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543901.0000Inactivation of macrolides by producers and pathogens. Inactivation, one of the mechanisms of resistance to macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin (MLS) antibiotics, appears to be fairly rare in clinical isolates in comparison with target site modification or efflux. However, inactivation is one of the major mechanisms through which macrolide-producing organisms avoid self-damage during antibiotic biosynthesis. The inactivation mechanisms for MLS antibiotics in pathogens are mainly hydrolysis, phosphorylation, glycosylation, reduction, deacylation, nucleotidylation, and acetylation. The ere (erythromycin resistance esterase) and mph (macrolide phosphotransferase) genes were originally found in Escherichia coli. Subsequently, Wondrack et al. (Wondrack, L.; Massa, M.; Yang, B.V.; Sutcliffe, J. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 1996, 40, 992) reported ere-like activity in Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, a variant of erythromycin esterase was found in Pseudomonas sp. from aquaculture sediment by Kim et al. (Kim, Y.H.; Cha, C.J.; Cerniglia, C.E. FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 2002, 210, 239). Although the mph genes, including mph(K), were first characterized in E. coli, a recent study revealed that S. aureus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia have mph(C). The mph(C) has a low G+C content, like mph(B), and has high homology with mph(B), but not with mph(A) or mph(K). Consequently, the mph(C) and ere(B) genes seem to have originated from Gram-positive bacteria and been transferred between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this chapter, the genes and the mechanisms involved in the inactivation of MLS antibiotics by antibiotic-producing bacteria are reviewed.200415379733
450510.9992Origin and evolution of genes specifying resistance to macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin antibiotics: data and hypotheses. Resistance to macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin antibiotics is due to alteration of the target site or detoxification of the antibiotic. Postranscriptional methylation of 23S ribosomal rRNA confers resistance to macrolide (M), lincosamide (L) and streptogramin (S) B-type antibiotics, the so-called MLSB phenotype. Several classes of rRNA methylases conferring resistance to MLSB antibiotics have been characterized in Gram-positive cocci, in Bacillus spp, and in strains of actinomycetes producing erythromycin. The enzymes catalyze N6-dimethylation of an adenine residue situated in a highly conserved region of prokaryotic 23S rRNA. In this review, we compare the amino acid sequences of the rRNA methylases and analyze the codon usage in the corresponding erm (erythromycin resistance methylase) genes. The homology detected at the protein level is consistent with the notion that an ancestor of the erm genes was implicated in erythromycin resistance in a producing strain. However, the rRNA methylases of producers and non-producers present substantial sequence diversity. In Gram-positive bacteria the preferential codon usage in the erm genes reflects the guanosine plus cytosine content of the chromosome of the host. These observations suggest that the presence of erm genes in these micro-organisms is ancient. By contrast, it would appear that enterobacteria have acquired only recently an rRNA methylase gene of the ermB class from a Gram-positive coccus since the genes isolated in Escherichia coli and in Gram-positive cocci are highly homologous (homology greater than 98%) and present a codon usage typical of the latter micro-organisms. As opposed to the MLSB phenotype which results from a single biochemical mechanism, inactivation of structurally related antibiotics of the MLS group involves synthesis of various other enzymes. In enterobacteria, resistance to erythromycin and oleandomycin is due to production of erythromycin esterases which hydrolyze the lactone ring of the 14-membered macrolides. We recently reported the nucleotide sequence of ereA and ereB (erythromycin resistance esterase) genes which encode erythromycin esterases type I and II, respectively. The amino acid sequences of the two isozymes do not exhibit statistically significant homology. Analysis of codon usage in both genes suggests that esterase type I is indigenous to E. coli, whereas the type II enzyme was acquired by E. coli from a phylogenetically remote micro-organism. Inactivation of lincosamides, first reported in staphylococci and lactobacilli of animal origin, was also recently detected in Gram-positive cocci isolated from humans.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)19873326871
