Introduction. Imipenemase (IMP) carbapenemase genes are relatively rare among Enterobacterales in the UK. Emergence in multiple hospitals, in different strains and species, prompted an investigation into their genetic context.Aim. Our goal was to identify and describe the elements carrying bla IMP genes in a variety of Enterobacterales from five hospitals in the UK.Methodology. Long-read nanopore sequencing was carried out on 18 IMP-positive isolates belonging to 6 species. The locations of the bla IMP genes and other associated genetic elements were identified.Results. Ten out of 18 isolates carried bla IMP-1 on an IncN3 plasmid (52-57 kb) in an In1763 class 1 integron. These plasmids also contained genes encoding type IV secretion and conjugal transfer proteins. Five out of 18 isolates carried bla IMP-1 in the same In1763 integron in much larger IncHI2 plasmids. A further isolate carried the In1763 integron in a chromosomally located plasmid fragment. Two isolates carried bla IMP-4 in IncHI2 plasmids. The isolates included three representatives of sequence type 20 of Klebsiella pneumoniae, with one carrying a distinct plasmid from the other two.Conclusion. Highly similar IncN3 plasmids were found in a range of Enterobacterales, mostly K. pneumoniae and the Enterobacter cloacae complex, from three of four London hospitals, with the same In1763 integron carrying bla IMP-1 also being found in IncHI2 plasmids and chromosomally. These plasmids carried multiple elements facilitating self-transmission. Strain typing alone was not sufficient to investigate cross-infection among this set of isolates, many of which appeared to be unrelated until plasmid analysis was undertaken, and vice versa.

中文翻译：

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在来自英国的对碳青霉烯类耐药的肠杆菌临床分离物中，带有带有bla IMP-1的In1763整合子的IncN3和IncHI2质粒。

介绍。亚胺培南（IMP）碳青霉烯酶基因在英国肠杆菌中相对罕见。多家医院，不同菌株和物种的出现促使人们对其遗传背景进行了调查。我们的目标是鉴定和描述来自英国五家医院的各种肠杆菌中携带bla IMP基因的元素。对属于6个物种的18个IMP阳性分离株进行了长读纳米孔测序。确定了bla IMP基因和其他相关遗传元件的位置。18个分离株中有10个在In1763 1类整合子中的IncN3质粒（52-57 kb）上带有bla IMP-1。这些质粒还含有编码IV型分泌和结合转移蛋白的基因。18个分离株中有5个在更大的IncHI2质粒中的同一In1763整合子中带有bla IMP-1。另外的分离物在染色体定位的质粒片段中携带In1763整联子。两个分离株在IncHI2质粒中带有bla IMP-4。分离株包括肺炎克雷伯氏菌序列类型20的三个代表，一个代表携带与其他两个不同的质粒。在伦敦四家医院中的三家医院的一系列肠杆菌中发现了高度相似的IncN3质粒，主要是肺炎克雷伯菌和阴沟肠杆菌复合体，在IncHI2质粒和染色体上也发现了带有bla IMP-1的相同In1763整合子。这些质粒带有多个促进自我传递的元件。单独进行菌株分型不足以调查这组分离株之间的交叉感染，