scholarly journals Evolution of Colistin Resistance in the Klebsiella pneumoniae Complex Follows Multiple Evolutionary Trajectories with Variable Effects on Fitness and Virulence Characteristics

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. e01958-20
Author(s):  
Axel B. Janssen ◽  
Dennis J. Doorduijn ◽  
Grant Mills ◽  
Malbert R. C. Rogers ◽  
Marc J. M. Bonten ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae has led to a resurgence in the use of colistin as a last-resort drug. Colistin is a cationic antibiotic that selectively acts on Gram-negative bacteria through electrostatic interactions with anionic phosphate groups of the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs). Colistin resistance in K. pneumoniae is mediated through loss of these phosphate groups, their modification by cationic groups, and by the hydroxylation of acyl groups of lipid A. Here, we study the in vitro evolutionary trajectories toward colistin resistance in four clinical K. pneumoniae complex strains and their impact on fitness and virulence characteristics. Through population sequencing during in vitro evolution, we found that colistin resistance develops through a combination of single nucleotide polymorphisms, insertions and deletions, and the integration of insertion sequence elements, affecting genes associated with LPS biosynthesis and modification and capsule structures. Colistin resistance decreased the maximum growth rate of one K. pneumoniaesensu stricto strain, but not those of the other three K. pneumoniae complex strains. Colistin-resistant strains had lipid A modified through hydroxylation, palmitoylation, and l-Ara4N addition. K. pneumoniaesensu stricto strains exhibited cross-resistance to LL-37, in contrast to the Klebsiella variicola subsp. variicola strain. Virulence, as determined in a Caenorhabditis elegans survival assay, was increased in two colistin-resistant strains. Our study suggests that nosocomial K. pneumoniae complex strains can rapidly develop colistin resistance through diverse evolutionary trajectories upon exposure to colistin. This effectively shortens the life span of this last-resort antibiotic for the treatment of infections with multidrug-resistant Klebsiella.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel B. Janssen ◽  
Dennis J. Doorduijn ◽  
Grant Mills ◽  
Malbert R.C. Rogers ◽  
Marc J.M. Bonten ◽  
...  

AbstractThe increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative opportunistic pathogens, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, has led to a resurgence in the use of colistin as a last-resort drug. Colistin is a cationic lipopeptide antibiotic that selectively acts on Gram-negative bacteria through electrostatic interactions with anionic phosphate groups of the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Colistin resistance in K. pneumoniae is mediated through loss of these phosphate groups, or modification with cationic groups (e.g. 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose (L-Ara4N), or phosphoethanolamine), but also hydroxylation of acyl-groups of lipid A. Here, we study the in vitro evolutionary trajectories towards colistin resistance in clinical K. pneumoniae complex strains (three K. pneumoniae sensu stricto strains and one K. variicola subsp. variicola strain) and their impact on fitness and virulence characteristics.Through population sequencing during the in vitro evolution experiment, we found that resistance develops through a combination of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertion and deletions (indels), and the integration of insertion sequence (IS) elements, affecting genes associated with LPS biosynthesis and modification, and capsule structures. The development of colistin resistance decreased the maximum growth rate of one K. pneumoniae sensu stricto strain, but not in the other three K. pneumoniae sensu lato strains. Colistin-resistant strains had lipid A modified through hydroxylation, palmitoylation, and L-Ara4N addition. Colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae sensu stricto strains exhibited cross-resistance to LL-37, in contrast to the K. variicola subsp. variicola strain that did not change in susceptibility to LL-37. Virulence, as determined in a Caenorhabditis elegans survival assay, was higher in two colistin-resistant strains.Our study suggests that nosocomial K. pneumoniae complex strains can rapidly develop colistin resistance de novo through diverse evolutionary trajectories upon exposure to colistin. This effectively shortens the lifespan of this last-resort antibiotic for the treatment of infections with multidrug-resistant Klebsiella.Author summaryBacteria that frequently cause infections in hospitalised patients are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. Colistin is a positively charged antibiotic that is used for the treatment of infections with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Colistin acts by specifically interacting with the negatively charged LPS molecule in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Colistin resistance is mostly mediated through modification of LPS to reduce its negative charge. Here, we use a laboratory evolution experiment to show that strains belonging to the Klebsiella pneumoniae complex, a common cause of multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired infections, can rapidly accumulate mutations that reduce the negative charge of LPS without an appreciable loss of fitness. Colistin resistance can lead to cross-resistance to an antimicrobial peptide of the human innate immune system, but can increase susceptibility to serum, and virulence in a nematode model. These findings show that extensively resistant K. pneumoniae complex strains may rapidly develop resistance to the last-resort antibiotic colistin via different evolutionary trajectories, while retaining their ability to cause infections.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 4856-4861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Vidaillac ◽  
Lothaire Benichou ◽  
Raphaël E. Duval