596320.9992Expression of the mphB gene for macrolide 2'-phosphotransferase II from Escherichia coli in Staphylococcus aureus. The genes mphA and mphB encode macrolide 2'-phosphotransferases I and II, respectively, and they confer resistance to macrolide antibiotics in Escherichia coli. To study the expression of these genes in Gram-positive bacteria, we constructed recombinant plasmids that consisted of an mph gene and the pUB110 vector in Bacillus subtilis. When these plasmids were introduced into Staphylococcus aureus, the mphB gene was active and macrolide 2'-phosphotransferase II was produced. The gene endowed S. aureus with high-level resistance to spiramycin, a macrolide antibiotic with a 16-membered ring. Moreover, transcription of the mphB gene in S. aureus began at the promoter that was active in E. coli.19989503630
595130.9991A novel plasmid from Aerococcus urinaeequi of porcine origin co-harboring the tetracycline resistance genes tet(58) and tet(61). Tetracyclines are the broad-spectrum agents used in veterinary medicine and food animal production. Known mechanisms of tetracycline resistance include ribosome protection, active efflux and enzymatic inactivation. However, the presence of two different tet genes conferring different resistance mechanisms on the same plasmid has rarely been reported. In this study, we identified the tandem tetracycline resistance genes tet(61)-tet(58) on the novel plasmid pT4303. These tet genes were identified for the first time in Aerococcus urinaeequi. Reduced susceptibility to doxycycline was observed in S. aureus RN4220 harboring tet(61) when an extra tet(58) was expressed. Plasmid pT4303 was electrotransformed into S. aureus RN4220, E. faecalis JH2-2, S. suis BAA and E. coli DH5α and conferred tetracycline resistance (MIC ≥ 16) in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, assuming that it might serve as a vehicle for the dissemination of the tetracycline resistance genes tet(61) and tet(58).202133866063
584940.9990Characterisation and molecular cloning of the novel macrolide-streptogramin B resistance determinant from Staphylococcus epidermidis. A total of 110 staphylococcal isolates from human skin were found to express a novel type of erythromycin resistance. The bacteria were resistant to 14-membered ring macrolides (MIC 32-128 mg/l) but were sensitive to 16-membered ring macrolides and lincosamides. Resistance to type B streptogramins was inducible by erythromycin. A similar phenotype, designated MS resistance, was previously described in clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci from the USA. In the UK, MS resistance is widely distributed in coagulase-negative staphylococci but was not detected in 100 erythromycin resistant clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus. Tests for susceptibility to a further 16 antibiotics failed to reveal any other selectable marker associated with the MS phenotype. Plasmid pattern analysis of 48 MS isolates showed considerable variability between strains and no common locus for the resistance determinant. In one strain of S. epidermidis co-resistance to tetracycline, penicillin and erythromycin (MS) was associated with a 31.5 kb plasmid, pUL5050 which replicated and expressed all three resistances when transformed into S. aureus RN4220. The MS resistance determinant was localised to a 1.9 kb fragment which was cloned on to the high-copy-number vector, pSK265. A constitutive mutant of S. aureus RN4220 containing the 1.9 kb fragment remained sensitive to clindamycin. This observation, together with the concentration-dependent induction (optimum 5 mg/l of erythromycin) of virginiamycin S resistance suggests that the MS phenotype is not due to altered expression of MLS resistance determinants (erm genes) but probably occurs via a different mechanism.19892559912
450350.9990Evolution and transfer of aminoglycoside resistance genes under natural conditions. 3'-Aminoglycoside phosphotransferases [APH(3')] were chosen as a model to study the evolution and the transfer of aminoglycoside resistance genes under natural conditions. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of APH(3') enzymes from transposons Tn903 (type I) and Tn5 (type II) detected in Gram-negative bacteria, from the Gram-positive Staphylococcus and Streptococcus (type III), from the butirosin-producing Bacillus circulans (type IV) and from a neomycin-producing Streptomyces fradiae (type V) indicate that they have diverged from a common ancestor. These structural data support the hypothesis that the antibiotic-producing strains were the source of certain resistance determinants. We have shown that kanamycin resistance in Campylobacter coli BM2509 was due to the synthesis of an APH(3')-III, an enzyme not detected previously in a Gram-negative bacterium. The genes encoding APH(3')-III in Streptococcus and Campylobacter are identical. These findings constitute evidence for a recent in-vivo transfer of DNA between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.19863027020
