al. 2015; Doumith et al. 2016; Quesada et al. 2016), and E. coli carrying the mcr-1-gene as the most prevalent species (Skov and Monnet 2016; Webb et al. 2016; Perrin-Guyomard et al. 2016; Kluytmans-van den Bergh et al. 2016; Schrauwen et al. 2017; Manageiro et al. 2017, El Garch et al. 2018; Alba et al. 2018; Donà et al. 2017; Irrgang et al. 2016; Hasman et al. 2015; Quesada et al. 2016; Fig. 1). Interestingly, the epidemi- ological studies involving turkeys and broilers identified a higher mcr-1 positive rate in turkeys compared to broilers in France in 2014 (5.9%, 14/239; 1.8%, 4/227), Italy 2014 (25.9%, 58/224; 4.5%, 11/244) and Germany 2010–2014 * Marcela Krutova marcela.krutova@lfmotol.cuni.cz 1 Department of Bacteriology, Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic 2 Department of Medical Microbiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, V Uvalu 84, 150 06 Prague 5, Czech Republic Folia Microbiologica https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-019-00709-z