Do antibiotics maintain antibiotic resistance?

Expanding the focus of the One Health concept: links between the Earth-system processes of the planetary boundaries framework and antibiotic resistance

The scientific community warns that our impact on planet Earth is so acute that we are crossing several of the planetary boundaries that demarcate the safe operating space for humankind. Besides, there is mounting evidence of serious effects on people's health derived from the ongoing environmental degradation. Regarding human health, the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria is one of the most critical public health issues worldwide. Relevantly, antibiotic resistance has been claimed to be the quintessential One Health issue. The One Health concept links human, animal, and environmental health, but it is frequently only focused on the risk of zoonotic pathogens to public health or, to a lesser extent, the impact of contaminants on human health, i.e., adverse effects on human health coming from the other two One Health "compartments". It is recurrently claimed that antibiotic resistance must be approached from a One Health perspective, but such statement often only refers to the connection between the use of antibiotics in veterinary practice and the antibiotic resistance crisis, or the impact of contaminants (antibiotics, heavy metals, disinfectants, etc.) on antibiotic resistance. Nonetheless, the nine Earth-system processes considered in the planetary boundaries framework can be directly or indirectly linked to antibiotic resistance. Here, some of the main links between those processes and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance are described. The ultimate goal is to expand the focus of the One Health concept by pointing out the links between critical Earth-system processes and the One Health quintessential issue, i.e., antibiotic resistance.

Myths and Misconceptions around Antibiotic Resistance: Time to Get Rid of Them

The antibiotic resistance arena is fraught with myths and misconceptions, leading to wrong strategies to combat it. It is crucial to identify them, discuss them in light of current evidence, and dispel those that are unequivocally wrong. This article proposes some concepts that may qualify as misconceptions around antibiotic resistance: the susceptible-resistant dichotomy; that incomplete antibiotic courses cause resistance; that resistance "emerges" in patients and hospitals; that antibiotics are mostly abused clinically; that resistance is higher in countries that use more antibiotics; that reducing antibiotic usage would reduce resistance; that financial incentives would "jumpstart" research and development of antibiotics; that generic and "original" antibiotics are the same; and that new anti-infective therapies are just around the corner. While some of these issues are still controversial, it is important to recognize their controversial status, instead of repeating them in specialized literature and lectures and, especially, in the planning of strategies to cope with resistance.

Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Eichhornia crassipes Extract from Yuriria Lagoon, and the Perspective for Application as Antimicrobial Agent

The antimicrobial effects of silver (Ag) ions and salts are well known. However, the antimicrobial effects, mechanism, and the cytotoxic activity in vitro of Ag nanoparticles (AgNP) has recently been validated. In this work, we report the green synthesis of AgNPs using the extract of Eichhornia crassipes as a reducing agent and evaluate its antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (ATCC-25922). The morphology, size, chemical composition, and inhibition properties of the nanoparticles as a function of the reduction time and temperature were analyzed. According to TEM imaging, nanoparticles with average diameters between 20–40 nm were synthesized. Antibacterial results suggest that AgNPs can be used as an effective growth inhibitor with higher antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli after 120 min of reaction with a synthesis temperature of 95°. More extensive analysis is required for the appropriate selection of the synthesis parameters and adequate concentration for use in biomedical applications and antibacterial control systems.

Antibiotic Resistance in Agricultural Soil and Crops Associated to the Application of Cow Manure-Derived Amendments From Conventional and Organic Livestock Farms

The application of organic amendments to agricultural soil can enhance crop yield, while improving the physicochemical and biological properties of the recipient soils. However, the use of manure-derived amendments as fertilizers entails environmental risks, such as the contamination of soil and crops with antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). In order to delve into these risks, we applied dairy cow manure-derived amendments (slurry, fresh manure, aged manure), obtained from a conventional and an organic farm, to soil. Subsequently, lettuce and wheat plants were grown in the amended soils. After harvest, the abundance of 95 ARGs and MGE-genes from the amended soils and plants were determined by high-throughput qPCR. The structure of soil prokaryotic communities was determined by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and qPCR. The absolute abundance of ARGs and MGE-genes differed between treatments (amended vs. unamended), origins of amendment (conventional vs. organic), and types of amendment (slurry vs. fresh manure vs. aged manure). Regarding ARG-absolute abundances in the amendments themselves, higher values were usually found in slurry vs. fresh or aged manure. These abundances were generally higher in soil than in plant samples, and higher in wheat grain than in lettuce plants. Lettuce plants fertilized with conventional amendments showed higher absolute abundances of tetracycline resistance genes, compared to those amended with organic amendments. No single treatment could be identified as the best or worst treatment regarding the risk of antibiotic resistance in soil and plant samples. Within the same treatment, the resistome risk differed between the amendment, the amended soil and, finally, the crop. In other words, according to our data, the resistome risk in manure-amended crops cannot be directly inferred from the analysis of the amendments themselves. We concluded that, depending on the specific question under study, the analysis of the resistome risk should specifically focus on the amendment, the amended soil or the crop.

