# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 4841 | 0 | 1.0000 | Dissimilar Fitness Associated with Resistance to Fluoroquinolones Influences Clonal Dynamics of Various Multiresistant Bacteria. Fitness cost associated with resistance to fluoroquinolones was recently shown to vary across clones of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. The resulting dissimilar fitness should have influenced the clonal dynamics and thereby the rates of resistance for these pathogens. Moreover, a similar mechanism was recently proposed for the emergence of the H30 and H30R lineages of ESBL-producing E. coli and the major international clone (ribotype 027) of Clostridium difficile. Furthermore, several additional international clones of various multiresistant bacteria are suspect to have been selected by an analogous process. An ability to develop favorable mutations in the gyrase and topoisomerase IV genes seems to be a prerequisite for pathogens to retain fitness while showing high-level resistance to fluoroquinolones. Since, the consumption of other "non-fluoroquinolone" groups of antibiotics have also contributed to the rise in resistance rates a more judicious use of antibiotics in general and of fluoroquinolones in particular could ameliorate the international resistance situation. | 2016 | 27458434 |
| 4845 | 1 | 0.9998 | The changing epidemiology of resistance. Antibiotic resistance is now a linked global problem. Dispersion of successful clones of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria is common, often via the movement of people. Local evolution of MDR bacteria is also important under the pressure of excessive antibiotic use, with horizontal gene transfer providing the means by which genes such as bla(CTX-M) spread amongst different bacterial species and strains. Beta-lactamase production is a common resistance mechanism in Gram-negative bacteria, and the rapid dissemination of novel genes reflects their evolution under the selective pressure of antibiotic usage. Many Enterobacteriaceae now carry broad-spectrum beta-lactamases such as CTX-M, with particular genotypes associated with different geographical regions. The spread of these enzymes has compromised the clinical utility of a number of beta-lactam classes and with the spread of genes such as bla(KPC), carbapenems may be increasingly compromised in the future. High-level fluoroquinolone resistance (mainly caused by gyrA mutations) has also been shown to be associated with CTX-M and CMY-type enzymes, commonly due to co-carriage on conjugative plasmids of the gene for the aminoglycoside-inactivating enzyme AAC-6(1)-Ib-cr and qnr genes (which confer low-level resistance), allowing the easy selection of gyrA mutants in the host strain. Resistance in Gram-positive bacteria is also widely distributed and increasing, with the emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blurring the distinction between hospital and community strains. Antibiotic use and environmental factors all have a role in the emergence and spread of resistance. This article reviews some of the new mechanisms and recent trends in the global spread of MDR bacteria. | 2009 | 19675017 |
| 4314 | 2 | 0.9998 | Cephalosporin resistance among animal-associated Enterobacteria: a current perspective. Beta-lactam antimicrobials are an important class of drugs used for the treatment of infection. Resistance can arise by several mechanisms, including the acquisition of genes encoding beta-lactamases from other bacteria, alterations in cell membrane permeability and over expression of endogenous beta-lactamases. The acquisition of beta-lactamase resistance genes by both Salmonella and Escherichia coli appears to be on the rise, which may pose potential problems for the treatment of infections in both human and animal medicine. The prudent use of clinically important antimicrobials is therefore critical to maintain their effectiveness. Where possible, the use of newer generation cephalosporins should be limited in veterinary medicine. | 2005 | 15954857 |
| 4833 | 3 | 0.9998 | Emerging mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance. Broad use of fluoroquinolones has been followed by emergence of resistance, which has been due mainly to chromosomal mutations in genes encoding the subunits of the drugs' target enzymes, DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, and in genes that affect the expression of diffusion channels in the outer membrane and multidrug-resistance efflux systems. Resistance emerged first in species in which single mutations were sufficient to cause clinically important levels of resistance (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Subsequently, however, resistance has emerged in bacteria such as Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, in which multiple mutations are required to generate clinically important resistance. In these circumstances, the additional epidemiologic factors of drug use in animals and human-to-human spread appear to have contributed. Resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is currently low, will require close monitoring as fluoroquinolones are used more extensively for treating respiratory tract infections. | 2001 | 11294736 |
