A multidrug-resistant clinical bacteria strain GB11 was isolated from a wound swab on the leg of a patient. Identity of stain GB11 as Pseudomonas aeruginosa was validated by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Detection of the production of signaling molecules, N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs), was conducted using three different bacterial biosensors. A total of four different AHLs were found to be produced by strain GB11, namely N-butyryl homoserine lactone (C4-HSL), N-hexanoylhomoserine lactone (C6-HSL), N-octanoyl homoserine lactone (C8-HSL) and N-3-oxo-dodecanoylhomoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) using high resolution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Of these detected AHLs, 3-oxo-C12-HSL was found to be the most abundant AHL produced by P. aeruginosa GB11.
Matched MeSH terms: Drug Resistance, Bacterial/physiology*
Nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica strains with a nonclassical quinolone resistance phenotype were isolated from patients returning from Thailand or Malaysia to Finland. A total of 10 isolates of seven serovars were studied in detail, all of which had reduced susceptibility (MIC > or = 0.125 microg/ml) to ciprofloxacin but were either susceptible or showed only low-level resistance (MIC < or = 32 microg/ml) to nalidixic acid. Phenotypic characterization included susceptibility testing by the agar dilution method and investigation of efflux activity. Genotypic characterization included the screening of mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDR) of gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE by PCR and denaturing high-pressure liquid chromatography and the amplification of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes qnrA, qnrB, qnrS, qnrD, aac(6')-Ib-cr, and qepA by PCR. PMQR was confirmed by plasmid analysis, Southern hybridization, and plasmid transfer. No mutations in the QRDRs of gyrA, gyrB, parC, or parE were detected with the exception of a Thr57-Ser substitution within ParC seen in all but the S. enterica serovar Typhimurium strains. The qnrA and qnrS genes were the only PMQR determinants detected. Plasmids carrying qnr alleles were transferable in vitro, and the resistance phenotype was reproducible in Escherichia coli DH5alpha transformants. These data demonstrate the emergence of a highly mobile qnr genotype that, in the absence of mutation within topoisomerase genes, confers the nontypical quinolone resistance phenotype in S. enterica isolates. The qnr resistance mechanism enables bacteria to survive elevated quinolone concentrations, and therefore, strains carrying qnr alleles may be able to expand during fluoroquinolone treatment. This is of concern since nonclassical quinolone resistance is plasmid mediated and therefore mobilizable.
Matched MeSH terms: Drug Resistance, Bacterial/physiology*
The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant pathogens poses a serious threat to global health. However, less emphasis has been placed to co-relate the gene expression and metabolism of antibiotic resistant pathogens. This study aims to elucidate gene expression and variations in metabolism of multidrug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae after exposure to antibiotics. Phenotypic responses of three genotypically distinct carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) strains untreated and treated with sub-lethal concentrations of imipenem were investigated via phenotype microarrays (PM). The gene expression and metabolism of the strain harboring blaNDM-1 before and after exposure to sub-lethal concentration of imipenem were further investigated by RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) and 1H NMR spectroscopy respectively. Most genes related to cell division, central carbon metabolism and nucleotide metabolism were downregulated after imipenem treatment. Similarly, 1H NMR spectra obtained from treated CRKP showed decrease in levels of bacterial end products (acetate, pyruvate, succinate, formate) and metabolites involved in nucleotide metabolism (uracil, xanthine, hypoxanthine) but elevated levels of glycerophosphocholine. The presence of anserine was also observed for the treated CRKP while FAPγ-adenine and methyladenine were only present in untreated bacterial cells. As a conclusion, the studied CRKP strain exhibited decrease in central carbon metabolism, cell division and nucleotide metabolism after exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of imipenem. The understanding of the complex biological system of this multidrug resistant bacterium may help in the development of novel strategies and potential targets for the management of the infections.
Matched MeSH terms: Drug Resistance, Bacterial/physiology*