625860.9990Alterations in GyrA and ParC associated with fluoroquinolone resistance in Enterococcus faecium. High-level quinolone resistance in Enterococcus faecium was associated with mutations in both gyrA and parC genes in 10 of 11 resistant strains. On low-level resistant strain without such mutations may instead possess an efflux mechanism or alterations in the other subunits of the gyrase or topoisomerase IV genes. These findings are similar to those for other gram-positive bacteria, such as Enterococcus faecalis.199910103206
585070.9990Gram-positive merA gene in gram-negative oral and urine bacteria. Clinical mercury resistant (Hg(r)) Gram-negative bacteria carrying Gram-positive mercury reductase (merA)-like genes were characterized using DNA-DNA hybridization, PCR and sequencing. A PCR assay was developed which discriminated between the merA genes related to Staphylococcus and those related to the Bacillus/Streptococcus merA genes by the difference in size of the PCR product. DNA sequence analysis correlated with the PCR assay. The merA genes from Acinetobacter junii, Enterobacter cloacae and Escherichia coli were sequenced and shared 98-99% identical nucleotide (nt) and 99.6-100% amino acid identity with the Staphylococcus aureus MerA protein. A fourth merA gene, from Pantoeae agglomerans, was partially sequenced (60%) and had 99% identical nt and 100% amino acid identity with the Streptococcus oralis MerA protein. All the Hg(r) Gram-negative bacteria transferred their Gram-positive merA genes to a Gram-positive Enterococcus faecalis recipient with the resulting transconjugants expressing mercury resistance. These Gram-positive merA genes join Gram-positive tetracycline resistance and Gram-positive macrolide resistance genes in their association with mobile elements which are able to transfer and express in Gram-negative bacteria.200415358427
598280.9990Genetic diversity of penicillin-binding protein 2B and 2X genes from Streptococcus pneumoniae in South Africa. Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is believed to have developed resistance to penicillin by the production of altered forms of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) that have decreased affinity for penicillin. Sixty-eight clinical isolates of serogroup 6 and 19 pneumococci (MICs, < 0.015 to 8 micrograms/ml) were randomly selected from hospitals across South Africa which are at substantial geographic distance from each other. The polymerase chain reaction was used to isolate the penicillin-binding domain of PBPs 2B and 2X from the chromosomal DNAs of the bacteria; the purified PBP DNA was digested with restriction enzymes, the fragments were end-labelled and separated on polyacrylamide gels, and the DNA fingerprints were visualized following autoradiography. Fingerprint analysis revealed that at least 19 PBP 2B gene variants occur in the serogroup 6 and 19 pneumococci. The PBP 2B gene revealed a uniform profile among penicillin-susceptible isolates, with variation from this profile occurring only in isolates for which MICs were > or = 0.06 micrograms/ml. Analysis of the PBP 2X gene revealed a greater diversity in the population with 26 variant genes, including some diversity among susceptible isolates. Discrete profiles of both genes were found only within narrow bands of the penicillin MIC, so that the gene pattern predicted the MIC. PBP 2X gene variation and the lack of variability among PBP 2B genes in pneumococci inhibited at low MICs confirm that PBP 2X alteration may be responsible for low-level penicillin resistance, while alterations in both PBP 2B and PBP 2X are required for high-level resistance. The extensive diversity of PBP genes in South African serogroup 6 and 19 strains suggests that altered PBP genes have arisen frequently in this population.19938239609
