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bioRxiv · 10.1101/724971

Isolation of an antimicrobial resistant, biofilm forming, Klebsiella grimontii isolate from a re-usable water bottle.

Hubbard, A.·Reine, J.·Newire, E.·Wright, E.·Murphy, E.·Hutton, W.·Roberts, A.
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Abstract

A re-usable water bottle was swabbed as part of the citizen science project Swab and Send and a Klebsiella grimontii isolate was recovered on chromogenic agar and designated SS141. Whole genome sequencing of SS141 showed it has the potential to be a human pathogen as it contains the biosynthetic gene cluster for the potent cytotoxin, kleboxymycin, and genes for other virulence factors. The genome also contains blaOXY-6-4 and fosA which is likely to explain the observed resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin and fosfomycin. We have also shown that SS141 is a potent biofilm former, providing a reasonable explanation for its ability to colonise a re-usable water bottle. With the increasing use of re-usable water bottles as an alternative to disposables, and a strong forecast for growth in this industry over the next decade, this study highlights the need for cleanliness comparable to other re-usable culinary items.

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Hubbard, A., Reine, J., Newire, E., Wright, E., Murphy, E., Hutton, W., Roberts, A.. 2019-08-05. Isolation of an antimicrobial resistant, biofilm forming, Klebsiella grimontii isolate from a re-usable water bottle.. https://doi.org/10.1101/724971

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