| 4839 | 4 | 0.9998 | beta-Lactamases: protein evolution in real time. The evolution and spread of bacteria resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics has progressed at an alarming rate. Bacteria may acquire resistance to a given drug by mutation of pre-existing genes or by the acquisition of new genes from other bacteria. One ongoing example of these mechanisms is the evolution of new variants of the TEM and SHV beta-lactamases with altered substrate specificity. | 1998 | 9746943 |
| 4857 | 5 | 0.9998 | The emergence of bacterial resistance and its influence on empiric therapy. The discovery of antimicrobial agents had a major impact on the rate of survival from infections. However, the changing patterns of antimicrobial resistance caused a demand for new antibacterial agents. Within a few years of the introduction of penicillin, the majority of staphylococci were resistant to that drug. In the 1960s the production of the semisynthetic penicillins provided an answer to the problem of staphylococcal resistance. In the early 1960s most Escherichia coli were susceptible to the new beta-lactam antibiotic ampicillin; by the end of that decade, plasmid-mediated beta-lactamase resistance was found in 30%-50% of hospital-acquired E. coli. Use of certain agents resulted in the selection of bacteria, such as Klebsiella, that are intrinsically resistant to ampicillin. The original cephalosporins were stable to beta-lactamase, but the use of these agents was in part responsible for the appearance of infections due to Enterobacter species, Citrobacter species, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These bacteria, as well as Serratia, were resistant to many of the available beta-lactam agents. Aminoglycosides initially provided excellent activity against most of the facultative gram-negative bacteria. However, the widespread dissemination of the genes that cause production of the aminoglycoside-inactivating enzymes altered the use of those agents. Clearly, the evolution of bacterial resistance has altered the prescribing patterns for antimicrobial agents. Knowledge that beta-lactam resistance to ampicillin or cephalothin is prevalent is causing physicians to select as empiric therapy either a combination of two or more agents or agents to which resistance is uncommon. The new cephalosporins offer a broad spectrum of anti-bacterial activity coupled with low toxicity. However, physicians must closely follow the changing ecology of bacteria when these agents are used, because cephalosporins can also select bacteria resistant to themselves and thereby abolish their value as empiric therapy. | 1983 | 6342103 |
| 9897 | 6 | 0.9998 | The fitness connection of antibiotic resistance. More than three decades ago multidrug-resistant (MDR) clones of the pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Clostridioides difficile, Enterococcus faecium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii have started to disseminate across wide geographical areas. A characteristic feature of all these MDR lineages is the carriage of some mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV which besides conferring resistance to fluoroquinolones are associated with a fitness benefit. Several lines of evidence strongly suggest that extra fitness conferred by these mutations facilitated the dissemination of the international MDR lineages. MDR pathogens require extra energy to cover the fitness cost conferred by the excess antibiotic resistance gene cargo. However, extra energy generated by upgraded metabolic activity was demonstrated to increase the uptake of antibiotics enhancing susceptibility. Accordingly, MDR bacteria need additional positive fitness schemes which, similarly to the QRDR advantage, will not compromise resistance. Some of these, not clone-specific effects are large genomes, the carriage of low-cost plasmids, the transfer of plasmid genes to the chromosome, the application of weak promoters in integrons and various techniques for the economic control of the activity of the integrase enzyme including a highly sophisticated system in A. baumannii. These impacts - among others - will confer a fitness advantage promoting the spread of MDR pathogens. However, even the potential of extra fitness generated by the combined effect of various schemes is not without limit and virulence-related genes or less relevant antibiotic resistance gene cargoes will often be sacrificed to permit the acquisition of high-priority resistance determinants. Accordingly major MDR clone strains are usually less virulent than susceptible isolates. In summary, a fitness approach to the research of antibiotic resistance is very useful since the fitness status of MDR bacteria seem to profoundly impact the capacity to disseminate in the healthcare setting. | 2025 | 40276228 |