598190.9990Alterations in the DNA topoisomerase IV grlA gene responsible for quinolone resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. A 4.2-kb DNA fragment conferring quinolone resistance was cloned from a quinolone-resistant clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus and was shown to possess a part of the grlB gene and a mutated grlA gene. S-80-->F and E-84-->K mutations in the grlA gene product were responsible for the quinolone resistance. The mutated grlA genes responsible for quinolone resistance were dominant over the wild-type allele, irrespective of gene dosage in a transformation experiment with the grlA gene alone. However, dominance by mutated grlA genes depended on gene dosage when bacteria were transformed with the grlA and grlB genes in combination. Quinolone-resistant gyrA mutants were easily isolated from a strain, S. aureus RN4220, carrying a plasmid with the mutated grlA gene, though this was not the case for other S. aureus strains lacking the plasmid. The elimination of this plasmid from such quinolone-resistant gyrA mutants resulted in marked increases in quinolone susceptibility. These results suggest that both DNA gyrase and DNA topoisomerase IV may be targets of quinolones and that the quinolone susceptibility of organisms may be determined by which of these enzymes is most quinolone sensitive.19968723458
4498100.9990A naturally occurring gene amplification leading to sulfonamide and trimethoprim resistance in Streptococcus agalactiae. Gene amplifications have been detected as a transitory phenomenon in bacterial cultures. They are predicted to contribute to rapid adaptation by simultaneously increasing the expression of genes clustered on the chromosome. However, genome amplifications have rarely been described in natural isolates. Through DNA array analysis, we have identified two Streptococcus agalactiae strains carrying tandem genome amplifications: a fourfold amplification of 13.5 kb and a duplication of 92 kb. Both amplifications were located close to the terminus of replication and originated independently from any long repeated sequence. They probably arose in the human host and showed different stabilities, the 13.5-kb amplification being lost at a frequency of 0.003 per generation and the 92-kb tandem duplication at a frequency of 0.035 per generation. The 13.5-kb tandem amplification carried the five genes required for dihydrofolate biosynthesis and led to both trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfonamide (SU) resistance. Resistance to SU probably resulted from the increased synthesis of dihydropteroate synthase, the target of this antibiotic, whereas the amplification of the whole pathway was responsible for TMP resistance. This revealed a new mechanism of resistance to TMP involving an increased dihydrofolate biosynthesis. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of naturally occurring antibiotic resistance resulting from genome amplification in bacteria. The low stability of DNA segment amplifications suggests that their role in antibiotic resistance might have been underestimated.200818024520
3659110.9990Resistance to vancomycin and teicoplanin: an emerging clinical problem. Vancomycin and teicoplanin are glycopeptides active against a wide range of gram-positive bacteria. For 30 years following the discovery of vancomycin in 1956, vancomycin resistance was not detected among normally susceptible bacteria recovered from human specimens. Since 1986, however, bacteria resistant to vancomycin or teicoplanin or both have been described. Strains of the genera Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Erysipelothrix seem inherently resistant to glycopeptides. Species and strains of enterococci and coagulase-negative staphylococci appear to have acquired or developed resistance. There are at least two categories of glycopeptide resistance among enterococci, characterized by either high-level resistance to vancomycin (MIC, greater than or equal to 64 mg/liter) and teicoplanin (MIC, greater than or equal to 8 mg/liter) or lower-level vancomycin resistance (MIC, 32 to 64 mg/liter) and teicoplanin susceptibility (MIC, less than or equal to 1 mg/liter). The two categories appear to have similar resistance mechanisms, although genetic and biochemical studies indicate that they have arisen independently. Among coagulase-negative staphylococci, strains for which vancomycin MICs are up to 20 mg/liter or teicoplanin MICs are 16 to 32 mg/liter have been reported, but cross-resistance between these glycopeptides varies. The selective advantage accorded to glycopeptide-resistant bacteria and the observation that high-level resistance in enterococci is transferable suggest that such resistance may be expected to increase in incidence. Clinicians and microbiologists need to be aware of this emerging problem.19902143434
