The bacterial black market: utilising sequencing to study the inter-cellular and intra-cellular transfer of AMR genes in bacteria

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance genes spread through bacterial populations by transferring between cells (intercellular transfer) and within cells (intra-cellular transfer). We have recently shown how the clinically important mcr-1 gene transfers between E. coli cells on a conjugative plasmid. In this study, we delved further into the movement of the mcr-1 gene by using an entrapment vector to capture mobile genetic elements associated with the gene. Utilising the long-read sequencing power of the MinION allowed for rapid detection of novel transposon movements and has been able to reveal more information about how genes move within the cells of clinically important bacteria.