Antimicrobial resistance associations with national primary care antibiotic stewardship policy: Primary care-based, multilevel analytic study

Background

Recent UK antibiotic stewardship policies have resulted in significant changes in primary care dispensing, but whether this has impacted antimicrobial resistance is unknown.

Aim

To evaluate associations between changes in primary care dispensing and antimicrobial resistance in community-acquired urinary Escherichia coli infections.

Methods

Multilevel logistic regression modelling investigating relationships between primary care practice level antibiotic dispensing for approximately 1.5 million patients in South West England and resistance in 152,704 community-acquired urinary E. coli between 2013 and 2016. Relationships presented for within and subsequent quarter drug-bug pairs, adjusted for patient age, deprivation, and rurality.

Results

In line with national trends, overall antibiotic dispensing per 1000 registered patients fell 11%. Amoxicillin fell 14%, cefalexin 20%, ciprofloxacin 24%, co-amoxiclav 49% and trimethoprim 8%. Nitrofurantoin increased 7%. Antibiotic reductions were associated with reduced within quarter same-antibiotic resistance to: amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim. Subsequent quarter reduced resistance was observed for trimethoprim and amoxicillin. Antibiotic dispensing reductions were associated with increased within and subsequent quarter resistance to cefalexin and co-amoxiclav. Increased nitrofurantoin dispensing was associated with reduced within and subsequent quarter trimethoprim resistance without affecting nitrofurantoin resistance.

Conclusions

This evaluation of a national primary care stewardship policy on antimicrobial resistance in the community suggests both hoped-for benefits and unexpected harms. Some increase in resistance to cefalexin and co-amoxiclav could result from residual confounding. Randomised controlled trials are urgently required to investigate causality.

Persistence and reversal of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance

In the absence of antibiotic-mediated selection, sensitive bacteria are expected to displace their resistant counterparts if resistance genes are costly. However, many resistance genes persist for long periods in the absence of antibiotics. Horizontal gene transfer (primarily conjugation) could explain this persistence, but it has been suggested that very high conjugation rates would be required. Here, we show that common conjugal plasmids, even when costly, are indeed transferred at sufficiently high rates to be maintained in the absence of antibiotics in Escherichia coli. The notion is applicable to nine plasmids from six major incompatibility groups and mixed populations carrying multiple plasmids. These results suggest that reducing antibiotic use alone is likely insufficient for reversing resistance. Therefore, combining conjugation inhibition and promoting plasmid loss would be an effective strategy to limit conjugation-assisted persistence of antibiotic resistance.

It is unclear whether the transfer of plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance genes can explain their persistence when antibiotics are not present. Here, Lopatkin et al. show that conjugal plasmids, even when costly, are indeed transferred at sufficiently high rates to be maintained in the absence of antibiotics.

Novel Pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine Derivatives: Synthesis, Characterization, Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Profile

Three novel series of pyridine derivatives, namely Schiff's bases, 4-thiazolidinones and azetidin-2-ones bearing pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine moiety, have been synthesized. The chemical structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized. The compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity using the agar well diffusion and broth macrodilution methods. The compounds were also evaluated for their antiproliferative activity using the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The majority of the tested compounds exhibited slight to high antimicrobial activity against the test microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.12-62.5 µg/mL when compared to that of 3 standard antimicrobial agents (Ampicillin, 0.007-0.03 µg/mL; Gentamicin; 0.015-0.24 µg/mL; and Amphotericin B, 0.03-0.98 µg/mL). Compound (7b) was found to be nearly as active as the standard antimicrobial drug Amphotericin B against Fusarium oxysporum fungal strain with MIC of 0.98 µg/mL. Some of the test compounds showed remarkable cytotoxic activities against Hep G2 (hepatocellular carcinoma) cells (IC50=0.0158-71.3 µM) in comparison to the standard anticancer drug doxorubicin (IC50=0.008 µM). Among the compounds tested, (5), (6a), (6b), (7b), and (10) exhibited antiproliferative potency (IC50=0.0001-0.0211 µM) that was found to be better than that of doxorubicin (IC50=0.099 µM) against MCF7 (breast adenocarcinoma) cells. In particular, (7b) displayed the highest significant antiproliferative efficacy against both Hep G2 and MCF7 cell lines showing IC50 values of 0.0158 µM and 0.0001 µM, respectively. Our findings suggest that the synthesized compounds may be promising candidates as novel antimicrobial and antiproliferative agents.

