Classification and prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance qnr genes in China-A review

Abstract:

Quinolone antibacterial drugs, developing from the treatment of urinary tract infection in early time and now from the treatment of intestinal infection and respiratory infection, have been widely used in clinical, animal husbandry and aquaculture. Bacteria gradually become resistant to them and resistance mechanism is more and more complicated. Quinolone resistance mechanism is mainly divided into chromosome mediated resistance and plasmid mediated resistance, the latter plays an important role in spreading of antibiotic resistance. In 1998, plasmid mediated quinolone resistance mechanism was reported for the first time, namely the qnr gene mediated fluoroquinolone resistance mechanism. qnr genes can spread rapidly in different bacteria, which causes the infection difficult to control, makes the nosocomial infection popular in a wide range. In addition, qnr genes are usually associated with β-lactamase resistance gene. They exist in complex integron and integrate with the other varieties of resistance genes, which narrows the space of clinical medicine choose or drug combinations use to treat related bacterial infection and brings us a serious challenge. In this review, we provide a detailed overview for the historical discovery, classification, the resistance mechanisms of qnr genes, and the prevalence of those genes in China.