Identification of TEM-135 β-Lactamase in Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strains Carrying African and Toronto Plasmids in Argentina

ABSTRACT One hundred forty-three penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) isolates obtained in Argentina from 2008 and 2012 were examined to detect bla TEM-135 genes and to investigate plasmid profiles and multiantigen sequence types. Forty-two PPNG isolates were found to carry TEM-135, and two contained a new TEM derivative characterized as TEM-220. The bla TEM-135 allele was carried by the Toronto/Rio and African plasmids. Molecular epidemiology revealed that two bla TEM-135 isolates were related to previously described isolates from Thailand and China, indicating a common evolutionary origin. </jats:p