Hypothetical protein gene 1038 contributes to colistin resistance in Aeromonas hydrophila

Inhibition of vital respiratory enzymes, such as NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I), type II NADH-quinone oxidoreductases (NDH-2), and malate: quinone oxidoreductase, in the inner membrane, is a secondary antibacterial mechanism of colistin (1–3). However, colistin resistance mechanisms associated with this secondary mode of action of colistin have rarely been reported. Herein, we confirmed that the hypothetical protein gene 1038 was associated with colistin resistance in Aeromonas hydrophila by reducing antibiotic function in the inner membrane, providing novel knowledge on the generation of colistin resistance.

Download Full-text

Various novel colistin resistance mechanisms interact to facilitate adaptation of Aeromonas hydrophila to complex colistin environments

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.00071-21 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Junqi Liu ◽

Gang Xiao ◽

Wangping Zhou ◽

Jun Yang ◽

Yang Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aeromonas Hydrophila ◽

Resistance Mechanism ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Bacterial Survival ◽

Colistin Resistance ◽

Two Component System ◽

Component System ◽

Gram Negative ◽

Two Component ◽

High Level

Aeromonas hydrophila, a heterotrophic and Gram-negative bacterium, has attracted considerable attention owing to the increasing prevalence of reported infections. Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic that can treat life-threatening infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. However, the mechanisms underlying colistin resistance in A. hydrophila remain unclear. The present study reveals four novel colistin resistance mechanisms in A. hydrophila: (i) EnvZ/OmpR upregulates the expression of the arnBCADTEF operon to mediate LPS modification by 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose; (ii) EnvZ/OmpR regulates the expression of the autotransporter gene3832 to decrease outer membrane permeability in response to colistin; (iii) deletion of envZ/ompR activates PhoP/PhoQ, which functions as a substitute two-component system to mediate the addition of phosphoethanolamine to lipid A via pmrC; and (iv) the mlaFD173A mutant confers high-level colistin resistance via upregulation of the Mla pathway. The EnvZ/OmpR two-component system-mediated resistance mechanism is the leading form of colistin resistance in A. hydrophila, which enables it to rapidly generate low- to medium-level colistin resistance. As colistin concentrations in the environment continue to rise, antibiotic resistance mediated by EnvZ/OmpR becomes insufficient to ensure bacterial survival. Consequently, A. hydrophila has developed a mlaF mutation that results in high-level colistin resistance. Our findings indicate that A. hydrophila can thrive in a complex environment through various colistin resistance mechanisms.

Download Full-text

Characterization of resistance mechanisms of Enterobacter cloacae Complex co-resistant to carbapenem and colistin

BMC Microbiology ◽

10.1186/s12866-021-02250-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shixing Liu ◽

Renchi Fang ◽

Ying Zhang ◽

Lijiang Chen ◽

Na Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lipid A ◽

Efflux Pump ◽

Resistance Mechanism ◽

Carbapenem Resistance ◽

Enterobacter Cloacae ◽

Resistance Mechanisms ◽

Colistin Resistance ◽

Carbapenem Resistant ◽

Horizontal Spread

Abstract Background The emergence of carbapenem-resistant and colistin-resistant ECC pose a huge challenge to infection control. The purpose of this study was to clarify the mechanism of the carbapenems and colistin co-resistance in Enterobacter cloacae Complex (ECC) strains. Results This study showed that the mechanisms of carbapenem resistance in this study are: 1. Generating carbapenemase (7 of 19); 2. The production of AmpC or ESBLs combined with decreased expression of out membrane protein (12 of 19). hsp60 sequence analysis suggested 10 of 19 the strains belong to colistin hetero-resistant clusters and the mechanism of colistin resistance is increasing expression of acrA in the efflux pump AcrAB-TolC alone (18 of 19) or accompanied by a decrease of affinity between colistin and outer membrane caused by the modification of lipid A (14 of 19). Moreover, an ECC strain co-harboring plasmid-mediated mcr-4.3 and blaNDM-1 has been found. Conclusions This study suggested that there is no overlap between the resistance mechanism of co-resistant ECC strains to carbapenem and colistin. However, the emergence of strain co-harboring plasmid-mediated resistance genes indicated that ECC is a potential carrier for the horizontal spread of carbapenems and colistin resistance.

Download Full-text