Identification of Specific Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms from Routine Susceptibility Testing Results

Wastewater treatment plants are important reservoirs and sources for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance into the environment. Here, two different groups of carbapenem resistant bacteria—the potentially environmental and the potentially pathogenic—were isolated from both the wastewater influent and discharged effluent of a full-scale wastewater treatment plant and characterized by whole genome sequencing and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Among the potentially environmental isolates, there was no detection of any acquired antibiotic resistance genes, which supports the idea that their resistance mechanisms are mainly intrinsic. On the contrary, the potentially pathogenic isolates presented a broad diversity of acquired antibiotic resistance genes towards different antibiotic classes, especially β-lactams, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones. All these bacteria showed multiple β-lactamase-encoding genes, some with carbapenemase activity, such as the blaKPC-type genes found in the Enterobacteriaceae isolates. The antibiotic susceptibility testing assays performed on these isolates also revealed that all had a multi-resistance phenotype, which indicates that the acquired resistance is their major antibiotic resistance mechanism. In conclusion, the two bacterial groups have distinct resistance mechanisms, which suggest that the antibiotic resistance in the environment can be a more complex problematic than that generally assumed.

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MICROORGANISMS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE MECHANISMS – PRESENT VIEW

"Medical & pharmaceutical journal "Pulse" ◽

10.26787/nydha-2686-6838-2019-21-10-125-130 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (10) ◽

pp. 125-130

Author(s):

Пушилина А.Д. ◽

◽

Коменкова Т.С. ◽

Зайцева Е.А. ◽

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Present View

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Expanding U.S. Laboratory Capacity for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Whole-Genome Sequencing through the CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network

Journal of Clinical Microbiology ◽

10.1128/jcm.01461-19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 58 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ellen N. Kersh ◽

Cau D. Pham ◽

John R. Papp ◽

Robert Myers ◽

Richard Steece ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽

Whole Genome Sequencing ◽

Genome Sequencing ◽

Antimicrobial Susceptibility ◽

Susceptibility Testing ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Content Type ◽

Laboratory Capacity

ABSTRACT U.S. gonorrhea rates are rising, and antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (AR-Ng) is an urgent public health threat. Since implementation of nucleic acid amplification tests for N. gonorrhoeae identification, the capacity for culturing N. gonorrhoeae in the United States has declined, along with the ability to perform culture-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Yet AST is critical for detecting and monitoring AR-Ng. In 2016, the CDC established the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) to shore up the national capacity for detecting several resistance threats including N. gonorrhoeae. AR-Ng testing, a subactivity of the CDC’s AR Lab Network, is performed in a tiered network of approximately 35 local laboratories, four regional laboratories (state public health laboratories in Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington), and the CDC’s national reference laboratory. Local laboratories receive specimens from approximately 60 clinics associated with the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP), enhanced GISP (eGISP), and the program Strengthening the U.S. Response to Resistant Gonorrhea (SURRG). They isolate and ship up to 20,000 isolates to regional laboratories for culture-based agar dilution AST with seven antibiotics and for whole-genome sequencing of up to 5,000 isolates. The CDC further examines concerning isolates and monitors genetic AR markers. During 2017 and 2018, the network tested 8,214 and 8,628 N. gonorrhoeae isolates, respectively, and the CDC received 531 and 646 concerning isolates and 605 and 3,159 sequences, respectively. In summary, the AR Lab Network supported the laboratory capacity for N. gonorrhoeae AST and associated genetic marker detection, expanding preexisting notification and analysis systems for resistance detection. Continued, robust AST and genomic capacity can help inform national public health monitoring and intervention.

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Antimicrobials and Food-Related Stresses as Selective Factors for Antibiotic Resistance along the Farm to Fork Continuum

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10060671 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 671

Author(s):

Federica Giacometti ◽

Hesamaddin Shirzad-Aski ◽

Susana Ferreira

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Food Safety ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Food Processing ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Human Environment ◽

Real Risk ◽

Cross Adaptation ◽

Novel Approaches

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem and there has been growing concern associated with its widespread along the animal–human–environment interface. The farm-to-fork continuum was highlighted as a possible reservoir of AMR, and a hotspot for the emergence and spread of AMR. However, the extent of the role of non-antibiotic antimicrobials and other food-related stresses as selective factors is still in need of clarification. This review addresses the use of non-antibiotic stressors, such as antimicrobials, food-processing treatments, or even novel approaches to ensure food safety, as potential drivers for resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics. The co-selection and cross-adaptation events are covered, which may induce a decreased susceptibility of foodborne bacteria to antibiotics. Although the available studies address the complexity involved in these phenomena, further studies are needed to help better understand the real risk of using food-chain-related stressors, and possibly to allow the establishment of early warnings of potential resistance mechanisms.