Microbes in the Anthropocene: spillover of agriculturally selected bacteria and their impact on natural ecosystems

Soil microbial communities are enormously diverse, with at least millions of species and trillions of genes unknown to science or poorly described. Soil microbial communities are key components of agriculture, for example, in provisioning nitrogen and protecting crops from pathogens, providing overall ecosystem services in excess of $1000bn per year. It is important to know how humans are affecting this hidden diversity. Much is known about the negative consequences of agricultural intensification on higher organisms, but almost nothing is known about how alterations to landscapes affect microbial diversity, distributions and processes. We review what is known about spatial flows of microbes and their response to land-use change, and outline nine hypotheses to advance research of microbiomes across landscapes. We hypothesize that intensified agriculture selects for certain taxa and genes, which then 'spill over' into adjacent unmodified areas and generate a halo of genetic differentiation around agricultural fields. Consequently, the spatial configuration and management intensity of different habitats combines with the dispersal ability of individual taxa to determine the extent of spillover, which can impact the functioning of adjacent unmodified habitats. When landscapes are heterogeneous and dispersal rates are high, this will select for large genomes that allow exploitation of multiple habitats, a process that may be accelerated through horizontal gene transfer. Continued expansion of agriculture will increase genotypic similarity, making microbial community functioning increasingly variable in human-dominated landscapes, potentially also impacting the consistent provisioning of ecosystem services. While the resulting economic costs have not been calculated, it is clear that dispersal dynamics of microbes should be taken into consideration to ensure that ecosystem functioning and services are maintained in agri-ecosystem mosaics.

Sublethal exposure to commercial formulations of the herbicides dicamba, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and glyphosate cause changes in antibiotic susceptibility in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

Biocides, such as herbicides, are routinely tested for toxicity but not for sublethal effects on microbes. Many biocides are known to induce an adaptive multiple-antibiotic resistance phenotype. This can be due to either an increase in the expression of efflux pumps, a reduced synthesis of outer membrane porins, or both. Exposures of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to commercial formulations of three herbicides-dicamba (Kamba), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and glyphosate (Roundup)-were found to induce a changed response to antibiotics. Killing curves in the presence and absence of sublethal herbicide concentrations showed that the directions and the magnitudes of responses varied by herbicide, antibiotic, and species. When induced, MICs of antibiotics of five different classes changed up to 6-fold. In some cases the MIC increased, and in others it decreased. Herbicide concentrations needed to invoke the maximal response were above current food maximum residue levels but within application levels for all herbicides. Compounds that could cause induction had additive effects in combination. The role of soxS, an inducer of the AcrAB efflux pump, was tested in β-galactosidase assays with soxS-lacZ fusion strains of E. coli. Dicamba was a moderate inducer of the sox regulon. Growth assays with Phe-Arg β-naphtylamide (PAβN), an efflux pump inhibitor, confirmed a significant role of efflux in the increased tolerance of E. coli to chloramphenicol in the presence of dicamba and to kanamycin in the presence of glyphosate. Pathways of exposure with relevance to the health of humans, domestic animals, and critical insects are discussed.

IMPORTANCE

Increasingly common chemicals used in agriculture, domestic gardens, and public places can induce a multiple-antibiotic resistance phenotype in potential pathogens. The effect occurs upon simultaneous exposure to antibiotics and is faster than the lethal effect of antibiotics. The magnitude of the induced response may undermine antibiotic therapy and substantially increase the probability of spontaneous mutation to higher levels of resistance. The combination of high use of both herbicides and antibiotics in proximity to farm animals and important insects, such as honeybees, might also compromise their therapeutic effects and drive greater use of antibiotics. To address the crisis of antibiotic resistance requires broadening our view of environmental contributors to the evolution of resistance.

Applications of flow cytometry to characterize bacterial physiological responses

Although reports of flow cytometry (FCM) applied to bacterial analysis are increasing, studies of FCM related to human cells still vastly outnumber other reports. However, current advances in FCM combined with a new generation of cellular reporter probes have made this technique suitable for analyzing physiological responses in bacteria. We review how FCM has been applied to characterize distinct physiological conditions in bacteria including responses to antibiotics and other cytotoxic chemicals and physical factors, pathogen-host interactions, cell differentiation during biofilm formation, and the mechanisms governing development pathways such as sporulation. Since FCM is suitable for performing studies at the single-cell level, we describe how this powerful technique has yielded invaluable information about the heterogeneous distribution of differently and even specialized responding cells and how it may help to provide insights about how cell interaction takes place in complex structures, such as those that prevail in bacterial biofilms.

