Genomic study of blaIMI - positive Enterobacter cloacae complex from Singapore over a 5 year study period.

blaIMI is rarely detected outside the Enterobacter genus. Genome characterization of 87 blaIMI-positive E. cloacae complex revealed that the largest phylogenomic clade was made up of E. cloacae subsp. cloacae (71.3%) followed by the newly described species E. bugandensis (13.8%), E. sichuanensis (10.3%) and E. roggenkampii (4.6%). IMI-1 was the predominant carbapenemase variant (86/87, 98.9%). All the blaIMI were associated with chromosomally integrated Xer-dependent integrative mobile element (IMEX) with two new variants detected.