scholarly journals Investigation of Multiple Resistance Mechanisms in Voriconazole-Resistant Aspergillus flavus Clinical Isolates from a Chest Hospital Surveillance in Delhi, India

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheshta Sharma ◽  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Nitin Kumar ◽  
Aradhana Masih ◽  
Dinesh Gupta ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Invasive and allergic infections by Aspergillus flavus are more common in tropical and subtropical countries. The emergence of voriconazole (VRC) resistance in A. flavus impacts the management of aspergillosis, as azoles are used as the first-line and empirical therapy. We screened 120 molecularly confirmed A. flavus isolates obtained from respiratory and sinonasal specimens in a chest hospital in Delhi, India, for azole resistance using the CLSI broth microdilution (CLSI-BMD) method. Overall, 2.5% ( n = 3/120) of A. flavus isolates had VRC MICs above epidemiological cutoff values (>1 μg/ml). The whole-genome sequence analysis of three non-wild-type (WT) A. flavus isolates with high VRC MICs showed polymorphisms in azole target genes ( cyp51A , cyp51B , and cyp51C ). Further, four novel substitutions (S196F, A324P, N423D, and V465M) encoded in the cyp51C gene were found in a single non-WT isolate which also exhibited overexpression of cyp51 ( cyp51A , - B , and - C ) genes and transporter genes, namely, MDR1 , MDR2 , atrF , and mfs1 . The homology model of the non-WT isolate suggests that substitutions S196F and N423D exhibited major structural and functional effects on cyp51C drug binding. The substrate (drug) may not be able to bind to binding pocket due to changes in the pocket size or closing down or narrowing of cavities in drug entry channels. Notably, the remaining two VRC-resistant A. flavus isolates, including the one which had a pan-azole resistance phenotype (itraconazole and posaconazole), did not show upregulation of any of the analyzed target genes. These results suggest that multiple target genes and mechanisms could simultaneously contribute to azole resistance in A. flavus .

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Satlin ◽  
Liang Chen ◽  
Gopi Patel ◽  
Angela Gomez-Simmonds ◽  
Gregory Weston ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Although the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) area is an epicenter for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), there are few multicenter studies of CRE from this region. We characterized patients with CRE bacteremia in 2013 at eight NY/NJ medical centers and determined the prevalence of carbapenem resistance among Enterobacteriaceae bloodstream isolates and CRE resistance mechanisms, genetic backgrounds, capsular types (cps), and antimicrobial susceptibilities. Of 121 patients with CRE bacteremia, 50% had cancer or had undergone transplantation. The prevalences of carbapenem resistance among Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter spp., and Escherichia coli bacteremias were 9.7%, 2.2%, and 0.1%, respectively. Ninety percent of CRE were K. pneumoniae and 92% produced K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC-3, 48%; KPC-2, 44%). Two CRE produced NDM-1 and OXA-48 carbapenemases. Sequence type 258 (ST258) predominated among KPC-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp). The wzi154 allele, corresponding to cps-2, was present in 93% of KPC-3-Kp, whereas KPC-2-Kp had greater cps diversity. Ninety-nine percent of CRE were ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI)-susceptible, although 42% of KPC-3-Kp had an CAZ-AVI MIC of ≥4/4 μg/ml. There was a median of 47 h from bacteremia onset until active antimicrobial therapy, 38% of patients had septic shock, and 49% died within 30 days. KPC-3-Kp bacteremia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.58; P = 0.045), cancer (aOR, 3.61, P = 0.01), and bacteremia onset in the intensive care unit (aOR, 3.79; P = 0.03) were independently associated with mortality. Active empirical therapy and combination therapy were not associated with survival. Despite a decade of experience with CRE, patients with CRE bacteremia have protracted delays in appropriate therapies and high mortality rates, highlighting the need for rapid diagnostics and evaluation of new therapeutics.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raees A. Paul ◽  
Shivaprakash M. Rudramurthy ◽  
Manpreet Dhaliwal ◽  
Pankaj Singh ◽  
Anup K. Ghosh ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The magnitude of azole resistance in Aspergillus flavus and its underlying mechanism is obscure. We evaluated the frequency of azole resistance in a collection of clinical (n = 121) and environmental isolates (n = 68) of A. flavus by the broth microdilution method. Six (5%) clinical isolates displayed voriconazole MIC greater than the epidemiological cutoff value. Two of these isolates with non-wild-type MIC were isolated from same patient and were genetically distinct, which was confirmed by amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis. Mutations associated with azole resistance were not present in the lanosterol 14-α demethylase coding genes (cyp51A, cyp51B, and cyp51C). Basal and voriconazole-induced expression of cyp51A homologs and various efflux pump genes was analyzed in three each of non-wild-type and wild-type isolates. All of the efflux pump genes screened showed low basal expression irrespective of the azole susceptibility of the isolate. However, the non-wild-type isolates demonstrated heterogeneous overexpression of many efflux pumps and the target enzyme coding genes in response to induction with voriconazole (1 μg/ml). The most distinctive observation was approximately 8- to 9-fold voriconazole-induced overexpression of an ortholog of the Candida albicans ATP binding cassette (ABC) multidrug efflux transporter, Cdr1, in two non-wild-type isolates compared to those in the reference strain A. flavus ATCC 204304 and other wild-type strains. Although the dominant marker of azole resistance in A. flavus is still elusive, the current study proposes the possible role of multidrug efflux pumps, especially that of Cdr1B overexpression, in contributing azole resistance in A. flavus.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 6615-6619 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Paul ◽  
S. M. Rudramurthy ◽  
J. F. Meis ◽  
J. W. Mouton ◽  
A. Chakrabarti