| 4840 | 7 | 0.9998 | Beta-lactam antibiotics and selection of resistance: speculation on the evolution of R-plasmids. In this paper we describe two genetic mechanisms which are responsible for the development of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins. One is a plasmid-mediated mechanism involving a mutation in the SHV-1-gene towards the production of the beta-lactamase SHV-2 which has increased affinity for these antibiotics. The other is chromosomally mediated and occurs at high frequency by mutation of inducible beta-lactamase-genes, leading to derepressed production of the enzyme. Together with other examples of resistance genes these two mechanisms lead us to a hypothesis about the evolution of beta-lactamase producing bacteria. | 1986 | 3542929 |
| 4862 | 8 | 0.9998 | Genetic Factors That Contribute to Antibiotic Resistance through Intrinsic and Acquired Bacterial Genes in Urinary Tract Infections. The overprescribing and misuse of antibiotics have led to the rapid development of multidrug-resistant bacteria, such as those that cause UTIs. UTIs are the most common outpatient infections and are mainly caused by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp., although some Gram-positive bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, have been isolated in many cases. The rise of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria is a major public health concern, as it is predicted to lead to increased healthcare costs and poor patient outcomes and is expected to be the leading cause of global mortality by 2050. Antibiotic resistance among bacterial species can arise from a myriad of factors, including intrinsic and acquired resistance mechanisms, as well as mobile genetic elements, such as transposons, integrons, and plasmids. Plasmid-mediated resistance is of major concern as drug-resistance genes can quickly and efficiently spread across bacterial species via horizontal gene transfer. The emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) such as NDM-1, OXA, KPC, and CTX-M family members has conferred resistance to many commonly used antibiotics in the treatment of UTIs, including penicillins, carbapenems, cephalosporins, and sulfamethoxazole. This review will focus on plasmid-mediated bacterial genes, especially those that encode ESBLs, and how they contribute to antibiotic resistance. Early clinical detection of these genes in patient samples will provide better treatment options and reduce the threat of antibiotic resistance. | 2023 | 37374909 |
| 4847 | 9 | 0.9998 | Escherichia coli β-Lactamases: What Really Matters. Escherichia coli strains belonging to diverse pathotypes have increasingly been recognized as a major public health concern. The β-lactam antibiotics have been used successfully to treat infections caused by pathogenic E. coli. However, currently, the utility of β-lactams is being challenged severely by a large number of hydrolytic enzymes - the β-lactamases expressed by bacteria. The menace is further compounded by the highly flexible genome of E. coli, and propensity of resistance dissemination through horizontal gene transfer and clonal spread. Successful management of infections caused by such resistant strains requires an understanding of the diversity of β-lactamases, their unambiguous detection, and molecular mechanisms underlying their expression and spread with regard to the most relevant information about individual bacterial species. Thus, this review comprises first such effort in this direction for E. coli, a bacterial species known to be associated with production of diverse classes of β-lactamases. The review also highlights the role of commensal E. coli as a potential but under-estimated reservoir of β-lactamases-encoding genes. | 2016 | 27065978 |
| 4860 | 10 | 0.9998 | The rise of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Acinetobacter spp. are Gram-negative bacteria that have become one of the most difficult pathogens to treat. The species A. baumannii, largely unknown 30 years ago, has risen to prominence particularly because of its ability to cause infections in immunocompromised patients. It is now a predominant pathogen in many hospitals as it has acquired resistance genes to virtually all antibiotics capable of treating Gram-negative bacteria, including the fluoroquinolones and the cephalosporins. Some members of the species have accumulated these resistance genes in large resistance islands, located in a "hot-spot" within the bacterial chromosome. The only conventional remaining treatment options were the carbapenems. However, A. baumannii possesses an inherent class D β-lactamase gene (blaOXA-51-like) that can have the ability to confer carbapenem resistance. Additionally, mechanisms of carbapenem resistance have emerged that derive from the importation of the distantly related class D β-lactamase genes blaOXA-23 and blaOXA-58. Although not inducible, the expression of these genes is controlled by mobile promoters carried on ISAba elements. It has also been found that other resistance genes including the chromosomal class C β-lactamase genes conferring cephalosporin resistance are controlled in the same manner. Colistin is now considered to be the final drug capable of treating infections caused by carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii; however, strains are now being isolated that are resistant to this antibiotic as well. The increasing inability to treat infections caused by A. baumannii ensures that this pathogen more than ranks with MRSA or Clostridium difficile as a threat to modern medicine. | 2013 | 22894617 |
