scholarly journals Horizontal Transfer of Erythromycin Resistance from Clostridium difficile to Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 5142-5145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Spigaglia ◽  
Fabrizio Barbanti ◽  
Paola Mastrantonio

ABSTRACT This study demonstrates for the first time the in vitro transfer of the erythromycin resistance gene erm(B) between two obligate anaerobes, the human spore-forming pathogen Clostridium difficile and the rumen commensal Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, suggesting that this event might occur also in the natural environment.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (21) ◽  
pp. 7662-7670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Meessen-Pinard ◽  
Ognjen Sekulovic ◽  
Louis-Charles Fortier

ABSTRACTProphages contribute to the evolution and virulence of most bacterial pathogens, but their role inClostridium difficileis unclear. Here we describe the isolation of fourMyoviridaephages, ϕMMP01, ϕMMP02, ϕMMP03, and ϕMMP04, that were recovered as free viral particles in the filter-sterilized stool supernatants of patients suffering fromC. difficileinfection (CDI). Furthermore, identical prophages were found in the chromosomes ofC. difficileisolated from the corresponding fecal samples. We therefore provide, for the first time, evidence ofin vivoprophage induction during CDI. We completely sequenced the genomes of ϕMMP02 and ϕMMP04, and bioinformatics analyses did not reveal the presence of virulence factors but underlined the unique character of ϕMMP04. We also studied the mobility of ϕMMP02 and ϕMMP04 prophagesin vitro. Both prophages were spontaneously induced, with 4 to 5 log PFU/ml detected in the culture supernatants of the corresponding lysogens. When lysogens were grown in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, or mitomycin C, the phage titers further increased, reaching 8 to 9 log PFU/ml in the case of ϕMMP04. In summary, our study highlights the extensive genetic diversity and mobility ofC. difficileprophages. Moreover, antibiotics known to represent risk factors for CDI, such as quinolones, can stimulate prophage mobilityin vitroand probablyin vivoas well, which underscores their potential impact on phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer events and the evolution ofC. difficile.



2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 3246-3249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire M. Melville ◽  
Karen P. Scott ◽  
Derry K. Mercer ◽  
Harry J. Flint

ABSTRACT A novel tetracycline resistance gene, designatedtet(32), which confers a high level of tetracycline resistance, was identified in the Clostridium-related human colonic anaerobe K10, which also carries tet(W).tet(32) was transmissible in vitro to the rumen anaerobeButyrivibrio fibrisolvens2221R. The predicted gene product oftet(32) has 76% amino acid identity with Tet(O). PCR amplification indicated that tet(32) is widely distributed in the ovine rumen and in porcine feces.



mSphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Knight ◽  
Grace O. Androga ◽  
Susan A. Ballard ◽  
Benjamin P. Howden ◽  
Thomas V. Riley

ABSTRACT In an era when the development of new antimicrobial drugs is slow, vancomycin remains the preferred antimicrobial therapy for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), the most important health care-related infection in the world today. The emergence of resistance to vancomycin would have significant consequences in relation to treating patients with CDI. In this paper, we describe for the first time a complete set of vancomycin resistance genes in C. difficile. The genes were very similar to genes found in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) that were associated with the emergence and global dissemination of this organism. Fortunately, the C. difficile strain did not show any reduced susceptibility to vancomycin in vitro (MIC, 1 mg/liter), possibly because of a small difference in one gene. However, this observation signals that we may be very close to seeing a fully vancomycin-resistant strain of C. difficile. In the last decade, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has reached an epidemic state with increasing incidence and severity in both health care and community settings. Vancomycin is an important first-line therapy for CDI, and the emergence of resistance would have significant clinical consequences. In this study, we describe for the first time a vanB2 vancomycin resistance operon in C. difficile, isolated from an Australian veal calf at slaughter. The operon was carried on an ~42-kb element showing significant homology and synteny to Tn1549, a conjugative transposon linked with the emergence and global dissemination of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Notably, the C. difficile strain did not show any reduced susceptibility to vancomycin in vitro (MIC, 1 mg/liter), possibly as a result of an aberrant vanRB gene. As observed for other anaerobic species of the animal gut microbiota, C. difficile may be a reservoir of clinically important vancomycin resistance genes. IMPORTANCE In an era when the development of new antimicrobial drugs is slow, vancomycin remains the preferred antimicrobial therapy for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), the most important health care-related infection in the world today. The emergence of resistance to vancomycin would have significant consequences in relation to treating patients with CDI. In this paper, we describe for the first time a complete set of vancomycin resistance genes in C. difficile. The genes were very similar to genes found in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) that were associated with the emergence and global dissemination of this organism. Fortunately, the C. difficile strain did not show any reduced susceptibility to vancomycin in vitro (MIC, 1 mg/liter), possibly because of a small difference in one gene. However, this observation signals that we may be very close to seeing a fully vancomycin-resistant strain of C. difficile.



2007 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 770-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Spigaglia ◽  
Fabrizio Barbanti ◽  
Paola Mastrantonio

ABSTRACT In this study, the tet(W) gene region of a human clinical isolate of Clostridium difficile resistant to tetracycline was characterized. This gene was a new allele showing 99% sequence identity to the gene found in the human strain Bifidobacterium longum F8, and it is not transferable by “in vitro” mating experiments.



mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Goh ◽  
Haitham Hussain ◽  
Barbara J. Chang ◽  
Warren Emmett ◽  
Thomas V. Riley ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn this work, we show thatClostridium difficilephage ϕC2 transduceserm(B), which confers erythromycin resistance, from a donor to a recipient strain at a frequency of 10−6per PFU. The transductants were lysogenic for ϕC2 and contained theerm(B) gene in a novel transposon, Tn6215. This element is 13,008 bp in length and contains 17 putative open reading frames (ORFs). It could also be transferred at a lower frequency by filter mating.IMPORTANCEClostridium difficileis a major human pathogen that causes diarrhea that can be persistent and difficult to resolve using antibiotics.C. difficileis potentially zoonotic and has been detected in animals, food, and environmental samples.C. difficilegenomes contain large portions of horizontally acquired genetic elements. The conjugative elements have been reasonably well studied, but transduction has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we show for the first time transduction as a mechanism for the transfer of a novel genetic element inC. difficile. Transduction may also be a useful tool for the genetic manipulation ofC. difficile.