Treatment of infectious disease: beyond antibiotics

Several antibiotics have been discovered following the discovery of penicillin. These antibiotics had been helpful in treatment of infectious diseases considered dread for centuries. The advent of multiple drug resistance in microbes has posed new challenge to researchers. The scientists are now evaluating alternatives for combating infectious diseases. This review focuses on major alternatives to antibiotics on which preliminary work had been carried out. These promising anti-microbial include: phages, bacteriocins, killing factors, antibacterial activities of non-antibiotic drugs and quorum quenching.

Recombinant expression of novel protegrin-1 dimer and LL-37-linker-histatin-5 hybrid peptide mediated biotin carboxyl carrier protein fusion partner

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) hold great promise as potential therapeutic approach for curing of infectious diseases. Prokaryotic protein expression renders high scalability with an effective purification of several heterogeneous proteins. However, it might be inappropriate for recombinant AMPs expression thereby its antimicrobial activity against the host cells. Several fusion partners demonstrated antimicrobial activity neutralization of AMPs expression and purification in Escherichia coli. In order to improve the antimicrobial effect, several hybrid AMPs have been designed and developed. As expected to increase the antimicrobial activity, a dimeric form of porcine protegrin-1 (PG-1) and human LL-37-linker-histatin-5 (LL-37-linker-Hst-5) hybrid peptide were alternatively constructed in this study. Hydroxylamine hydrochloride and thrombin cleavage sites were designed for releasing of hybrid peptide and PG-1 dimer from biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) fusion partner. The full-length AMPs gene was connected down-stream of BCCP gene using the overlap extension-PCR, cloned into pET-28a vector and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3)pLysS. After IPTG induction, approximately 20% of BCCP-AMPs was expressed as intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies with an expected molecular weight of 24.5kDa. The mean of purified and refolded BCCP-AMPs was 1.5mg/L with 76% purity. The presence of expressed protein was subsequently determined by Western blotting analysis. Finally, radial diffusion assay supported that these peptides displayed functional antimicrobial activity against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus standard strains. Two novel AMPs established in this study would be potentially developed as extensive intervention for treating of infectious diseases.

Plasmid R6K replication control

The focus of this minireview is the replication control of the 39.9-kb plasmid R6K and its derivatives. Historically, this plasmid was thought to have a narrow host range but more recent findings indicate that its derivatives can replicate in a variety of enteric and non-enteric bacterial species (Wild et al., 2004). In the four-plus decades since it was first described, R6K has proven to be an excellent model for studies of plasmid DNA replication. In part this is because of its similarities to other systems in which replication is activated and regulated by Rep protein and iteron-containing DNA. However its apparent idiosynchracies have also added to its significance (e.g., independent and co-dependent replication origins, and Rep dimers that stably bind iterons). Here, we survey the current state of knowledge regarding R6K replication and place individual regulatory elements into a proposed homeostatic model with implications for the biological significance of R6K and its multiple origins of replication.

Membrane active antimicrobial activity and molecular dynamics study of a novel cationic antimicrobial peptide polybia-MPI, from the venom of Polybia paulista

As the frequent emergence of the resistant bacteria, the development of new agents with a new action mode attracts a great deal of interest. It is now widely accepted that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. In this study, antimicrobial peptide polybia-MPI and its analogs were synthesized and their antibacterial activity was studied. Our results revealed that polybia-MPI has potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Its ability to make PI permeate into bacteria and lead to the leakage of calcein from model membrane LUVs, suggests a killing mechanism involving membrane perturbation. SEM and TEM microscopy experiments verified that the morphology of bacteria was changed greatly under the treatment of polybia-MPI. Compared with the conventional chemotherapy, polybia-MPI targets the cell membrane rather than entering into the cell to exert its antibacterial activity. Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to investigate the mechanism of membrane perturbation. The results indicated that the α-helical conformation in the membrane is required for the exhibition of antibacterial activity and the membrane disturbance by polybia-MPI is a cooperative process. In conclusion, with the increasing resistance to conventional antibiotics, there is no doubt that polybia-MPI could offer a new strategy to defend the resistant bacteria.

Antibiotic resistance: from Darwin to Lederberg to Keynes

The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria reflects both, a gradual, completely Darwinian evolution, which mostly yields slight decreases in antibiotic susceptibility, along with phenotypes that are not precisely characterized as "resistance"; and sudden changes, from full susceptibility to full resistance, which are driven by a vast array of horizontal gene transfer mechanisms. Antibiotics select for more than just antibiotic resistance (i.e., increased virulence and enhanced gene exchange abilities); and many non-antibiotic agents or conditions select for or maintain antibiotic resistance traits as a result of a complex network of underlying and often overlapping mechanisms. Thus, the development of new antibiotics and thoughtful, integrated anti-infective strategies is needed to address the immediate and long-term threat of antibiotic resistance. Since the biology of resistance is complex, these new drugs and strategies will not come from free-market forces, or from "incentives" for pharmaceutical companies.