| 4861 | 11 | 0.9998 | The Challenge of Global Emergence of Novel Colistin-Resistant Escherichia coli ST131. Escherichia coli ST131 is one of the high-risk multidrug-resistant clones with a global distribution and the ability to persist and colonize in a variety of niches. Carbapenemase-producing E. coli ST131 strains with the ability to resist last-line antibiotics (i.e., colistin) have been recently considered a significant public health. Colistin is widely used in veterinary medicine and therefore, colistin-resistant bacteria can be transmitted from livestock to humans through food. There are several mechanisms of resistance to colistin, which include chromosomal mutations and plasmid-transmitted mcr genes. E. coli ST131 is a great model organism to investigate the emergence of superbugs. This microorganism has the ability to cause intestinal and extraintestinal infections, and its accurate identification as well as its antibiotic resistance patterns are vitally important for a successful treatment strategy. Therefore, further studies are required to understand the evolution of this resistant organism for drug design, controlling the evolution of other nascent emerging pathogens, and developing antibiotic stewardship programs. In this review, we will discuss the importance of E. coli ST131, the mechanisms of resistance to colistin as the last-resort antibiotic against resistant Gram-negative bacteria, reports from different regions regarding E. coli ST131 resistance to colistin, and the most recent therapeutic approaches against colistin-resistance bacteria. | 2021 | 33913748 |
| 3821 | 12 | 0.9998 | Persistence of transferable extended-spectrum-β-lactamase resistance in the absence of antibiotic pressure. The treatment of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is one of the great challenges faced by clinicians in the 21st century. Antibiotic resistance genes are often transferred between bacteria by mobile genetic vectors called plasmids. It is commonly believed that removal of antibiotic pressure will reduce the numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to the perception that carriage of resistance imposes a fitness cost on the bacterium. This study investigated the ability of the plasmid pCT, a globally distributed plasmid that carries an extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL) resistance gene (bla(CTX-M-14)), to persist and disseminate in the absence of antibiotic pressure. We investigated key attributes in plasmid success, including conjugation frequencies, bacterial-host growth rates, ability to cause infection, and impact on the fitness of host strains. We also determined the contribution of the bla(CTX-M-14) gene itself to the biology of the plasmid and host bacterium. Carriage of pCT was found to impose no detectable fitness cost on various bacterial hosts. An absence of antibiotic pressure and inactivation of the antibiotic resistance gene also had no effect on plasmid persistence, conjugation frequency, or bacterial-host biology. In conclusion, plasmids such as pCT have evolved to impose little impact on host strains. Therefore, the persistence of antibiotic resistance genes and their vectors is to be expected in the absence of antibiotic selective pressure regardless of antibiotic stewardship. Other means to reduce plasmid stability are needed to prevent the persistence of these vectors and the antibiotic resistance genes they carry. | 2012 | 22710119 |
| 4843 | 13 | 0.9998 | The Efficacy of Isolated Bacteriophages from Pig Farms against ESBL/AmpC-Producing Escherichia coli from Pig and Turkey Farms. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC β-lactamases are plasmid (but also chromosomally) encoded enzymes found in Enterobacteriaceae, determining resistance to a variety of important antibiotics including penicillins, cephalosporins, and monobactams. In recent decades, the prevalence of ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria has increased rapidly across the world. Here, we evaluate the potential use of bacteriophages in terms of a reduction of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in healthy animals. The aim of our studies was to isolate bacteriophages capable of destroying ESBL/AmpC-producing Escherichia coli isolated from livestock habitats. The efficacy of isolated phages against ESBL/AmpC E. coli strains varies, but creation of a phage cocktail with broad activity spectrum is possible. This may indicate that the role of phages may not be limited to phage therapy, but bacterial viruses may also be applied against spread of bacteria with antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. We also addressed the hypothesis, that phages, effective for therapeutic purposes may be isolated from distant places and even from different environments other than the actual location of the targeted bacteria. This may be beneficial for practical purposes, as the construction of effective phage preparations does not require access to disease outbreaks. | 2017 | 28405193 |
