blaNDM-1 is a chimera likely constructed in Acinetobacter baumannii
M A Toleman1, J Spencer, L Jones
1Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection, the Heath Hospital, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom. Tolemanma@Cardiff.ac.uk
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
|February 9, 2012
Abstract
None:
Alignment of DNA sequences found upstream of aphA6 and all bla(NDM-1) genes displays 100% identity. This identity continues 19 bp into the bla(NDM-1) gene such that the first 6 amino acids of aphA6 and bla(NDM-1) are the same. Furthermore, the percent GC content (GC%) of aphA6 is considerably lower than that of bla(NDM-1) and the GC% within the bla(NDM-1) structural gene changes dramatically after the first 19 bp. This is unequivocal evidence that bla(NDM-1) is a chimera.
