[Methods for detecting plasmid-borne colistin resistance mediated by the mcr genes].

Prospective prevalence studies of intestinal carriage of colistin-resistant Enterobacterales among Czech hospitalized patients and travelers do not yet indicate the spread of strains with mcr-mediated plasmid-borne colistin resistance. However, the high prevalence of strains carrying the mcr genes in raw meat products poses a risk of exposure for their consumers. The detection of mcr-harbouring colistin-resistant strains cannot be expected during routine microbiological testing, without using reliable but expensive methods. A suitable alternative method for active monitoring of colistin resistance is the use of selective agar media with colistin followed by verification of the resistance in the obtained isolates.