scholarly journals Impact of recA on Levofloxacin Exposure-Related Resistance Development

2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 4262-4268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renu Singh ◽  
Kimberly R. Ledesma ◽  
Kai-Tai Chang ◽  
Vincent H. Tam

ABSTRACT Genetic mutations are one of the major mechanisms by which bacteria acquire drug resistance. One of the known mechanisms for inducing mutations is the SOS response system. We investigated the effect of disrupting recA, an inducer of the SOS response, on resistance development using an in vitro hollow-fiber infection model. A clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolate and a laboratory wild-type strain of Escherichia coli were compared to their respective recA-deleted isogenic daughter isolates. Approximately 2 × 105 CFU/ml of bacteria were subjected to escalating levofloxacin exposures for up to 120 h. Serial samples were obtained to ascertain simulated drug exposures and total and resistant bacterial burdens. Quinolone resistance determining regions of gyrA and grlA (parC for E. coli) in levofloxacin-resistant isolates were sequenced to confirm the mechanism of resistance. The preexposure MICs of the recA-deleted isolates were 4-fold lower than those of their respective parents. In S. aureus, a lower area under the concentration-time curve over 24 h at steady state divided by the MIC (AUC/MIC) was required to suppress resistance development in the recA-deleted mutant (an AUC/MIC of >23 versus an AUC/MIC of >32 was necessary in the mutant versus the parent isolate, respectively), and a prominent difference in the total bacterial burden was observed at 72 h. Using an AUC/MIC of approximately 30, E. coli resistance emergence was delayed by 24 h in the recA-deleted mutant. Diverse mutations in gyrA were found in levofloxacin-resistant isolates recovered. Disruption of recA provided additional benefits apart from MIC reduction, attesting to its potential role for pharmacologic intervention. The clinical relevance of our findings warrants further investigations.

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (17) ◽  
pp. 5187-5197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Sperandio ◽  
Alfredo G. Torres ◽  
Jorge A. Girón ◽  
James B. Kaper

ABSTRACT Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is responsible for outbreaks of bloody diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in many countries. EHEC virulence mechanisms include the production of Shiga toxins (Stx) and formation of attaching and effacing (AE) lesions on intestinal epithelial cells. We recently reported that genes involved in the formation of the AE lesion were regulated by quorum sensing through autoinducer-2, which is synthesized by the product of the luxS gene. In this study we hybridized an E. coli gene array with cDNA synthesized from RNA that was extracted from EHEC strain 86-24 and its isogenicluxS mutant. We observed that 404 genes were regulated by luxS at least fivefold, which comprises approximately 10% of the array genes; 235 of these genes were up-regulated and 169 were down-regulated in the wild-type strain compared to in theluxS mutant. Down-regulated genes included several involved in cell division, as well as ribosomal and tRNA genes. Consistent with this pattern of gene expression, theluxS mutant grows faster than the wild-type strain (generation times of 37.5 and 60 min, respectively, in Dulbecco modified Eagle medium). Up-regulated genes included several involved in the expression and assembly of flagella, motility, and chemotaxis. Using operon::lacZ fusions to class I, II, and III flagellar genes, we were able to confirm this transcriptional regulation. We also observed fewer flagella by Western blotting and electron microscopy and decreased motility halos in semisolid agar in the luxS mutant. The average swimming speeds for the wild-type strain and the luxS mutant are 12.5 and 6.6 μm/s, respectively. We also observed an increase in the production of Stx due to quorum sensing. Genes encoding Stx, which are transcribed along with λ-like phage genes, are induced by an SOS response, and genes involved in the SOS response were also regulated by quorum sensing. These results indicate that quorum sensing is a global regulatory mechanism for basic physiological functions of E. coli as well as for virulence factors.