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to explore any mutation in theCYP51gene conferring azole resistance inAspergillus flavus. Two voriconazole-resistant and 45 voriconazole-susceptible isolates were included in the study. Sequence analysis demonstrated a T1025C nucleotide change inCYP51C, resulting in the Y319H amino acid substitution in one resistant isolate. However, the earlier described T788G mutation inCYP51Cconferring voriconazole resistance inA. flavusisolates was present in all isolates, irrespective of their susceptibility status.


mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin Ho-Fung Lau ◽  
Daniel Hughes ◽  
Keith Poole

ABSTRACTThe resistance-nodulation-division (RND) family multidrug efflux system MexXY-OprM is a major determinant of aminoglycoside resistance inPseudomonas aeruginosa, although the details of aminoglycoside recognition and export by MexY, the substrate-binding RND component of this efflux system, have not been elucidated. To identify regions/residues of MexY important for aminoglycoside resistance, plasmid-bornemexYwas mutagenized and mutations that impaired MexY-promoted aminoglycoside (streptomycin) resistance were identified in a ΔmexYstrain ofP. aeruginosa. Sixty-one streptomycin-sensitivemexYmutants were recovered; among these, 7 unique mutations that yielded wild-type levels of MexY expression were identified. These mutations compromised resistance to additional aminoglycosides and to other antimicrobials and occurred in both the transmembrane and periplasmic regions of the protein. Mapping of the mutated residues onto a 3-dimensional structure of MexY modeled onEscherichia coliAcrB revealed that these tended to occur in regions implicated in general pump operation (transmembrane domain) and MexY trimer assembly (docking domain) and, thus, did not provide insights into aminoglycoside recognition. A region corresponding to a proximal binding pocket connected to a periplasm-linked cleft, part of a drug export pathway of AcrB, was identified in MexY and proposed to play a role in aminoglycoside recognition. To test this, selected residues (K79, D133, and Y613) within this pocket were mutagenized and the impact on aminoglycoside resistance was assessed. Mutations of D133 and Y613 compromised aminoglycoside resistance, while, surprisingly, the K79 mutation enhanced aminoglycoside resistance, confirming a role for this putative proximal binding pocket in aminoglycoside recognition and export.IMPORTANCEBacterial RND pumps do not typically accommodate highly hydrophilic agents such as aminoglycosides, and it is unclear how those, such as MexY, which accommodate these unique substrates, do so. The results presented here indicate that aminoglycosides are likely not captured and exported by this RND pump component in a unique manner but rather utilize a previously defined export pathway that involves a proximal drug-binding pocket that is also implicated in the export of nonaminoglycosides. The observation, too, that a mutation in this pocket enhances MexY-mediated aminoglycoside resistance (K79A), an indication that it is not optimally designed to accommodate these agents, lends further support to earlier proposals that antimicrobials are not the intended pump substrates.