Membrane-active action mode of polybia-CP, a novel antimicrobial peptide isolated from the venom of Polybia paulista

The extensive use of antibiotics in medicine, the food industry, and agriculture has resulted in the frequent emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which creates an urgent need for new antibiotics. It is now widely recognized that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) could play a promising role in fighting multidrug-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial peptide polybia-CP was purified from the venom of the social wasp Polybia paulista. In this study, we synthesized polybia-CP and studied its action mode of antibacterial activity. Our results revealed that polybia-CP has potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results from both the real bacterial membrane and the in vitro model membrane showed that polybia-CP is membrane active and that its action target is the membrane of bacteria. It is difficult for bacteria to develop resistance to polybia-CP, which may thus offer a new strategy for defending against resistant bacteria in medicine and the food and farming industries.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of 4-arylthiosemicarbazides as topoisomerase IV inhibitors with Gram-positive antibacterial activity. Search for molecular basis of antibacterial activity of thiosemicarbazides

1-(indol-2-carbonyl)-4-(4-nitrophenyl)-thiosemicarbazide was synthesized and antibacterial and type IIA topoisomerases (DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV) activity was evaluated. It was found that it shows activity against Gram-positive bacteria with MICs of 50 μg/mL and inhibitory action against topoisomerase IV with an IC(50) of 14 μM. Although modification of its structure resulted in molecules with a lower biological profile, our observations strongly implicate that thiosemicarbazide derivatives participate in at least two different mechanisms of antibacterial activity; one is connected with the inhibition of topoisomerase IV, while the nature of the other cannot be elucidated from the limited data collected thus far. The differences in bioactivity further investigated by the molecular modeling approach and docking studies suggest that inhibitory activity of 4-arylthiosemicarbazides is connected with electronic structure rather than the geometry of the molecule.

Identification of bacterial plasmids based on mobility and plasmid population biology

Plasmids contain a backbone of core genes that remains relatively stable for long evolutionary periods, making sense to speak about plasmid species. The identification and characterization of the core genes of a plasmid species has a special relevance in the study of its epidemiology and modes of transmission. Besides, this knowledge will help to unveil the main routes that genes, for example antibiotic resistance (AbR) genes, use to travel from environmental reservoirs to human pathogens. Global dissemination of multiple antibiotic resistances and virulence traits by plasmids is an increasing threat for the treatment of many bacterial infectious diseases. To follow the dissemination of virulence and AbR genes, we need to identify the causative plasmids and follow their path from reservoirs to pathogens. In this review, we discuss how the existing diversity in plasmid genetic structures gives rise to a large diversity in propagation strategies. We would like to propose that, using an identification methodology based on plasmid mobility types, we can follow the propagation routes of most plasmids in Gammaproteobacteria, as well as their cargo genes, in complex ecosystems. Once the dissemination routes are known, designing antidissemination drugs and testing their efficacy will become feasible. We discuss in this review how the existing diversity in plasmid genetic structures gives rise to a large diversity in propagation strategies. We would like to propose that, by using an identification methodology based on plasmid mobility types, we can follow the propagation routes of most plasmids in ?-proteobacteria, as well as their cargo genes, in complex ecosystems.

Longer-duration uses of tetracyclines and penicillins in U.S. food-producing animals: Indications and microbiologic effects

We review and analyze regulatory categories for longer duration of use (defined as ≥ 7 day) tetracyclines (TCs) and penicillins (PNs) approved for U.S. livestock and poultry, together with scientific studies, surveillance programs and risk assessments pertaining to antimicrobial resistance. Indications listed on a government database were grouped into three broad categories according to the terminology used to describe their use: disease control (C), treatment (T) and growth improvement (G). Consistent with mostly therapeutic uses, the majority (86%) of listed indications had C and/or T terms. Several studies showed interruption of early disease stages in animals and modulation of intestinal microflora. Longer-duration exposures are consistent with bacteriostatic modes of action, where adequate exposure time as well as concentration is needed for sufficient antimicrobial activity. Other effects identified included reduced animal pathogen prevalence, toxin formation, inflammation, environmental impacts, improved animal health, reproductive measures, nutrient utilization, and others. Several animal studies have shown a limited, dose-proportionate, selective increase in resistance prevalence among commensal animal bacteria following longer-duration exposures. Pathogen surveillance programs showed overall stable or declining resistance trends among sentinel bacteria. Quantitative, microbiologically detailed resistance risk assessments indicate small probabilities of human treatment failure due to resistance under current conditions. Evaluations of longer-duration uses of TCs, PNs, and other antimicrobial classes used in food-producing animals should consider mechanisms of activity, known individual- and population-level health and waste reduction effects in addition to resistance risks.