5950120.9989Epidemiological study of sulfonamide and trimethoprim resistance genes in Enterobacteriaceae. Sulfonamide (Su) and trimethoprim (Tp) resistance are known to caused by the production of drug resistant dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), respectively. Sulfonamide and trimethoprim are often used in combination under the name cotrimoxazole. Cotrimoxazole resistance in various enteric bacteria isolated at Ramathibodi Hospital was studied. The rate of resistance from 1984-1989 of many genera was rather constant at 40%-60% except in Shigella spp in which the rate increased rapidly in 1987 till 1989. Seventy-five percent of Su-Tp resistant (Sur-Tpr) bacteria were also found to be resistant to other drugs such as ampicillin, aminoglycosides, tetracycline and chloramphenicol in addition to cotrimoxazole. Two hundred and forty Su-Tp resistant strains were analysed for the presence of type I and II dihydropteroate synthase as well as type I and V dihydrofolate reductase genes by hybridization with the corresponding gene probes. Type I DHPS gene predominated in Su-Tp resistant bacteria at 60.8% whereas type II DHPS was found in only 25%. Some strains (11.7%) had both genotypes but 2.5% did not have any. In the trimethoprim resistance study, the DHFR type I gene was also found more frequently (30%) whereas type V DHFR was only 19%. The remaining of Tp resistance (51%) was unclassified. The coexistence of Su and Tp resistance genes of each type was investigated among 118 Su and Tp resistant strains. It was found that type I DHPS gene was found together with either type I or V DHFR gene and type II DHPS was found with type I DHFR gene at about the same rate (28.9%, 27.1% and 26.3%, respectively). However, the presence of type II DHPS together with type V DHFR was rather low, only 5.9% of isolates were found to have both types of genes.19902237584
4475130.9989Clindamycin resistance in anaerobic bacteria. Knowledge of the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and resistance transfer in anaerobic bacteria has been gained over the past several years. There is widespread resistance to the beta-lactam antibiotics in the B. fragilis group of organisms and there is emerging penicillin resistance in other Bacteroides species. These resistances are usually mediated by chromosomal beta-lactamases. There have been two new beta-lactamases described in Bacteroides; a penicillinase which inactivates ureidopenicillins and another that inactivates cefoxitin. The transfer of the common beta-lactamase, penicillinase, and cefoxitin resistance has been documented in B. fragilis. The mechanism of tetracycline resistance in B. fragilis is the lack of accumulation of intracellular drug; the resistance is widespread in anaerobic bacteria and is seen in two-thirds of the B. fragilis strains. The transfer of tetracycline resistance is common, however, no transfer factor has yet been isolated. Clindamycin-erythromycin resistance in Bacteroides was first recognized in the mid-1970s and transferable resistance was described in 1979. The mechanism of resistance is probably similar to macrolide-lincosamide-streptinogramin-resistance seen in aerobic bacteria. Two clindamycin resistance transfer factors, pBFTM10 and pIP410 (pBF4) have been described. A common resistance determinant found both on plasmids and chromosomes is widely distributed in nature and it probably resides on a transposon. DNA homology studies indicate that there is more than one type of clindamycin resistance in Bacteroides; a newly recognized clindamycin resistance determinant is transferable. Local outbreaks of clindamycin resistance have been noted in the United States and in Europe. The susceptibility of Bacteroides in the United States in 1983 from a multi-center study reveals a 5% incidence of resistance in B. fragilis and 1% in Bacteroides species. The rate of clindamycin resistance has remained steady over the past three years in the Bacteroides fragilis group.19846598519
5964140.9989Heat shock treatment increases the frequency of loss of an erythromycin resistance-encoding transposable element from the chromosome of Lactobacillus crispatus CHCC3692. A 3,165-bp chromosomally integrated transposon, designatedTn3692, of the gram-positive strain Lactobacillus crispatus CHCC3692 contains an erm(B) gene conferring resistance to erythromycin at concentrations of up to 250 micrograms/ml. Loss of this resistance can occur spontaneously, but the rate is substantially increased by heat shock treatment. Heat shock treatment at 60 degrees C resulted in an almost 40-fold increase in the frequency of erythromycin-sensitive cells (erythromycin MIC, 0.047 micrograms/ml). The phenotypic change was followed by a dramatic increase in transcription of the transposase gene and the concomitant loss of an approximately 2-kb DNA fragment carrying the erm(B) gene from the 3,165-bp erm transposon. In cells that were not subjected to heat shock, transcription of the transposase gene was not detectable. The upstream sequence of the transposase gene did not show any homology to known heat shock promoters in the gene data bank. Significant homology (>99%) was observed between the erythromycin resistance-encoding gene from L. crispatus CHCC3692 and the erm(B) genes from other gram-positive bacteria, such as Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecium, and Lactobacillus reuteri, which strongly indicates a common origin of the erm(B) gene for these species. The transposed DNA element was not translocated to other parts of the genome of CHCC3692, as determining by Southern blotting, PCR analysis, and DNA sequencing. No other major aberrations were observed, as judged by colony morphology, growth performance of the strain, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. These observations suggest that heat shock treatment could be used as a tool for the removal of unwanted antibiotic resistance genes harbored in transposons flanked by insertion sequence elements or transposases in lactic acid bacteria used for animal and human food production.200314660363
5983150.9989Analysis of mutational patterns in quinolone resistance-determining regions of GyrA and ParC of clinical isolates. Fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant bacteria pose a major global health threat. Unanalysed genomic data from thousands of sequenced microbes likely contain important hints regarding the evolution of FQ resistance, yet this information lies fallow. Here we analysed the co-occurrence patterns of quinolone resistance mutations in genes encoding the FQ drug targets DNA gyrase (gyrase) and topoisomerase IV (topo-IV) from 36,402 bacterial genomes, representing 10 Gram-positive and 10 Gram-negative species. For 19 species, the likeliest routes toward resistance mutations in both targets were determined, and for 5 species those mutations necessary and sufficient to predict FQ resistance were also determined. Target mutation hierarchy was fixed in all examined Gram-negative species, with gyrase being the primary and topo-IV the secondary quinolone target, as well as in six of nine Gram-positive species, with topo-IV being the primary and gyrase the secondary target. By contrast, in three Gram-positive species (Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus suis), under some conditions gyrase became the primary and topo-IV the secondary target. The path through individual resistance mutations varied by species. Both linear and branched paths were identified in Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms alike. Finally, FQ resistance could be predicted based solely on target gene quinolone resistance mutations for Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, but not Klebsiella pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These findings have important implications both for sequence-based diagnostics and for understanding the emergence of FQ resistance.201930582984
5480160.9989Small Antimicrobial Resistance Plasmids in Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398. Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) isolates of the clonal complex 398 are often resistant to a number of antimicrobial agents. Studies on the genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance in these bacteria identified SCCmec cassettes, various transposons and plasmids of different sizes that harbor antimicrobial resistance genes. While large plasmids that carry multiple antimicrobial resistance genes - occasionally together with heavy metal resistance genes and/or virulence genes - are frequently seen in LA-MRSA ST398, certain resistance genes are also associated with small plasmids of up to 15 kb in size. These small resistance plasmids usually carry only one, but in rare cases also two or three antimicrobial resistance genes. In the current review, we focus on small plasmids that carry the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance genes erm(C) or erm(T), the lincosamide resistance gene lnu(A), the pleuromutilin-lincosamide-streptogramin A resistance genes vga(A) or vga(C), the spectinomycin resistance gene spd, the apramycin resistance gene apmA, or the trimethoprim resistance gene dfrK. The detailed analysis of the structure of these plasmids allows comparisons with similar plasmids found in other staphylococci and underlines in many cases an exchange of such plasmids between LA-MRSA ST398 and other staphylococci including also coagulase-negative staphylococci.201830283407