| 4869 | 14 | 0.9998 | Horizontal gene transfer-emerging multidrug resistance in hospital bacteria. The frequency and spectrum of antibiotic resistant infections have increased worldwide during the past few decades. This increase has been attributed to a combination of microbial characteristics, the selective pressure of antimicrobial use, and social and technical changes that enhance the transmission of resistant organisms. The resistance is acquired by mutational change or by the acquisition of resistance-encoding genetic material which is transferred from another bacteria. The spread of antibiotic resistance genes may be causally related to the overuse of antibiotics in human health care and in animal feeds, increased use of invasive devices and procedures, a greater number of susceptible hosts, and lapses in infection control practices leading to increased transmission of resistant organisms. The resistance gene sequences are integrated by recombination into several classes of naturally occurring gene expression cassettes and disseminated within the microbial population by horizontal gene transfer mechanisms: transformation, conjugation or transduction. In the hospital, widespread use of antimicrobials in the intensive care units (ICU) and for immunocompromised patients has resulted in the selection of multidrug-resistant organisms. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococci, vancomycin resistant Enterococci and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Gram negative bacilli are identified as major problem in nosocomial infections. Recent surveillance studies have demonstrated trend towards more seriously ill patients suffering from multidrug-resistant nosocomial infections. Emergence of multiresistant bacteria and spread of resistance genes should enforce the application of strict prevention strategies, including changes in antibiotic treatment regimens, hygiene measures, infection prevention and control of horizontal nosocomial transmission of organisms. | 2003 | 12791177 |
| 4846 | 15 | 0.9998 | Mobile fosfomycin resistance genes in Enterobacteriaceae-An increasing threat. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major threats to the health and welfare of both humans and animals. The shortage of new antimicrobial agents has led to the re-evaluation of old antibiotics such as fosfomycin as a potential regimen for treating multidrug-resistant bacteria especially extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase- and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Fosfomycin is a broad-spectrum bactericidal antibiotic that inhibits the initial step of the cell wall biosynthesis. Fosfomycin resistance can occur due to mutation in the drug uptake system or by the acquisition of fosfomycin-modifying enzymes. In this review, we focus on mobile fosfomycin-resistant genes encoding glutathione-S-transferase which are mainly responsible for fosfomycin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, that is, fosA and its subtypes, fosC2, and the recently described fosL1-L2. We summarized the proposed origins of the different resistance determinants and highlighted the different plasmid types which are attributed to the dissemination of fosfomycin-modifying enzymes. Thereby, IncF and IncN plasmids play a predominant role. The detection of mobile fosfomycin-resistant genes in Enterobacteriaceae has increased in recent years. Similar to the situation in (East) Asia, the most frequently detected fosfomycin-resistant gene in Europe is fosA3. Mobile fosfomycin-resistant genes have been detected in isolates of human, animal, food, and environmental origin which leads to a growing concern regarding the risk of spread of such bacteria, especially Escherichia coli and Salmonella, at the human-animal-environment interface. | 2020 | 33128341 |
| 4864 | 16 | 0.9998 | Colistin resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacteria: a Focus on Escherichia coli. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli strains have rapidly increased worldwide, and effective antibiotic therapeutic options are becoming more restricted. As a polymyxin antibiotic, colistin has a long history of usage, and it is used as a final line of treatment for severe infections by Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) with high-level resistance. However, its application has been challenged by the emergence of E. coli colistin resistance. Hence, determining the mechanism that confers colistin resistance is crucial for monitoring and controlling the dissemination of colistin-resistant E. coli strains. This comprehensive review summarizes colistin resistance mechanisms in E. coli strains and concentrates on the history, mode of action, and therapeutic implications of colistin. We have mainly focused on the fundamental mechanisms of colistin resistance that are mediated by chromosomal or plasmid elements and discussed major mutations in the two-component systems (TCSs) genes and plasmids that transmit the mobilized colistin resistance resistant genes in E. coli strains. | 2023 | 36754367 |