Lyngbyoic acid, a "tagged" fatty acid from a marine cyanobacterium, disrupts quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Quorum sensing (QS) is a mechanism of bacterial gene regulation in response to increases in population density. Perhaps most studied are QS pathways mediated by acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs) in Gram-negative bacteria. Production of small molecule QS signals, their accumulation within a diffusion-limited environment and their binding to a LuxR-type receptor trigger QS-controlled gene regulatory cascades. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, for example, binding of AHLs to their cognate receptors (LasR, RhlR) controls production of virulence factors, pigments, antibiotics and other behaviors important for its interactions with eukaryotic hosts and other bacteria. We have previously shown that marine cyanobacteria produce QS-inhibitory molecules, including 8-epi-malyngamide C (1), malyngamide C (2) and malyngolide (3). Here we isolated a new small cyclopropane-containing fatty acid, lyngbyoic acid (4), as a major metabolite of the marine cyanobacterium, Lyngbya cf. majuscula, collected at various sites in Florida. We screened 4 against four reporters based on different AHL receptors (LuxR, AhyR, TraR and LasR) and found that 4 most strongly affected LasR. We also show that 4 reduces pyocyanin and elastase (LasB) both on the protein and transcript level in wild-type P. aeruginosa, and that 4 directly inhibits LasB enzymatic activity. Conversely, dodecanoic acid (9) increased pyocyanin and LasB, demonstrating that the fused cyclopropane "tag" is functionally relevant and potentially confers resistance to β-oxidation. Global transcriptional effects of 4 in some ways replicate the gene expression changes of P. aeruginosa during chronic lung infections of cystic fibrosis patients, with reduced lasR signaling, increased biofilm and expression of the virulence locus HSI-I. Compound 4 may therefore prove to be a useful tool in the study of P. aeruginosa adaption during such chronic infections.

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of novel fluorine containing 4-(substituted-2-hydroxybenzoyl)-1H-pyrazoles and pyrazolyl benzo[d]oxazoles

A series of fluorine containing 4-(substituted-2-hydroxybenzoyl) pyrazoles and pyrazolyl benzo[d]oxazoles were synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis and antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The antibacterial activities were expressed as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50) in microg/ml. The compounds 1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-4-(5-fluoro-2-hydroxybenzoyl)-1H-pyrazole (4b), oxime derivatives such as 1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)(2-hydroxy-4-methylphenyl)methanone oxime (5b) and (5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)(1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)methanone oxime (5e) exhibited promising activities against tested bacterial strains. Except compound 1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-4-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)-1H-pyrazole (4d), none of the other compounds showed promising antifungal activity.

Synthesis, in-vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic studies of novel azetidinone derivatives

Developing novel antimicrobial drugs is increasingly important in the modern pharmaceutical industry. A series of novel 3-chloro-4-[4-(2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-ylmethoxy)phenyl]-1-phenylazetidin-2-ones 5a-o have been synthesized from 4-bromomethylcoumarins 1a-e and 4-aryliminomethyl-phenols 3a-c. These compounds were screened for their in-vitro antibacterial activity against two Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin resistant enteroccoccus) and two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Shigella dysentery) bacterial strains and antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, and Penicillium. Results revealed that compounds 5c, 5f, 5h, 5j, and 5m showed excellent activity against a panel of microorganisms. The brine-shrimp bioassay was also carried out to study their in-vitro cytotoxic properties and two compounds, 5h and 5m, possessing LD(50) = 7.154x10(-4 )M and 5.782x10(-4) M, respectively, displayed potent cytotoxic activity against Artemia salina. The presence of a chlorine group in the coumarin moiety, its effect on their antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activities is discussed. All newly synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, (1)H-NMR,( 13)C-NMR, and MS.

Erythromycin- and tetracycline-resistant lactobacilli in Italian fermented dry sausages

AIMS

To assess the frequency of erythromycin- and tetracycline-resistant lactobacilli in Italian fermented dry sausages.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We isolated lactobacilli colonies from 20 salami from the north of Italy (Piacenza province) using selective medium supplemented with erythromycin or tetracycline; we determined the minimum inhibitory concentration and searched for selected erythromycin and tetracycline resistance genes. A total of 312 lactobacilli colonies were genetically ascribed to 60 different strains belonging to seven Lactobacillus species. Lactobacillus sakei, Lactobacillus curvatus and Lactobacillus plantarum were the most frequently found species. Thirty strains (50%) were phenotypically resistant to erythromycin, 45 (75%) to tetracycline and 27 (45%) were resistant to both. The most frequently detected resistance genes were tet(M) and erm(B).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides evidence of the presence of tetracycline- and, to a lesser extent, erythromycin-resistant lactobacilli in fermented dry sausages produced in northern Italy.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Although these antibiotic-resistant lactobacilli could serve as reservoir organisms, in our study, 16 of 20 salami could be considered safe in regard to possible antibiotic resistance gene transfer to pathogens, whereas 4 of 20 could represent a borderline situation.

