Two New SGI1-LK Variants Found in Proteus Mirabilis and Evolution of the SGI1-HKL Group of Salmonella Genomic Islands

Members of the SGI1-HKL subgroup of SGI1-type integrative mobilizable elements have a characteristic alteration in their backbone. They are widely distributed among multiply antibiotic-resistant Salmonella enterica serovars and Proteus mirabilis isolates. The SGI1-K type, found in the globally disseminated multiply antibiotic-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky clone ST198 (sequence type 198), and various configurations in the original SGI1-LK group, found in other multiresistant S. enterica serovars and Proteus mirabilis isolates, have complex and highly plastic resistance regions due to the presence of IS 26 . However, how these complex forms arose and the relationships between them had not been analyzed. Here, a hypothetical progenitor, SGI1-LK0, that can be formed from the simpler SGI1-H is proposed, and the pathways to the formation of new variants, SGI1-LK1 and SGI1-LK2, found in P. mirabilis and other reported configurations via homologous recombination and IS 26 -mediated events are proposed. This led to a better understanding of the evolution of the SGI1-HKL group.