2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (21) ◽  
pp. 11335
Author(s):  
Eiseul Kim ◽  
So-Won Shin ◽  
Hyo-Sun Kwak ◽  
Min-Hyeok Cha ◽  
Seung-Min Yang ◽  
...  

The use of phenicol antibiotics in animals has increased. In recent years, it has been reported that the transferable gene mediates phenicol-oxazolidinone resistance. This study analyzed the prevalence and characteristics of phenicol-oxazolidinone resistance genes in Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium isolated from food-producing animals and meat in Korea in 2018. Furthermore, for the first time, we reported the genome sequence of E. faecalis strain, which possesses the phenicol-oxazolidinone resistance gene on both the chromosome and plasmid. Among the 327 isolates, optrA, poxtA, and fexA genes were found in 15 (4.6%), 8 (2.5%), and 17 isolates (5.2%), respectively. Twenty E. faecalis strains carrying resistance genes belonged to eight sequence types (STs), and transferability was found in 17 isolates. The genome sequences revealed that resistant genes were present in the chromosome or plasmid, or both. In strains EFS17 and EFS108, optrA was located downstream of the ermA and ant(9)-1 genes. The strains EFS36 and EFS108 harboring poxtA-encoding plasmid cocarried fexA and cfr(D). These islands also contained IS1216E or the transposon Tn554, enabling the horizontal transfer of the phenicol-oxazolidinone resistance with other antimicrobial-resistant genes. Our results suggest that it is necessary to promote the prudent use of antibiotics through continuous monitoring and reevaluation.



Parasitology ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-186
Author(s):  
David C. Warhurst

Endolimax blattae, a small amoeba living in the cockroach hind gut, was cultivatedin vitrofor the first time.Growth and encystment took place in diphasic serum-saline media with or without the addition of starch.E. blattaegrew well at 25 and 37°C. At the latter temperature the flagellates andBlastocystiswhich contaminated recently isolated strains were eliminated.More amoebae and cysts were produced in cultures supplied with starch than in those without starch, and there seemed to be a relationship between depletion of starch and onset of encystment.The results are discussed with reference to conditions in the natural environment.I wish to express my thanks to Professor H. P. Moon, in whose department this work was carried out, for his help and advice, to my supervisor Dr Marjorie G. Guthrie for her advice, encouragement and constructive criticism, and to Dr Ann Bishop, F.R.S., and Dr Elspeth W. McConnachie for their invaluable advice onin vitrocultivation.



Endoscopy ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 38 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
JA Ryan ◽  
A Fanning ◽  
B Sheil ◽  
L O'Mahony ◽  
F Shanahan


1970 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-99
Author(s):  
K. Choudhary ◽  
M. Singh ◽  
M. S. Rathore ◽  
N. S. Shekhawat

This long term study demonstrates for the first time that it is possible to propagate embryogenic Vigna trilobata and to subsequently initiate the differentiation of embryos into complete plantlets. Initiation of callus was possible on 2,4-D. Somatic embryos differentiated on modified MS basal nutrient medium with 1.0 mg/l  of 2,4-D and 0.5 mg/l  of Kn. Sustained cell division resulted in globular and heart shape stages of somatic embryos. Transfer of embryos on to a fresh modified MS basal medium with 0.5 mg/l of Kn and 0.5 mg/l of GA3 helped them to attain maturation and germination. However, the propagation of cells, as well as the differentiation of embryos, were inhibited by a continuous application of these growth regulators. For this reason, a long period on medium lacking these growth regulators was necessary before the differentiation of embryos occurred again. The consequences for improving the propagation of embryogenic cultures in Vigna species are discussed. Key words: Pasture  legume, Vigna trilobata, Globular, Heart shape, somatic embryogenesis D.O.I. 10.3329/ptcb.v19i1.4990 Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 19(1): 89-99, 2009 (June)



2018 ◽  
pp. 47-52

Epimedium elatum (Morren & Decne) of family Berberidaceace is a rare perennial medicinal plant, endemic to high altitude forests of Northwestern Himalayas in India. Ethnobotanically, it has been used as an ingredient for treatment of bone-joint disorders, impotence and kidney disorders in Kashmir Himalayas. Phytochemically, it is rich in Epimedin ABC and Icariin; all of these have been demonstrated to possess remarkable biological activities like PDE-5 inhibition (treatment of erectile dysfunction), anticancer, antiosteoporosis antioxidant and antiviral properties. The present investigation reports its traditional usage, comprehensive distribution and conservation status from twenty ecogeographical regions in Kashmir Himalayas, India. The species was reported from Gurez valley for the first time. Numerous threats like excessive grazing, deforestration, habitat fragmentation, tourism encroachment, landslides and excessive exploitation have decreased its natural populations in most of the surveyed habitats. Consequently, its existence may become threatened in near future if timely conservation steps are not taken immediately by concerned stakeholders involved in medicinal plant research. Moreover, use of plant tissue culture techniques is recommended for development of its in vitro propagation protocols. Therefore, introduction of this medicinal plant in botanical gardens, protected sites and development of monitoring programmes are needed for its immediate conservation in Northwestern Himalayas, India.



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