Bacterial conjugation-based antimicrobial agents

A clear imperative exists to generate radically different antibacterial technologies that will reduce the usage of conventional chemical antibiotics. Here we trace one route into this new frontier of drug discovery, a concept that we call the bacterial conjugation-based technologies (BCBT). One of the objectives of the BCBT is to exploit plasmid biology for combating the rising tide of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Specifically, the concept utilizes conjugationally delivered plasmids as antimicrobial agents, and it builds on the accumulated work of many scientists dating back to the discoveries of conjugation and plasmids themselves. Each of the individual components that comprise the approach has been demonstrated to be feasible. We discuss the properties of bacterial plasmids to be employed in BCBT.

An analysis of the evolutionary relationships of integron integrases, with emphasis on the prevalence of class 1 integrons in Escherichia coli isolates from clinical and environmental origins

Integrons are genetic elements that allow the mobilization and expression of smaller elements called gene cassettes, and are considered to be key elements in the evolution of antibiotic resistance among enteric bacteria. Although in nature integrons appear to be abundant, the presence of class 1 integrons in Escherichia coli has been reported to be much less frequent among isolates of non-human origin than among clinical ones. Searching for integrons in a wide variety of E. coli isolates we found a steep decline in class 1 integron prevalence when going from clinical strains to environmental ones, from outdoor urban dust to the microbiota of wild animals. Attempting to assess the causes of this decline, we addressed the evolution of integron integrases, comparing the amino acid sequence of various of these enzymes, the key proteins in gene-cassette mobilization. We found that all integrases are homologues, but different classes have been recruited by enteric bacteria, supporting the notion that integrons can frequently be gained and lost. Additionally, we found that phylogenetically distant organisms that bear intI1, such as E. coli and other enteric bacteria, but also the Gram-positive corynebacteria, have a similar preferential genomic codon usage (CU), suggesting that CU might play an important role in the acquisition and/or maintenance of integrons. In fact, the CU of intI1 is more similar to the preferential genomic CU of non-enteric bacteria than it is to that of E. coli. CU has been proposed to be involved in the retention of horizontally transferred genes; integrons in E. coli are often plasmid-borne. This might explain the reduced prevalence of integrons in enteric bacteria when not under the selective pressure of antibiotics. Collectively, our results provide evidence that class 1 integrons are important gene mobilizers within E. coli, but are not acquired and/or stably maintained without selective pressure. Thus, although not effective to reduce the prevalence of resistance itself, decreasing the use of antibiotics could be useful to diminish the presence of gene-mobilization machineries.

Reversal of resistance in microorganisms by help of non-antibiotics

Intracellular efflux pumps have been largely the research focus in multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms and parasites including cancers. However, drug efflux mechanisms other than pumps per se have been observed, supported by the effects of isomeric, non-antibiotic depressant (DPR), phenothiazines and thixenes, and antidepressant (ADPR) phenylpiperidine neurotropic drugs, alone or in combination with classical antimicrobials on MDR Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Of the non-antibiotics we investigated, the DPR l-thioridazine, trans-clopenthixol and isomers of phenylpiperidines NNC 20-4962 (isomer of femoxetine) and NNC 20-7052 (isomer of paroxetine) were potent antimicrobials with the least neurotropic activity, pointing to a possible general isomeric structure-activity relationship. These compounds may be regarded as new efflux inhibitors. Moreover, these isomers have considerably reduced, in some cases absent, neurotropism and reduced mammalian toxicity. This may alleviate concerns about adverse effects and therapeutic safety for infected patients in life-threatening situations where the non-antibiotic dosage would be in the lower, non-chronic dosage ranges generally prescribed for individuals with mild mental health problems. The results point to the prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms' phospholipid/protein domain involvement of the cationic, amphiphilic, non-antibiotic DPR and ADPR, with the phospholipids being the initial sites attracting and concentrating the neurotropes to induce a form of suspended animation, followed by gross changes of cell wall and membrane structure, and thereby potentiating their destructive or immobilizing effects on various as yet only hinted at resistance and efflux mechanisms. Combination of appropriate isomeric non-antibiotic DPR and ADPR of low neurotropism and toxicity with conventional and classical antimicrobials promises early, new therapeutic strategies salutary against microbial resistance, resistance development, pathogenicity and virulence.