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenzhu Dong ◽  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Shu’an Wen ◽  
Wei Jing ◽  
Jin Shi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In this study, we aimed to assess the in vitro susceptibility to GSK656 among multiple mycobacterial species and to investigate the correlation between leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS) sequence variations and in vitro susceptibility to GSK656 among mycobacterial species. A total of 187 mycobacterial isolates, comprising 105 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates and 82 nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) isolates, were randomly selected for the determination of in vitro susceptibility. For M. tuberculosis, 102 of 105 isolates had MICs of ≤0.5 mg/liter, demonstrating a MIC50 of 0.063 mg/liter and a MIC90 of 0.25 mg/liter. An epidemiological cutoff value of 0.5 mg/liter was proposed for identification of GSK656-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. For NTM, the MIC50 and MIC90 values were >8.0 mg/liter for both Mycobacterium intracellulare and Mycobacterium avium. In contrast, all Mycobacterium abscessus isolates had MICs of ≤0.25 mg/liter, yielding a MIC90 of 0.063 mg/liter. LeuRS from M. abscessus showed greater sequence similarity to M. tuberculosis LeuRS than to LeuRSs from M. avium and M. intracellulare. Sequence alignment revealed 28 residues differing between LeuRSs from M. avium and M. intracellulare and LeuRSs from M. tuberculosis and M. abscessus; among them, 15 residues were in the drug binding domain. Structure modeling revealed that several different residues were close to the tRNA-LeuRS interface or the entrance of the drug-tRNA binding pocket. In conclusion, our data demonstrate significant species diversity in in vitro susceptibility to GSK656 among various mycobacterial species. GSK656 has potent efficacy against M. tuberculosis and M. abscessus, whereas inherent resistance was noted for M. intracellulare and M. avium.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 5878-5884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Chen ◽  
Zhongyi Lu ◽  
Jingjun Zhao ◽  
Ziying Zou ◽  
Yanwen Gong ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAzole resistance inAspergillus fumigatushas emerged as a worldwide public health problem. We sought here to demonstrate the occurrence and characteristics of azole resistance inA. fumigatusfrom different parts of China. A total of 317 clinical and 144 environmentalA. fumigatusisolates from 12 provinces were collected and subjected to screening for azole resistance. Antifungal susceptibility,cyp51Agene sequencing, and genotyping were carried out for all suspected azole-resistant isolates and a subset of azole-susceptible isolates. As a result, 8 (2.5%) clinical and 2 (1.4%) environmentalA. fumigatusisolates were identified as azole resistant. Five azole-resistant strains exhibit the TR34/L98H mutation, whereas four carry the TR34/L98H/S297T/F495I mutation in thecyp51Agene. Genetic typing and phylogenetic analysis showed that there was a worldwide clonal expansion of the TR34/L98H isolates, while the TR34/L98H/S297T/F495I isolates from China harbored a distinct genetic background with resistant isolates from other countries. High polymorphisms existed in thecyp51Agene that produced amino acid changes among azole-susceptibleA. fumigatusisolates, with N248K being the most common mutation. These data suggest that the wide distribution of azole-resistantA. fumigatusmight be attributed to the environmental resistance mechanisms in China.


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian C. Monk ◽  
Mikhail V. Keniya ◽  
Manya Sabherwal ◽  
Rajni K. Wilson ◽  
Danyon O. Graham ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTTetrazole antifungals designed to target fungal lanosterol 14α-demethylase (LDM) appear to be effective against a range of fungal pathogens. In addition, a crystal structure of the catalytic domain ofCandida albicansLDM in complex with the tetrazole VT-1161 has been obtained. We have addressed concern about artifacts that might arise from crystallizing VT-1161 with truncated recombinant CYP51s and measured the impact on VT-1161 susceptibility of genotypes known to confer azole resistance. A yeast system was used to overexpress recombinant full-lengthSaccharomyces cerevisiaeLDM with a C-terminal hexahistidine tag (ScLDM6×His) for phenotypic analysis and crystallographic studies with VT-1161 or with the widely used triazole drug posaconazole (PCZ). We determined the effect of characterized mutations in LDM on VT-1161 activity and identified drug efflux pumps from fungi, including key fungal pathogens, that efflux VT-1161. The relevance of these yeast-based observations on drug efflux was verified using clinical isolates ofC. albicansandCandida glabrata. VT-1161 binding elicits a significant conformational difference between the full-length and truncated enzymes not found when posaconazole is bound. Susceptibility to VT-1161 is reduced by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) and major facilitator superfamily (MFS) drug efflux pumps, the overexpression of LDM, and mutations within the drug binding pocket of LDM that affect interaction with the tertiary alcohol of the drug.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 3653-3661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Ji Choi ◽  
Eun Jeong Won ◽  
Jong Hee Shin ◽  
Soo Hyun Kim ◽  
Wee-Gyo Lee ◽  
...  