2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 445-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Criswell ◽  
Virginia L. Tobiason ◽  
J. Stephen Lodmell ◽  
D. Scott Samuels

ABSTRACT We have isolated and characterized in vitro mutants of the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi that are resistant to spectinomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, or streptomycin, antibiotics that target the small subunit of the ribosome. 16S rRNA mutations A1185G and C1186U, homologous to Escherichia coli nucleotides A1191 and C1192, conferred >2,200-fold and 1,300-fold resistance to spectinomycin, respectively. A 16S rRNA A1402G mutation, homologous to E. coli A1408, conferred >90-fold resistance to kanamycin and >240-fold resistance to gentamicin. Two mutations were identified in the gene for ribosomal protein S12, at a site homologous to E. coli residue Lys-87, in mutants selected in streptomycin. Substitutions at codon 88, K88R and K88E, conferred 7-fold resistance and 10-fold resistance, respectively, to streptomycin on B. burgdorferi. The 16S rRNA A1185G and C1186U mutations, associated with spectinomycin resistance, appeared in a population of B. burgdorferi parental strain B31 at a high frequency of 6 × 10−6. These spectinomycin-resistant mutants successfully competed with the wild-type strain during 100 generations of coculture in vitro. The aminoglycoside-resistant mutants appeared at a frequency of 3 × 10−9 to 1 ×10−7 in a population and were unable to compete with wild-type strain B31 after 100 generations. This is the first description of mutations in the B. burgdorferi ribosome that confer resistance to antibiotics. These results have implications for the evolution of antibiotic resistance, because the 16S rRNA mutations conferring spectinomycin resistance have no significant fitness cost in vitro, and for the development of new selectable markers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 1671-1677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dora E. Wiskirchen ◽  
Patrice Nordmann ◽  
Jared L. Crandon ◽  
David P. Nicolau

ABSTRACTDoripenem and ertapenem have demonstrated efficacy against several NDM-1-producing isolatesin vivo, despite having high MICs. In this study, we sought to further characterize the efficacy profiles of humanized regimens of standard (500 mg given every 8 h) and high-dose, prolonged infusion of doripenem (2 g given every 8 h, 4-h infusion) and 1 g of ertapenem given intravenously every 24 h and the comparator regimens of ceftazidime at 2 g given every 8 h (2-h infusion), levofloxacin at 500 mg every 24 h, and aztreonam at 2 g every 6 h (1-h infusion) against a wider range of isolates in a murine thigh infection model. An isogenic wild-type strain and NDM-1-producingKlebsiella pneumoniaeand eight clinical NDM-1-producing members of the familyEnterobacteriaceaewere tested in immunocompetent- and neutropenic-mouse models. The wild-type strain was susceptible to all of the agents, while the isogenic NDM-1-producing strain was resistant to ceftazidime, doripenem, and ertapenem. Clinical NDM-1-producing strains were resistant to nearly all five of the agents (two were susceptible to levofloxacin). In immunocompetent mice, all of the agents produced ≥1-log10CFU reductions of the isogenic wild-type and NDM-1-producing strains after 24 h. Minimal efficacy of ceftazidime, aztreonam, and levofloxacin against the clinical NDM-1-producing strains was observed. However, despitein vitroresistance, ≥1-log10CFU reductions of six of eight clinical strains were achieved with high-dose, prolonged infusion of doripenem and ertapenem. Slight enhancements of doripenem activity over the standard doses were obtained with high-dose, prolonged infusion for three of the four isolates tested. Similar efficacy observations were noted in neutropenic mice. These data suggest that carbapenems are a viable treatment option for infections caused by NDM-1-producingEnterobacteriaceae.


2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (S2) ◽  
pp. 860-861
Author(s):  
S. G. Wolf ◽  
S. Levin-Zaidman ◽  
D. Frenkiel-Krispin ◽  
E. Shimoni ◽  
I. Sabanay ◽  
...  

