Characterisation of the metallo-beta-lactamase VIM-6 and its genetic support.

The purpose of this study was to characterise the metallo-beta-lactamase VIM-6 and the genetic environment of the bla(VIM-6) gene. The bla(VIM-6) gene was cloned into an Escherichia coli expression system and the purified VIM-6 enzyme was obtained. VIM-6 has an isoelectric point of 4.9 and a molecular weight of 28.368 Da. VIM-6 hydrolysed all tested penicillins, cephalosporins and carbapenems with the exception of aztreonam. In Pseudomonas putida, the bla(VIM-6) gene is the first in a class 1 integron also containing bla(OXA-10), aacA4, an open reading frame of unknown function, aadA and qacEDelta1.