5933170.9989Novel macrolide-resistance genes, mef(C) and mph(G), carried by plasmids from Vibrio and Photobacterium isolated from sediment and seawater of a coastal aquaculture site. The aim of this study was to determine whether mef(C) and mph(G), originally found on the transferable multi-drug plasmid pAQU1 from Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae isolated from seawater of a fish farm, are responsible for conferring macrolide resistance. Since these genes are localized head-to-tail on pAQU1 and only four nucleotides exist between them, the single- and combination-effect of these genes was examined. When mph(G) alone was introduced to Escherichia coli, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin increased, whereas introduction of mef(C) alone did not influence macrolide susceptibility. Introduction of both mef(C) and mph(G) dramatically increased the MICs to the same three macrolides, i.e. >512 μg ml(-1) , >512 μg ml(-1) and 128 μg ml(-1) respectively. These results suggest that the macrolide phosphotransferase encoded by mph(G) is essential for macrolide resistance, while the efflux pump encoded by mef(C) is required for high-level macrolide resistance. The tandem-pair arrangements of the mef(C) and mph(G) genes were conserved on plasmids ranging in size from 240 to 350 kb of the 22 erythromycin-resistant strains belonging to Vibrio and Photobacterium obtained from the fish farm. Sixteen of 22 plasmids ranged in size from 300 to 350 kb. This is the first report of novel macrolide resistance genes originating from a marine bacterium. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: In this study, mef(C) and mph(G) were found to be novel macrolide-resistance genes, and this is the first report of macrolide-resistance genes originating from a marine bacterium. These genes may be responsible for previously reported cases of the emergence of erythromycin-resistant bacteria in aquaculture sites by an unknown mechanism. The introduction of the tandem arrangement of the mef(C) and mph(G) genes in Escherichia coli increased the MICs to erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin, suggesting a novel mechanism conferring high-level macrolide resistance via combined expression of the efflux pump and macrolide phosphotransferase.201525765542
4526180.9989The tetracycline resistance gene tet(M) exhibits mosaic structure. Tetracycline resistance genes of the M class, tet(M), are typically found on mobile genetic elements as the conjugative transposons of gram-positive bacteria. By comparing the sequences of eight different tet(M) genes (from Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and Neisseria), a mosaic structure was detected which could be traced to two distinct alleles. The two alleles displayed a divergence of 8% and a different G/C content. The block structure of these genes provides evidence for the contribution of homologous recombination to the evolution and the heterogeneity of the tet(M) locus. Unlike described cases of chromosomally located mosaic loci, tet(M) is a relatively recently acquired determinant in the species examined and it would appear that mosaic structure within tet(M) has evolved after acquisition of the gene by the mobile genetic elements upon which it is located.19968812782
4477190.9989Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and their dissemination of resistance genes in the hospital environment. The dissemination of resistance determinants among bacterial populations depends on ecological and epidemiological properties as well as additional factors: 1) the mechanism of resistance or its specificity toward a certain drug, and 2) the genetic basis in relation to the mobility of the genetic material and its survival in bacteria. From two resistance mechanisms directed toward old-fashioned drugs, namely sulfonamides (Su) and streptomycin (Sm), we can deduce that a resistance mechanism is encoded by a special sort of genetic material. Thus the linked SmSu resistance mediated by a sulfonamide-resistant dihydropteroatsynthetase II and the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase APH-(3") is always located on very small pBP1-like plasmids. Such plasmids survive without selective pressure of drugs in Enterobacteriaceae in the bowel flora of humans and animals. Both resistance determinants can be mediated by a transposon which codes for the production of a dihydropteroatsynthetase I in connection with an aminoglycoside adenylyltransferase AAD-(3"). These two mechanisms are genetically linked as well. The basic structure is a transposon designated Tn2411, which belongs to a whole family of transposons, all including the basic structure; however, their genetic exchange and substitution leads to structures coding for many different enzymatic characters: ANT-(2") (Gentamicin resistance), CAT (Chloramphenicol resistance), AAC-(6') (resistance to all modern aminoglycosides), TEM-1, OXA-1, OXA-2, or PSE (beta-lactam resistance). Resistance to the modern beta-lactamase-stable antibiotics is mediated by mutation in the regulatory genes of chromosomally-determined beta-lactamases. A spread of these resistance mechanisms can be avoided as long as the responsible genes are not located on sufficient structures like small plasmids or efficient transposons.19836558024