National Genomic Surveillance Integrating Standardized Quantitative Susceptibility Testing Clarifies Antimicrobial Resistance in Enterobacterales

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health concern; Enterobacterales resistant to third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) and carbapenems are of the highest priority. Here, we conducted genome sequencing and standardized quantitative antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 4,195 isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to 3GCs and Enterobacterales with reduced meropenem susceptibility collected across Japan. Our analyses provided a complete classification of 3GC resistance mechanisms. Analyses with complete reference plasmids revealed that among the bla extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes, bla was typically encoded in highly similar plasmids. The two major AmpC β-lactamase genes were bla and bla. Long-read sequencing of representative plasmids revealed that approximately 60% and 40% of bla and bla were encoded by such plasmids, respectively. Our analyses identified strains positive for carbapenemase genes but phenotypically susceptible to carbapenems and undetectable by standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Systematic long-read sequencing enabled reconstruction of 183 complete plasmid sequences encoding three major carbapenemase genes and elucidation of their geographical distribution stratified by replicon types and species carrying the plasmids and potential plasmid transfer events. Overall, we provide a blueprint for a national genomic surveillance study that integrates standardized quantitative antimicrobial susceptibility testing and characterizes resistance determinants.