Lateral Flow Immunoassay and the EDTA-Colistin Broth Disk Elution for mcr-1 gene detection in colistin-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae

Authors

Keywords:

Edetic Acid, Enterobacteriaceae, Genes, Immunoassay, Plasmids

Abstract

Introduction: The global emergence of colistin-resistant Enterobacterales, especially strains carrying plasmid-mediated mcr genes, poses a significant threat to public health. Rapid detection of mcr-mediated resistance is critical for timely clinical management and infection control, particularly in resource-limited settings such as Southeast Asia.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of the lateral flow immunoassay (NG-Test MCR-1) in comparison with the combined reference method of EDTA-Colistin Broth Disk Elution (CBDE/EDTA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detecting mcr-mediated colistin.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Cho Ray Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 160 clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 128) and Escherichia coli (n = 32), along with 2 additional E. coli strains carrying the mcr-1 gene, were tested for colistin resistance using Broth Microdilution (BMD) combined with the NG-Test MCR-1 in comparison with the CBDE/EDTA combined with PCR detection of mcr-1 to mcr-10.

Results: Among 32/160 colistin-resistant isolates, only 2 E. coli strains were confirmed to carry mcr-1 by both NG-Test MCR-1 and PCR, while no K. pneumoniae isolates tested positive for mcr genes. The NG-Test MCR-1 showed perfect agreement with the CBDE/EDTA method combined with PCR. Furthermore, it achieved 100% PPA and NPA, with wide 95% confidence intervals due to the limited number of mcr-positive isolates.

Conclusions: NG Test MCR-1 provides rapid, specific detection of mcr-1, while CBDE/EDTA is a cost-effective screening tool but less definitive. Combining these methods is recommended to improve mcr-mediated colistin resistance detection.

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References

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Published

2025-09-01

How to Cite

1.
Truong Thien P, Tran Bich N, Nguyen Thi Ngoc T, Pham Hung V, Pham Thanh V, Tran Thi Hue V, et al. Lateral Flow Immunoassay and the EDTA-Colistin Broth Disk Elution for mcr-1 gene detection in colistin-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae. Rev Cubana Med Milit [Internet]. 2025 Sep. 1 [cited 2025 Sep. 5];54(3):e025076562. Available from: https://revmedmilitar.sld.cu/index.php/mil/article/view/76562

Issue

Vol. 54 No. 3 (2025): July - September (In Progress)

Section

Research Article

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Copyright (c) 2025 Phu Truong Thien, Ngọc Bích Trần, Thao Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Van Pham Hung, Vinh Pham Thanh, Van Tran Thi Hue, Dat Ngo Quoc

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