The inducible SOS response increases the ability of bacteria to cope with DNA damage through various DNA repair processes in which the RecA protein plays a central role. We find that induction of the SOS system in wild-type E. coli bacteria results in fast and massive intracellular coaggregation of RecA and DNA into lateral assemblies, which comprise substantial portions of both the cellular RecA and the DNA complement. The structural features of the coaggregates and their relation to in-vitro RecA-DNA are consistent with the possibility that the intracellular assemblies represent a functional entity in which RecA-mediated DNA repair and protection activities occur.Bacterial chromatin is demarcated in electron micrographs of metabolically active cells as amorphous ribosome-free spaces that are irregularly spread over the cytoplasm (Fig. A). Wild-type E. coli cells exposed to DNA-damaging agents that induce the SOS response reveal a strikingly different morphology (Fig. B).


Microbiology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 160 (9) ◽  
pp. 1964-1973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suelen B. Costa ◽  
Ana Carolina C. Campos ◽  
Ana Claudia M. Pereira ◽  
Ana Luiza de Mattos-Guaraldi ◽  
Raphael Hirata Júnior ◽  
...  

During the colonization of surfaces, Escherichia coli bacteria often encounter DNA-damaging agents and these agents can induce several defence mechanisms. Base excision repair (BER) is dedicated to the repair of oxidative DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by chemical and physical agents or by metabolism. In this work, we have evaluated whether the interaction with an abiotic surface by mutants derived from E. coli K-12 deficient in some enzymes that are part of BER causes DNA damage and associated filamentation. Moreover, we studied the role of endonuclease V (nfi gene; 1506 mutant strain) in biofilm formation. Endonuclease V is an enzyme that is involved in DNA repair of nitrosative lesions. We verified that endonuclease V is involved in biofilm formation. Our results showed more filamentation in the xthA mutant (BW9091) and triple xthA nfo nth mutant (BW535) than in the wild-type strain (AB1157). By contrast, the mutant nfi did not present filamentation in biofilm, although its wild-type strain (1466) showed rare filaments in biofilm. The filamentation of bacterial cells attaching to a surface was a consequence of SOS induction measured by the SOS chromotest. However, biofilm formation depended on the ability of the bacteria to induce the SOS response since the mutant lexA Ind− did not induce the SOS response and did not form any biofilm. Oxygen tension was an important factor for the interaction of the BER mutants, since these mutants exhibited decreased quantitative adherence under anaerobic conditions. However, our results showed that the presence or absence of oxygen did not affect the viability of BW9091 and BW535 strains. The nfi mutant and its wild-type did not exhibit decreased biofilm formation under anaerobic conditions. Scanning electron microscopy was also performed on the E. coli K-12 strains that had adhered to the glass, and we observed the presence of a structure similar to an extracellular matrix that depended on the oxygen tension. In conclusion, it was proven that bacterial interaction with abiotic surfaces can lead to SOS induction and associated filamentation. Moreover, we verified that endonuclease V is involved in biofilm formation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (11) ◽  
pp. 4891-4897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelina Papaioannou ◽  
Mariana Wahjudi ◽  
Pol Nadal-Jimenez ◽  
Gudrun Koch ◽  
Rita Setroikromo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 gene pvdQ encodes an acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) acylase capable of degrading N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone by cleaving the AHL amide. PvdQ has been proven to function as a quorum quencher in vitro in a number of phenotypic assays. To address the question of whether PvdQ also shows quorum-quenching properties in vivo, an infection model based on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was explored. In a fast-acting paralysis assay, strain PAO1(pMEpvdQ), which overproduces PvdQ, was shown to be less virulent than the wild-type strain. More than 75% of the nematodes exposed to PAO1(pMEpvdQ) survived and continued to grow when using this strain as a food source. Interestingly, in a slow-killing assay monitoring the survival of the nematodes throughout a 4-day course, strain PAO1-ΔpvdQ was shown to be more virulent than the wild-type strain, confirming the role of PvdQ as a virulence-reducing agent. It was observed that larval stage 1 (L1) to L3-stage larvae benefit much more from protection by PvdQ than L4 worms. Finally, purified PvdQ protein was added to C. elegans worms infected with wild-type PAO1, and this resulted in reduced pathogenicity and increased the life span of the nematodes. From our observations we can conclude that PvdQ might be a strong candidate for antibacterial therapy against Pseudomonas infections.