We investigated the azole resistance mechanisms and clinical features of fluconazole-nonsusceptible (FNS) isolates ofCandida tropicalisrecovered from Korean surveillance cultures in comparison with fluconazole-less-susceptible (FLS) isolates. Thirty-five clinical isolates ofC. tropicalis, comprising 9 FNS (fluconazole MIC, 4 to 64 μg/ml), 12 FLS (MIC, 1 to 2 μg/ml), and 14 control (MIC, 0.125 to 0.5 μg/ml) isolates, were assessed.CDR1,MDR1, andERG11expression was quantified, and theERG11andUPC2genes were sequenced. Clinical features of 16 patients with FNS or FLS bloodstream isolates were analyzed. Both FNS and FLS isolates had >10-fold higher mean expression levels ofCDR1,MDR1, andERG11genes than control isolates (Pvalues of <0.02 for all). When FNS and FLS isolates were compared, FNS isolates had 3.4-fold higher meanERG11expression levels than FLS isolates (P= 0.004), but there were no differences in those ofCDR1orMDR1. Of all 35 isolates, 4 (2 FNS and 2 FLS) and 28 (8 FNS, 11 FLS, and 9 control) isolates exhibited amino acid substitutions in Erg11p and Upc2p, respectively. Both FNS and FLS bloodstream isolates were associated with azole therapeutic failure (3/4 versus 4/7) or uncleared fungemia (4/6 versus 4/10), but FNS isolates were identified more frequently from patients with previous azole exposure (6/6 versus 3/10;P= 0.011) and immunosuppression (6/6 versus 3/10;P= 0.011). These results reveal that the majority of FNSC. tropicalisisolates show overexpression ofCDR1,MDR1, andERG11genes, and fungemia develops after azole exposure in patients with immunosuppression.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Pérez-Cantero ◽  
Loida López-Fernández ◽  
Josep Guarro ◽  
Javier Capilla

ABSTRACT Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a severe condition mainly caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, although other species of the genus, such as section Nigri members, can also be involved. Voriconazole (VRC) is the recommended treatment for IA; however, the prevalence of azole-resistant Aspergillus isolates has alarmingly increased in recent years, and the underlying resistance mechanisms in non-fumigatus species remain unclear. We have determined the in vitro susceptibility of 36 strains from section Nigri to VRC, posaconazole (POS), and itraconazole (ITC), and we have explored the role of Cyp51A and Cyp51B, both targets of azoles, in azole resistance. The three drugs were highly active; POS displayed the best in vitro activity, while ITC and VRC showed MICs above the established epidemiological cutoff values in 9 and 16% of the strains, respectively. Furthermore, expression studies of cyp51A and cyp51B in control condition and after VRC exposure were performed in 14 strains with different VRC susceptibility. We found higher transcription of cyp51A, which was upregulated upon VRC exposure, but no correlation between MICs and cyp51 transcription levels was observed. In addition, cyp51A sequence analyses revealed nonsynonymous mutations present in both, wild-type and non-wild-type strains of A. niger and A. tubingensis. Nevertheless, a few mutations were exclusively present in non-wild-type A. tubingensis strains. Altogether, our results suggest that azole resistance in section Nigri is not clearly explained by Cyp51A protein alteration or by cyp51 gene upregulation, which indicates that other mechanisms might be involved.


2015 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Sanglard ◽  
Alix T. Coste

ABSTRACTIsavuconazole is a novel, broad-spectrum, antifungal azole. In order to evaluate its interactions with known azole resistance mechanisms, isavuconazole susceptibility among different yeast models and clinical isolates expressing characterized azole resistance mechanisms was tested and compared to those of fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole.Saccharomyces cerevisiaeexpressing theCandida albicansandC. glabrataATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters (CDR1,CDR2, andCgCDR1), major facilitator (MDR1), and lanosterol 14-α-sterol-demethylase (ERG11) alleles with mutations were used. In addition, pairs ofC. albicansandC. glabratastrains from matched clinical isolates with known azole resistance mechanisms were investigated. The expression of ABC transporters increased all azole MICs, suggesting that all azoles tested were substrates of ABC transporters. The expression ofMDR1did not increase posaconazole, itraconazole, and isavuconazole MICs. Relative increases of azole MICs (from 4- to 32-fold) were observed for fluconazole, voriconazole, and isavuconazole when at least two mutations were present in the sameERG11allele. Upon MIC testing of azoles with clinicalC. albicansandC. glabrataisolates with known resistance mechanisms, the MIC90s ofC. albicansfor fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, and isavuconazole were 128, 2, 1, 0.5, and 2 μg/ml, respectively, while inC. glabratathey were 128, 2, 4, 4, and 16 μg/ml, respectively. In conclusion, the effects of azole resistance mechanisms on isavuconazole did not differ significantly from those of other azoles. Resistance mechanisms in yeasts involving ABC transporters andERG11decreased the activity of isavuconazole, whileMDR1had limited effect.


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