Epidemiological Study on Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Reveals Inverse Relationship between Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence Repertoire

β-Lactam antibiotics target penicillin-binding proteins and inhibit the synthesis of peptidoglycan, a crucial step in cell wall biosynthesis. Staphylococcus aureus acquires resistance against β-lactam antibiotics by producing a penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), encoded by the mecA gene. PBP2a participates in peptidoglycan biosynthesis and exhibits a poor affinity towards β-lactam antibiotics. The current study was performed to determine the diversity and the role of missense mutations of PBP2a in the antibiotic resistance mechanism. The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from clinical samples were identified using phenotypic and genotypic techniques. The highest frequency (60%, 18 out of 30) of MRSA was observed in wound specimens. Sequence variation analysis of the mecA gene showed four amino acid substitutions (i.e., E239K, E239R, G246E, and E447K). The E239R mutation was found to be novel. The protein-ligand docking results showed that the E239R mutation in the allosteric site of PBP2a induces conformational changes in the active site and, thus, hinders its interaction with cefoxitin. Therefore, the present report indicates that mutation in the allosteric site of PBP2a provides a more closed active site conformation than wide-type PBP2a and then causes the high-level resistance to cefoxitin.

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Antibiotic Resistance Crisis: An Update on Antagonistic Interactions between Probiotics and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Current Microbiology ◽

10.1007/s00284-021-02442-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Basavaprabhu H. Nataraj ◽

Rashmi H. Mallappa

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Methicillin Resistant ◽

Antagonistic Interactions

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ε2-Phages Are Naturally Bred and Have a Vastly Improved Host Range in Staphylococcus aureus over Wild Type Phages

Pharmaceuticals ◽

10.3390/ph14040325 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 325

Author(s):

David Sáez Moreno ◽

Zehra Visram ◽

Michele Mutti ◽

Marcela Restrepo-Córdoba ◽

Susana Hartmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Detection Limit ◽

Host Range ◽

Alternative Treatment ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Wild Type ◽

Rapid Spread ◽

Pharmaceutical Properties ◽

Human Infections

Due to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance, and the difficulties of treating biofilm-associated infections, alternative treatments for S. aureus infections are urgently needed. We tested the lytic activity of several wild type phages against a panel of 110 S. aureus strains (MRSA/MSSA) composed to reflect the prevalence of S. aureus clonal complexes in human infections. The plaquing host ranges (PHR) of the wild type phages were in the range of 51% to 60%. We also measured what we called the kinetic host range (KHR), i.e., the percentage of strains for which growth in suspension was suppressed for 24 h. The KHR of the wild type phages ranged from 2% to 49%, substantially lower than the PHRs. To improve the KHR and other key pharmaceutical properties, we bred the phages by mixing and propagating cocktails on a subset of S. aureus strains. These bred phages, which we termed evolution-squared (ε2) phages, have broader KHRs up to 64% and increased virulence compared to the ancestors. The ε2-phages with the broadest KHR have genomes intercrossed from up to three different ancestors. We composed a cocktail of three ε2-phages with an overall KHR of 92% and PHR of 96% on 110 S. aureus strains and called it PM-399. PM-399 has a lower propensity to resistance formation than the standard of care antibiotics vancomycin, rifampicin, or their combination, and no resistance was observed in laboratory settings (detection limit: 1 cell in 1011). In summary, ε2-phages and, in particular PM-399, are promising candidates for an alternative treatment of S. aureus infections.

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