2012 ◽  
Vol 287 (42) ◽  
pp. 35747-35755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanmay Dutta ◽  
Arun Malhotra ◽  
Murray P. Deutscher
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Phage T4 ◽  
A Cell ◽  

Escherichia coli RNase BN, a member of the RNase Z family of endoribonucleases, differs from other family members in that it also can act as an exoribonuclease in vitro. Here, we examine whether this activity of RNase BN also functions in vivo. Comparison of the x-ray structure of RNase BN with that of Bacillus subtilis RNase Z, which lacks exoribonuclease activity, revealed that RNase BN has a narrower and more rigid channel downstream of the catalytic site. We hypothesized that this difference in the putative RNA exit channel might be responsible for the acquisition of exoribonuclease activity by RNase BN. Accordingly, we generated several mutant RNase BN proteins in which residues within a loop in this channel were converted to the corresponding residues present in B. subtilis RNase Z, thus widening the channel and increasing its flexibility. The resulting mutant RNase BN proteins had reduced or were essentially devoid of exoribonuclease activity in vitro. Substitution of one mutant rbn gene (P142G) for wild type rbn in the E. coli chromosome revealed that the exoribonuclease activity of RNase BN is not required for maturation of phage T4 tRNA precursors, a known specific function of this RNase. On the other hand, removal of the exoribonuclease activity of RNase BN in a cell lacking other processing RNases leads to slower growth and affects maturation of multiple tRNA precursors. These findings help explain how RNase BN can act as both an exo- and an endoribonuclease and also demonstrate that its exoribonuclease activity is capable of functioning in vivo, thus widening the potential role of this enzyme in E. coli.


2007 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 1315-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry L. LaPlante ◽  
Michael J. Rybak ◽  
Brian Tsuji ◽  
Thomas P. Lodise ◽  
Glenn W. Kaatz

ABSTRACT The potential for resistance development in Streptococcus pneumoniae secondary to exposure to gatifloxacin, gemifloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin at various levels was examined at high inoculum (108.5 to 109 log10 CFU/ml) over 96 h in an in vitro pharmacodynamic (PD) model using two fluoroquinolone-susceptible isolates. The pharmacokinetics of each drug was simulated to provide a range of free areas under the concentration-time curves (fAUC) that correlated with various fluoroquinolone doses. Potential first (parC and parE)- and second-step (gyrA and gyrB) mutations in isolates with raised MICs were identified by sequence analysis. PD models simulating fAUC/MICs of 51 and ≤60, 34 and 37, ≤82 and ≤86, and ≤24 for gatifloxacin, gemifloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin, respectively, against each isolate were associated with first-step parC (S52G, S79Y, and N91D) and second-step gyrA (S81Y and S114G) mutations. For each fluoroquinolone a delay of first- and second-step mutations was observed with increasingly higher fAUC/MIC ratios and recovery of topoisomerase mutations in S. pneumoniae was related to the fAUC/MIC exposure. Clinical doses of gatifloxacin, gemifloxacin, and moxifloxacin exceeded the fAUC/MIC resistance breakpoint against wild-type S. pneumoniae, whereas those of levofloxacin (500 and 750 mg) were associated with first- and second-step mutations. The exposure breakpoints for levofloxacin were significantly different (P < 0.001) from those of the newer fluoroquinolones gatifloxacin, gemifloxacin, and moxifloxacin. Additionally, moxifloxacin breakpoints were significantly lower (P < 0.002) than those of gatifloxacin. The order of resistance development determined from fAUC/MIC breakpoints was levofloxacin > gatifloxacin > moxifloxacin = gemifloxacin, which may be related to structural differences within the class.