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Sorting out the Superbugs: Potential of Sortase A Inhibitors among Other Antimicrobial Strategies to Tackle the Problem of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10020164 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 164 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nikita Zrelovs ◽

Viktorija Kurbatska ◽

Zhanna Rudevica ◽

Ainars Leonchiks ◽

Davids Fridmanis

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Surface Proteins ◽

Sortase A ◽

Inhibitory Compounds ◽

Alternative Means ◽

Alternative Approaches ◽

Conventional Antibiotics

Rapid spread of antibiotic resistance throughout the kingdom bacteria is inevitably bringing humanity towards the “post-antibiotic” era. The emergence of so-called “superbugs”—pathogen strains that develop resistance to multiple conventional antibiotics—is urging researchers around the globe to work on the development or perfecting of alternative means of tackling the pathogenic bacteria infections. Although various conceptually different approaches are being considered, each comes with its advantages and drawbacks. While drug-resistant pathogens are undoubtedly represented by both Gram(+) and Gram(−) bacteria, possible target spectrum across the proposed alternative approaches of tackling them is variable. Numerous anti-virulence strategies aimed at reducing the pathogenicity of target bacteria rather than eliminating them are being considered among such alternative approaches. Sortase A (SrtA) is a membrane-associated cysteine protease that catalyzes a cell wall sorting reaction by which surface proteins, including virulence factors, are anchored to the bacterial cell wall of Gram(+) bacteria. Although SrtA inhibition seems perspective among the Gram-positive pathogen-targeted antivirulence strategies, it still remains less popular than other alternatives. A decrease in virulence due to inactivation of SrtA activity has been extensively studied in Staphylococcus aureus, but it has also been demonstrated in other Gram(+) species. In this manuscript, results of past studies on the discovery of novel SrtA inhibitory compounds and evaluation of their potency were summarized and commented on. Here, we discussed the rationale behind the inhibition of SrtA, raised some concerns on the comparability of the results from different studies, and touched upon the possible resistance mechanisms as a response to implementation of such therapy in practice. The goal of this article is to encourage further studies of SrtA inhibitory compounds.

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Nitric oxide (NO) elicits aminoglycoside tolerance in Escherichia coli but antibiotic resistance gene carriage and NO sensitivity have not co-evolved

Archives of Microbiology ◽

10.1007/s00203-021-02245-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Cláudia A. Ribeiro ◽

Luke A. Rahman ◽

Louis G. Holmes ◽

Ayrianna M. Woody ◽

Calum M. Webster ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Antibiotic Susceptibility ◽

Bacterial Pathogens ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Gene ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Current Work ◽

E Coli ◽

Respiratory Inhibitor

AbstractThe spread of multidrug-resistance in Gram-negative bacterial pathogens presents a major clinical challenge, and new approaches are required to combat these organisms. Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known antimicrobial that is produced by the immune system in response to infection, and numerous studies have demonstrated that NO is a respiratory inhibitor with both bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties. However, given that loss of aerobic respiratory complexes is known to diminish antibiotic efficacy, it was hypothesised that the potent respiratory inhibitor NO would elicit similar effects. Indeed, the current work demonstrates that pre-exposure to NO-releasers elicits a > tenfold increase in IC50 for gentamicin against pathogenic E. coli (i.e. a huge decrease in lethality). It was therefore hypothesised that hyper-sensitivity to NO may have arisen in bacterial pathogens and that this trait could promote the acquisition of antibiotic-resistance mechanisms through enabling cells to persist in the presence of toxic levels of antibiotic. To test this hypothesis, genomics and microbiological approaches were used to screen a collection of E. coli clinical isolates for antibiotic susceptibility and NO tolerance, although the data did not support a correlation between increased carriage of antibiotic resistance genes and NO tolerance. However, the current work has important implications for how antibiotic susceptibility might be measured in future (i.e. ± NO) and underlines the evolutionary advantage for bacterial pathogens to maintain tolerance to toxic levels of NO.

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Antibacterial Compounds from Mushrooms: A Lead to Fight ESKAPEE Pathogenic Bacteria?

Planta Medica ◽

10.1055/a-1266-6980 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Violette Hamers ◽

Clément Huguet ◽

Mélanie Bourjot ◽

Aurélie Urbain

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Global Health ◽

Pathogenic Bacteria ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Pathogenic Microorganisms ◽

