Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) among Enterobacteriales in Latin America: a systematic review

The plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes have changed the resistance pattern to quinolones, especially among Enterobacteriales. The dissemination of these genes in Latin American countries, where the prescription of fluoroquinolones is high, has been described in several studies; however, no review of the impact of PMQR in this continent has been conducted. This review summarized current knowledge about the circulation of PMQR among Enterobacteriales in Latin American. After the search and selection, 61 articles were included in the study. Most of studies reported PMQR genes among Enterobacteriales from human (47/61, 77%) and animal (18/61, 29.5%) samples, recovered mainly in Brazil (23/61, 37.7%), Mexico (11/61, 18%), and Uruguay (7/61, 11.5%). Nine different PMQR genes (qnrA, qnrB, qnrS, qnrD, qnrE, aac-(6 ')-Ib-cr, oqxA, oqxB, and qepA) were found in Latin America, with aac (6 ')-Ib-cr (37/61, 60.6%) and qnrB (26/61, 42.6%) being the most frequently reported. Escherichia coli (40/61, 65.6%) was the species most frequently reported to carry a PMQR gene, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (24/61, 39.3%), Enterobacter cloacae (15/61, 24.6%), and Salmonella spp. (14/61, 22.9%). Thus, this review provides important information which might help in designing measures to control the spread of quinolone resistance determinants on this continent.