2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (23) ◽  
pp. 3658-3665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Hu ◽  
Brittany N. Ross ◽  
Roberto J. Cieza ◽  
Alfredo G. Torres

ABSTRACTEnteropathogenicEscherichia coli(EPEC) is a human pathogen that requires initial adhesion to the intestine in order to cause disease. Multiple adhesion factors have been identified inE. colistrains, among them the long polar fimbriae (Lpf), a colonization factor associated with intestinal adhesion. The conditions of Lpf expression are well understood in enterohemorrhagicE. coli(EHEC); however, the expression of EPEClpfhas been found to be repressed under anyin vitrocondition tested. Therefore, we decided to identify those factors silencing expression of EPEClpf. Because histone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS) is a known repressor of EHEClpf, we tested it and found that H-NS is a repressor of EPEClpf. We also found that the adhesion of the EPEC Δhnsstrain was significantly enhanced compared to the wild-type strain. Becauselpfexpression was modestly increased in thehnsmutant, transposon mutagenesis was performed to find a strain displaying higherlpfexpression than EPEC Δhns. One Tn5insertion was identified within theyhjXgene, and furtherin vitrocharacterization revealed increasedlpfexpression and adhesion to Caco-2 cells compared with EPEC Δhns. However, in a murine model of intestinal infection, the EPEC Δhnsand EPEC ΔhnsTn5mutants had only a slight change in colonization pattern compared to the wild-type strain. Our data showed that EPEC Lpf is transcribed, but its role in EPEC intestinal colonization requires further analysis.IMPORTANCEData are presented demonstrating that the long polar fimbriae (lpf) operon in enteropathogenicE. coli(EPEC) is highly regulated; however, derepression occurs by mutagenizing two proteins associated with its control. The study demonstrates that the EPEClpfoperon can be expressed and, therefore, participates in the EPEC adherence phenotype.


2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 685-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth D. Hermsen ◽  
Laurie B. Hovde ◽  
Kelly A. Sprandel ◽  
Keith A. Rodvold ◽  
John C. Rotschafer

ABSTRACT Moxifloxacin has been suggested as an option for monotherapy of intra-abdominal infections. Recent data support the use of a once-daily metronidazole regimen. The purpose of this study was to investigate the activity of levofloxacin (750 mg every 24 h [q24h]) plus metronidazole (1,500 mg q24h) compared with that of moxifloxacin (400 mg q24h) monotherapy in a mixed-infection model. By using an in vitro pharmacodynamic model in duplicate, Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis were exposed to peak concentrations of 8.5 mg of levofloxacin/liter q24h, 32 mg of metronidazole/liter q24h, and 2 mg for moxifloxacin/liter q24h for 24 h. The activities of levofloxacin, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, and levofloxacin plus metronidazole were evaluated against E. coli, B. fragilis, and E. coli plus B. fragilis. The targeted half-lives of levofloxacin, metronidazole, and moxifloxacin were 8, 8, and 12 h, respectively. Time-kill curves were analyzed for time to 3-log killing, slope, and regrowth. Pre- and postexposure MICs were determined. The preexposure levofloxacin, metronidazole, and moxifloxacin MICs for E. coli and B. fragilis were 0.5 and 1, >64 and 0.5, and 1 and 0.25 mg/liter, respectively. Levofloxacin and moxifloxacin achieved a 3-log killing against E. coli and B. fragilis in all experiments, as did metronidazole against B. fragilis. Metronidazole did not decrease the starting inoculum of E. coli. The area under the concentration-time curve/MIC ratios for E. coli and B. fragilis were 171.7 and 85.9, respectively, for levofloxacin and 26 and 103.9, respectively, for moxifloxacin. Levofloxacin plus metronidazole exhibited the fastest rates of killing. The levofloxacin and moxifloxacin MICs for B. fragilis increased 8- to 16-fold after the organism was exposed to moxifloxacin. No other changes in the postexposure MICs were found. Levofloxacin plus metronidazole administered once daily exhibited activity similar to that of moxifloxacin against the mixed E. coli and B. fragilis infection. A once-daily regimen of levofloxacin plus metronidazole looks promising for the treatment of intra-abdominal infections.


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