ABSTRACTColistin resistance, although uncommon, is increasingly being reported among Gram-negative clinical pathogens, and an understanding of its impact on the activity of antimicrobials is now evolving. We evaluated the potential for synergy of colistin plus trimethoprim, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (1/19 ratio), or vancomycin against 12 isolates ofAcinetobacter baumannii(n= 4),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(n= 4), andKlebsiella pneumoniae(n= 4). The strains included six multidrug-resistant clinical isolates,K. pneumoniaeATCC 700603,A. baumanniiATCC 19606,P. aeruginosaATCC 27853, and their colistin-resistant derivatives (KPm1, ABm1, and PAm1, respectively). Antimicrobial susceptibilities were assessed by broth microdilution and population analysis profiles. The potential for synergy of colistin combinations was evaluated using a checkerboard assay, as well as static time-kill experiments at 0.5× and 0.25× MIC. The MIC ranges of vancomycin, trimethoprim, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (1/19) were ≥128, 4 to ≥128, and 2/38 to >128/2,432 μg/ml, respectively. Colistin resistance demonstrated little impact on vancomycin, trimethoprim, or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole MIC values. Isolates with subpopulations heterogeneously resistant to colistin were observed to various degrees in all tested isolates. In time-kill assays, all tested combinations were synergistic against KPm1 at 0.25× MIC and 0.5× MIC and ABm1 and PAm1 at 0.5× MIC. In contrast, none of the tested combinations demonstrated synergy against any colistin-susceptibleP. aeruginosaisolates and clinical strains ofK. pneumoniaeisolates. Only colistin plus trimethoprim or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was synergistic and bactericidal at 0.5× MIC againstK. pneumoniaeATCC 700603. Colistin resistance seems to promote thein vitroactivity of unconventional colistin combinations. Additional experiments are warranted to understand the clinical significance of these observations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 5103-5112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zakuan Z. Deris ◽  
Heidi H. Yu ◽  
Kathryn Davis ◽  
Rachel L. Soon ◽  
Jovan Jacob ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMultidrug-resistant (MDR)Klebsiella pneumoniaemay require combination therapy. We systematically investigated bacterial killing with colistin and doripenem mono- and combination therapy against MDRK. pneumoniaeand emergence of colistin resistance. A one-compartmentin vitropharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model was employed over a 72-h period with two inocula (∼106and ∼108CFU/ml); a colistin-heteroresistant reference strain (ATCC 13883) and three clinical isolates (colistin-susceptible FADDI-KP032 [doripenem resistant], colistin-heteroresistant FADDI-KP033, and colistin-resistant FADDI-KP035) were included. Four combinations utilizing clinically achievable concentrations were investigated. Microbiological responses were examined by determining log changes and population analysis profiles (for emergence of colistin resistance) over 72 h. Against colistin-susceptible and -heteroresistant isolates, combinations of colistin (constant concentration regimens of 0.5 or 2 mg/liter) plus doripenem (steady-state peak concentration [Cmax] of 2.5 or 25 mg/liter over 8 h; half-life, 1.5 h) generally resulted in substantial improvements in bacterial killing at both inocula. Combinations were additive or synergistic against ATCC 13883, FADDI-KP032, and FADDI-KP033 in 9, 9, and 14 of 16 cases (4 combinations at 6, 24, 48, and 72 h) at the 106-CFU/ml inoculum and 14, 11, and 12 of 16 cases at the 108-CFU/ml inoculum, respectively. Combinations at the highest dosage regimens resulted in undetectable bacterial counts at 72 h in 5 of 8 cases (4 isolates at 2 inocula). Emergence of colistin-resistant subpopulations in colistin-susceptible and -heteroresistant isolates was virtually eliminated with combination therapy. Against the colistin-resistant isolate, colistin at 2 mg/liter plus doripenem (Cmax, 25 mg/liter) at the low inoculum improved bacterial killing. This investigation provides important information for optimization of colistin-doripenem combinations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Panwar ◽  
Kepa K. Burusco ◽  
Muna Abubaker ◽  
Holly Matthews ◽  
Andrey Gutnov ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Drug repositioning offers an effective alternative to de novo drug design to tackle the urgent need for novel antimalarial treatments. The antiamoebic compound emetine dihydrochloride has been identified as a potent in vitro inhibitor of the multidrug-resistant strain K1 of Plasmodium falciparum (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], 47 nM ± 2.1 nM [mean ± standard deviation]). Dehydroemetine, a synthetic analogue of emetine dihydrochloride, has been reported to have less-cardiotoxic effects than emetine. The structures of two diastereomers of dehydroemetine were modeled on the published emetine binding site on the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure with PDB code 3J7A (P. falciparum 80S ribosome in complex with emetine), and it was found that (−)-R,S-dehydroemetine mimicked the bound pose of emetine more closely than did (−)-S,S-dehydroisoemetine. (−)-R,S-dehydroemetine (IC50 71.03 ± 6.1 nM) was also found to be highly potent against the multidrug-resistant K1 strain of P. falciparum compared with (−)-S,S-dehydroisoemetine (IC50, 2.07 ± 0.26 μM), which loses its potency due to the change of configuration at C-1′. In addition to its effect on the asexual erythrocytic stages of P. falciparum, the compound exhibited gametocidal properties with no cross-resistance against any of the multidrug-resistant strains tested. Drug interaction studies showed (−)-R,S-dehydroemetine to have synergistic antimalarial activity with atovaquone and proguanil. Emetine dihydrochloride and (−)-R,S-dehydroemetine failed to show any inhibition of the hERG potassium channel and displayed activity affecting the mitochondrial membrane potential, indicating a possible multimodal mechanism of action.


mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Adamo ◽  
Immaculada Margarit

ABSTRACT Antibiotics and vaccines have greatly impacted human health in the last century by dramatically reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases. The recent challenge posed by the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria could possibly be addressed by novel immune prophylactic and therapeutic approaches. Among the newly threatening pathogens, Klebsiella pneumoniae is particularly worrisome in the nosocomial setting, and its surface polysaccharides are regarded as promising antigen candidates. The majority of Klebsiella carbapenem-resistant strains belong to the sequence type 158 (ST258) lineage, with two main clades expressing capsular polysaccharides CPS1 and CPS2. In a recent article, S. D. Kobayashi and colleagues (mBio 9:e00297-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00297-18) show that CPS2-specific IgGs render ST258 clade 2 bacteria more sensitive to human serum and phagocytic killing. E. Diago-Navarro et al. (mBio 9:e00091-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00091-18) generated two murine monoclonal antibodies recognizing distinct glycotopes of CPS2 that presented functional activity against multiple ST258 strains. These complementary studies represent a step toward the control of this dangerous pathogen.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine T. Nguyen ◽  
Rachele Bonasera ◽  
Garret Benson ◽  
Adriana C. Hernandez-Morales ◽  
Jason J. Gill ◽  
...  

May is a newly isolated myophage that infects multidrug-resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, a pathogen that is associated with antibiotic-resistant infections in humans. The genome of May has been shown to be similar to that of phage Vi01.


2011 ◽  
Vol 79 (9) ◽  
pp. 3718-3732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Llobet ◽  
Miguel A. Campos ◽  
Paloma Giménez ◽  
David Moranta ◽  
José A. Bengoechea

ABSTRACTAntimicrobial peptides (APs) impose a threat to the survival of pathogens, and it is reasonable to postulate that bacteria have developed strategies to counteract them. Polymyxins are becoming the last resort to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and, similar to APs, they interact with the anionic lipopolysaccharide. Given that polymyxins and APs share the initial target, it is possible that bacterial defense mechanisms against polymyxins will be also effective against host APs. We sought to determine whether exposure to polymyxin will increaseKlebsiella pneumoniaeresistance to host APs. Indeed, exposure ofK. pneumoniaeto polymyxin induces cross-resistance not only to polymyxin itself but also to APs present in the airways. Polymyxin treatment upregulates the expression of the capsule polysaccharide operon and the loci required to modify the lipid A with aminoarabinose and palmitate with a concomitant increase in capsule and lipid A species containing such modifications. Moreover, these surface changes contribute to APs resistance and also to polymyxin-induced cross-resistance to APs. Bacterial loads of lipid A mutants in trachea and lungs of intranasally infected mice were lower than those of wild-type strain. PhoPQ, PmrAB, and the Rcs system govern polymyxin-induced transcriptional changes, and there is a cross talk between PhoPQ and the Rcs system. Our findings support the notion thatKlebsiellaactivates a defense program against APs that is controlled by three signaling systems. Therapeutic strategies directed to prevent the activation of this program could be a new approach worth exploring to facilitate the clearance of the pathogen from the airways.


