IMP-13-producing Pseudomonas monteilii recovered in a hospital environment

IMP-13 is a class B metallo-β-lactamase that was first described in a carbapenem-resistant clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Italy.1 The IMP-13 gene was mostly described as part of the class 1 InPSG integron located on a Tn5051 transposon, and it was reported in intercontinentally disseminating P. aeruginosa of sequence type 621 causing outbreaks in Italy, Romania and Argentina.1–3 Multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa are at the origin of outbreaks that are often difficult to control and to eradicate. The persistence of pools of transferable elements carrying antimicrobial resistance genes in hidden environmental reservoirs may further explain the resurgence of some epidemics, as well as their ability to quickly appear. The role of Pseudomonas putida as a metallo-β-lactamase reservoir was recently reinforced by showing its ability to transfer carbapenem resistance to P. aeruginosa.4 We briefly describe here the carriage of blaIMP-13 in Pseudomonas monteilii, a species closely related to P. putida, recovered from the clinical environment.