| 4859 | 17 | 0.9998 | Nosocomial infection and its molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. Nosocomial infection is a kind of infection, which is spread in various hospital environments, and leads to many serious diseases (e.g. pneumonia, urinary tract infection, gastroenteritis, and puerperal fever), and causes higher mortality than community-acquired infection. Bacteria are predominant among all the nosocomial infection-associated pathogens, thus a large number of antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides, penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems, are adopted in clinical treatment. However, in recent years antibiotic resistance quickly spreads worldwide and causes a critical threat to public health. The predominant bacteria include Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Acinetobacter baumannii. In these bacteria, resistance emerged from antibiotic resistant genes and many of those can be exchanged between bacteria. With technical advances, molecular mechanisms of resistance have been gradually unveiled. In this review, recent advances in knowledge about mechanisms by which (i) bacteria hydrolyze antibiotics (e.g. extended spectrum β-lactamases, (ii) AmpC β-lactamases, carbapenemases), (iii) avoid antibiotic targeting (e.g. mutated vanA and mecA genes), (iv) prevent antibiotic permeation (e.g. porin deficiency), or (v) excrete intracellular antibiotics (e.g. active efflux pump) are summarized. | 2016 | 26877142 |
| 4836 | 18 | 0.9998 | Genes and spectrum: the theoretical limits. Antibiotic resistance can result either from mutations within a chromosomal gene or from mobile genes imported from outside. In the last 15 years, some of these mobile genes have shown a propensity to adapt to successive antibiotic challenges, the most versatile being the class A beta-lactamases. The TEM and SHV beta-lactamase nuclei, usually after one initial critical mutation, allow a series of successive mutations that increase the spectrum to hydrolyze most cephalosporins. The class C beta-lactamases also show some versatility; while it migrates from the chromosome, subtle changes can occur in the gene to broaden the spectrum. Trimethoprim resistance has shown less adaptability in gram-negative bacteria, but in gram-positive organisms the plasmid has captured the chromosomal dihydrofolate reductase of Staphylococcus epidermidis, and a minimal number of changes have occurred that decrease the binding of trimethroprim. Other resistance mechanisms appear less adaptable, relying rather on the importation of new genes to cope with new challenges. | 1998 | 9710668 |
| 9942 | 19 | 0.9998 | Exploring the Potential of CRISPR-Cas9 Under Challenging Conditions: Facing High-Copy Plasmids and Counteracting Beta-Lactam Resistance in Clinical Strains of Enterobacteriaceae. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis urgently requires countermeasures for reducing the dissemination of plasmid-borne resistance genes. Of particular concern are opportunistic pathogens of Enterobacteriaceae. One innovative approach is the CRISPR-Cas9 system which has recently been used for plasmid curing in defined strains of Escherichia coli. Here we exploited this system further under challenging conditions: by targeting the bla (TEM-) (1) AMR gene located on a high-copy plasmid (i.e., 100-300 copies/cell) and by directly tackling bla (TEM-) (1)-positive clinical isolates. Upon CRISPR-Cas9 insertion into a model strain of E. coli harboring bla (TEM-) (1) on the plasmid pSB1A2, the plasmid number and, accordingly, the bla (TEM-) (1) gene expression decreased but did not become extinct in a subpopulation of CRISPR-Cas9 treated bacteria. Sequence alterations in bla (TEM-) (1) were observed, likely resulting in a dysfunction of the gene product. As a consequence, a full reversal to an antibiotic sensitive phenotype was achieved, despite plasmid maintenance. In a clinical isolate of E. coli, plasmid clearance and simultaneous re-sensitization to five beta-lactams was possible. Reusability of antibiotics could be confirmed by rescuing larvae of Galleria mellonella infected with CRISPR-Cas9-treated E. coli, as opposed to infection with the unmodified clinical isolate. The drug sensitivity levels could also be increased in a clinical isolate of Enterobacter hormaechei and to a lesser extent in Klebsiella variicola, both of which harbored additional resistance genes affecting beta-lactams. The data show that targeting drug resistance genes is encouraging even when facing high-copy plasmids. In clinical isolates, the simultaneous interference with multiple genes mediating overlapping drug resistance might be the clue for successful phenotype reversal. | 2020 | 32425894 |