Bacterial Strains ◽

Antibacterial Compounds ◽

New Antibiotics ◽

Hospital Stays ◽

Antibacterial Potential

AbstractInfectious diseases are among the greatest threats to global health in the 21st century, and one critical concern is due to antibiotic resistance developed by an increasing number of bacterial strains. New resistance mechanisms are emerging with many infections becoming more and more difficult if not impossible to treat. This growing phenomenon not only is associated with increased mortality but also with longer hospital stays and higher medical costs. For these reasons, there is an urgent need to find new antibiotics targeting pathogenic microorganisms such as ESKAPEE bacteria. Most of currently approved antibiotics are derived from microorganisms, but higher fungi could constitute an alternative and remarkable reservoir of anti-infectious compounds. For instance, pleuromutilins constitute the first class of antibiotics derived from mushrooms. However, macromycetes still represent a largely unexplored source. Publications reporting the antibacterial potential of mushroom extracts are emerging, but few purified compounds have been evaluated for their bioactivity on pathogenic bacterial strains. Therefore, the aim of this review is to compile up-to-date data about natural products isolated from fruiting body fungi, which significantly inhibit the growth of ESKAPEE pathogenic bacteria. When available, data regarding modes of action and cytotoxicity, mandatory when considering a possible drug development, have been discussed in order to highlight the most promising compounds.

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Anaerobes: Antibiotic resistance, clinical significance, and the role of susceptibility testing

Anaerobe ◽

10.1016/j.anaerobe.2005.10.004 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 115-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

David W. Hecht

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Clinical Significance ◽

Susceptibility Testing

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Evidence of Another Anthropic Impact on Iguana delicatissima from the Lesser Antilles: The Presence of Antibiotic Resistant Enterobacteria

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10080885 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 885

Author(s):

Gustavo Di Lallo ◽

Marco Maria D’Andrea ◽

Samanta Sennati ◽

Maria Cristina Thaller ◽

Luciana Migliore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Animal Species ◽

Susceptibility Testing ◽

Acquired Resistance ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Antibiotic Resistant ◽

Associated Bacteria ◽

Improper Use ◽

Resistant Strains ◽

Drug Resistant Strains

The improper use of antibiotics by humans may promote the dissemination of resistance in wildlife. The persistence and spread of acquired antibiotic resistance and human-associated bacteria in the environment, while representing a threat to wildlife, can also be exploited as a tool to monitor the extent of human impact, particularly on endangered animal species. Hence, we investigated both the associated enterobacterial species and the presence of acquired resistance traits in the cloacal microbiota of the critically endangered lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima), by comparing two separate populations living in similar climatic conditions but exposed to different anthropic pressures. A combination of techniques, including direct plating, DNA sequencing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing allowed us to characterize the dominant enterobacterial populations, the antibiotic resistant strains and their profiles. A higher frequency of Escherichia coli was found in the samples from the more anthropized site, where multi-drug resistant strains were also isolated. These results confirm how human-associated bacteria as well as their antibiotic-resistance determinants may be transferred to wildlife, which, in turn, may act as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance.

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Black Queen Evolution and Trophic Interactions Determine Plasmid Survival after the Disruption of the Conjugation Network

mSystems ◽

10.1128/msystems.00104-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Johannes Cairns ◽

Katariina Koskinen ◽

Reetta Penttinen ◽

Tommi Patinen ◽

Anna Hartikainen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Bacterial Communities ◽

Resistance Mechanism ◽

Real Life ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Mobile Genetic Elements ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Antibiotics Resistance ◽

Bacterial Populations ◽

Genetic Elements

ABSTRACTMobile genetic elements such as conjugative plasmids are responsible for antibiotic resistance phenotypes in many bacterial pathogens. The ability to conjugate, the presence of antibiotics, and ecological interactions all have a notable role in the persistence of plasmids in bacterial populations. Here, we set out to investigate the contribution of these factors when the conjugation network was disturbed by a plasmid-dependent bacteriophage. Phage alone effectively caused the population to lose plasmids, thus rendering them susceptible to antibiotics. Leakiness of the antibiotic resistance mechanism allowing Black Queen evolution (i.e. a “race to the bottom”) was a more significant factor than the antibiotic concentration (lethal vs sublethal) in determining plasmid prevalence. Interestingly, plasmid loss was also prevented by protozoan predation. These results show that outcomes of attempts to resensitize bacterial communities by disrupting the conjugation network are highly dependent on ecological factors and resistance mechanisms.IMPORTANCEBacterial antibiotic resistance is often a part of mobile genetic elements that move from one bacterium to another. By interfering with the horizontal movement and the maintenance of these elements, it is possible to remove the resistance from the population. Here, we show that a so-called plasmid-dependent bacteriophage causes the initially resistant bacterial population to become susceptible to antibiotics. However, this effect is efficiently countered when the system also contains a predator that feeds on bacteria. Moreover, when the environment contains antibiotics, the survival of resistance is dependent on the resistance mechanism. When bacteria can help their contemporaries to degrade antibiotics, resistance is maintained by only a fraction of the community. On the other hand, when bacteria cannot help others, then all bacteria remain resistant. The concentration of the antibiotic played a less notable role than the antibiotic used. This report shows that the survival of antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities represents a complex process where many factors present in real-life systems define whether or not resistance is actually lost.

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