2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoon Leechawengwongs ◽  
Therdsak Prammananan ◽  
Sarinya Jaitrong ◽  
Pamaree Billamas ◽  
Nampueng Makhao ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT New fluoroquinolones (FQs) have been shown to be more active against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains than early FQs, such as ofloxacin. Sitafloxacin (STFX) is a new fluoroquinolone with in vitro activity against a broad range of bacteria, including M. tuberculosis. This study aimed to determine the in vitro activity of STFX against all groups of drug-resistant strains, including multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis (MDR M. tuberculosis), MDR M. tuberculosis with quinolone resistance (pre-XDR), and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains. A total of 374 drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains were tested for drug susceptibility by the conventional proportion method, and 95 strains were randomly submitted for MIC determination using the microplate alamarBlue assay (MABA). The results revealed that all the drug-resistant strains were susceptible to STFX at a critical concentration of 2 μg/ml. Determination of the MIC90s of the strains showed different MIC levels; MDR M. tuberculosis strains had a MIC90 of 0.0625 μg/ml, whereas pre-XDR and XDR M. tuberculosis strains had identical MIC90s of 0.5 μg/ml. Common mutations within the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA and/or gyrB did not confer resistance to STFX, except that double mutations of GyrA at Ala90Val and Asp94Ala were found in strains with a MIC of 1.0 μg/ml. The results indicated that STFX had potent in vitro activity against all the groups of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains and should be considered a new repurposed drug for treatment of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB.


2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 5134-5142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip J. Bergen ◽  
Alan Forrest ◽  
Jürgen B. Bulitta ◽  
Brian T. Tsuji ◽  
Hanna E. Sidjabat ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe use of combination antibiotic therapy may be beneficial against rapidly emerging resistance inPseudomonas aeruginosa. The aim of this study was to systematically investigatein vitrobacterial killing and resistance emergence with colistin alone and in combination with imipenem against multidrug-resistant (MDR)P. aeruginosa. Time-kill studies were conducted over 48 h using 5 clinical isolates and ATCC 27853 at two inocula (∼106and ∼108CFU/ml); MDR, non-MDR, and colistin-heteroresistant and -resistant strains were included. Nine colistin-imipenem combinations were investigated. Microbiological response was examined by log changes at 6, 24, and 48 h. Colistin combined with imipenem at clinically relevant concentrations increased the levels of killing of MDR and colistin-heteroresistant isolates at both inocula. Substantial improvements in activity with combinations were observed across 48 h with all colistin concentrations at the low inoculum and with colistin at 4× and 16× MIC (or 4 and 32 mg/liter) at the high inoculum. Combinations were additive or synergistic against imipenem-resistant isolates (MICs, 16 and 32 mg/liter) at the 106-CFU inoculum in 9, 11, and 12 of 18 cases (i.e., 9 combinations across 2 isolates) at 6, 24, and 48 h, respectively, and against the same isolates at the 108-CFU inoculum in 11, 7, and 8 cases, respectively. Against a colistin-resistant strain (MIC, 128 mg/liter), combinations were additive or synergistic in 9 and 8 of 9 cases at 24 h at the 106- and 108-CFU inocula, respectively, and in 5 and 7 cases at 48 h. This systematic study provides important information for optimization of colistin-imipenem combinations targeting both colistin-susceptible and colistin-resistant subpopulations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 3475-3480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sovitj Pou ◽  
Rolf W. Winter ◽  
Aaron Nilsen ◽  
Jane Xu Kelly ◽  
Yuexin Li ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTSontochin was the original chloroquine replacement drug, arising from research by Hans Andersag 2 years after chloroquine (known as “resochin” at the time) had been shelved due to the mistaken perception that it was too toxic for human use. We were surprised to find that sontochin, i.e., 3-methyl-chloroquine, retains significant activity against chloroquine-resistant strains ofPlasmodium falciparum in vitro. We prepared derivatives of sontochin, “pharmachins,” with alkyl or aryl substituents at the 3 position and with alterations to the 4-position side chain to enhance activity against drug-resistant strains. Modified with an aryl substituent in the 3 position of the 7-chloro-quinoline ring, Pharmachin 203 (PH-203) exhibits low-nanomolar 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) against drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant strains andin vivoefficacy against patent infections ofPlasmodium yoeliiin mice that is superior to chloroquine. Our findings suggest that novel 3-position aryl pharmachin derivatives have the potential for use in treating drug resistant malaria.


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