Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42473351›Full record

ArticleBioMed research international2026

Global Bibliometric and Phylogenetic Analysis of mcr-Mediated Colistin Resistance.

Md Zulfekar Ali, Uwem Okon Edet, Umego Chukwdi Theodore, Francisca Nwaokorie, Md Hafizur Rahman, Edrous Alamer, Hazem Mathkour, Clement Meseko

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BioMed research international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Md Zulfekar AliAnimal Health Research Division, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, blri.gov.bd.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3971-8699
Uwem Okon EdetRegional Laboratory for Animal Influenza and Transboundary Animal Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Nigeria, nvri.gov.ng.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0744-8564
Umego Chukwdi TheodoreDepartment of Biology Education, School of Science, Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, Anambra State, Nigeria, fcetakoka-edu.net.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0615-5678
Francisca NwaokorieDepartment of Medical Laboratory, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, unilag.edu.ng.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4600-478X
Md Hafizur RahmanAnimal Health Research Division, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, blri.gov.bd.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0725-1078
Edrous AlamerDepartment of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, jazanu.edu.sa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9700-1610
Hazem MathkourDepartment of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, jazanu.edu.sa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5989-3293
Clement MesekoRegional Laboratory for Animal Influenza and Transboundary Animal Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Nigeria, nvri.gov.ng.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7003-7528

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The emergence and spread of mobilized colistin resistance (mcr) genes threaten the efficacy of colistin, a last-resort antibiotic used in the management of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (GNB). This study was aimed at (1) providing a bibliometric assessment of the mcr-related research landscape and (2) conducting phylogenetic and metadata analyses of all known mcr gene variants to elucidate their relatedness and global distribution by country of origin, sample type, and harboring bacterial diversity. Bibliometric analysis was conducted following the SPAR-4-SLR methodology, where mcr-related publications were retrieved from Scopus and analyzed using diverse packages in R software, Datawrapper, the VOSviewer tool, and Biblioshiny. Genomic analysis was conducted on 116 complete mcr gene sequences retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was constructed to infer evolutionary relationships, and the associated metadata of sequences were analyzed. A total of 3936 mcr-related publications met the inclusion criteria. Since the discovery of mcr in 2015, research output has grown consistently through 2024, reflecting an intense global scientific mobilization and the rapid prioritization of colistin resistance given its significant public health threat. About 54.15% of studies appeared in Top Q1-Q2 journals, notably Frontiers in Microbiology and Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The most cited work was Liu et al. (2016), with 4445 citations. China and India led in publications and collaborations, while China dominated funding. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 10 mcr variants, each clustering together. Distance analysis showed that Escherichia coli was the likely origin of mcr-1-2 and mcr-5 variants, Aeromonas of mcr-3, Moraxella of mcr-6, Klebsiella pneumoniae of mcr-7, Raoultella ornithinolytica of mcr-8, and Enterobacter cloacae of mcr-10. However, mcr-4 and mcr-9 showed multiple origins with similar branch lengths for E. coli, Salmonella, and Enterobacter. The widespread occurrence of mcr-1-10 across diverse bacterial species underscores the urgent need for an integrated, One Health surveillance approach to monitor and mitigate colistin resistance spread globally.

Indexed as

BibliometricsColistinDrug Resistance, BacterialGram-Negative BacteriaAnti-Bacterial AgentsHumansPhylogenyAnti-Bacterial AgentsColistinbibliometriccolistingapsmcr gene variantsOne Healthphylogenetic analysisplasmid

Identifiers

PMID42473351
PMCPMC13382347

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.