Static recipient cells as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance during antibiotic therapy

How does taking the full course of antibiotics prevent antibiotic resistant bacteria establishing in patients? We address this question by testing the possibility that horizontal/lateral gene transfer (HGT) is critical for the accumulation of the antibiotic-resistance phenotype while bacteria are under antibiotic stress. Most antibiotics prevent bacterial reproduction, some by preventing de novo gene expression. Nevertheless, in some cases and at some concentrations, the effects of most antibiotics on gene expression may not be irreversible. If the stress is removed before the bacteria are cleared from the patients by normal turnover, gene expression restarts, converting the residual population to phenotypic resistance. Using mathematical models we investigate how static recipients of resistance genes carried by plasmids accumulate resistance genes, and how specifically an environment cycling between presence and absence of the antibiotic uniquely favors the evolution of horizontally mobile resistance genes. We found that the presence of static recipients can substantially increase the persistence of the plasmid and that this effect is most pronounced when the cost of carriage of the plasmid decreases the cell's growth rate by as much as a half or more. In addition, plasmid persistence can be enhanced even when conjugation rates are as low as half the rate required for the plasmid to persist as a parasite on its own.

Problems in monitoring horizontal gene transfer in field trials of transgenic plants

Transgenic crops are approved for release in some countries, while many more countries are wrestling with the issue of how to conduct risk assessments. Controls on field trials often include monitoring of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from crops to surrounding soil microorganisms. Our analysis of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and of the sensitivity of current techniques for monitoring HGT from transgenic plants to soil microorganisms has two major implications for field trial assessments of transgenic crops: first, HGT from transgenic plants to microbes could still have an environmental impact at a frequency approximately a trillion times lower than the current risk assessment literature estimates the frequency to be; and second, current methods of environmental sampling to capture genes or traits in a recombinant are too insensitive for monitoring evolution by HGT. A model for HGT involving iterative short-patch events explains how HGT can occur at high frequencies but be detected at extremely low frequencies.

Combining mathematical models and statistical methods to understand and predict the dynamics of antibiotic-sensitive mutants in a population of resistant bacteria during experimental evolution

Temporarily discontinuing the use of antibiotics has been proposed as a means to eliminate resistant bacteria by allowing sensitive clones to sweep through the population. In this study, we monitored a tetracycline-sensitive subpopulation that emerged during experimental evolution of E. coli K12 MG1655 carrying the multiresistance plasmid pB10 in the absence of antibiotics. The fraction of tetracycline-sensitive mutants increased slowly over 500 generations from 0.1 to 7%, and loss of resistance could be attributed to a recombination event that caused deletion of the tet operon. To help understand the population dynamics of these mutants, three mathematical models were developed that took into consideration recurrent mutations, increased host fitness (selection), or a combination of both mechanisms (full model). The data were best explained by the full model, which estimated a high mutation frequency (lambda = 3.11 x 10(-5)) and a significant but small selection coefficient (sigma = 0.007). This study emphasized the combined use of experimental data, mathematical models, and statistical methods to better understand and predict the dynamics of evolving bacterial populations, more specifically the possible consequences of discontinuing the use of antibiotics.

Gram-positive bacteria are a major reservoir of Class 1 antibiotic resistance integrons in poultry litter

Reversing the spread of antibiotic multiresistant bacteria is hampered by ignorance of the natural history of resistance genes, the mobile elements carrying them, and the bacterial hosts harboring them. Using traditional cultivation and cultivation-independent molecular techniques, we quantified antibiotic resistance genes and mobile elements called integrons in poultry house litter from commercial poultry farms. Unexpectedly, the major reservoir for Class 1 integrons in poultry litter is not their previously identified hosts, Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae such as Escherichia coli. Rather, integrons and associated resistance genes abound in several genera of Gram-positive bacteria that constitute >85% of the litter community compared with Enterobacteriaceae that comprise <2% of this ecosystem. This finding warrants reexamination of our assumptions about the persistence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

Antibiotic resistance in gut bacteria from dairy calves: a dose response to the level of antibiotics fed in milk

Dairy calves are commonly fed milk from cows treated with antibiotics. The concentration of beta-lactam antibiotic residues found in milk from treated cows was used to determine the range of concentrations of penicillin used in a dose-regulated experiment. Thirty-one Holstein calves were randomly assigned to milk with penicillin G added at concentrations of 0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 microl/kg. Fecal swabs were taken from each calf twice weekly. Resistance to penicillin was tested by measuring the zone of inhibition in bacterial growth around a disk impregnated with the antibiotic. Inhibition was greatest for bacteria from calves fed milk with no penicillin (2.89 +/- 0.14 mm), and declined as the penicillin dose provided in the milk increased (to a low of 0.70 +/- 0.10 for the 50 microl/kg treatment group). In conclusion, resistance of gut bacteria to antibiotics increases with increasing concentrations of penicillin in the milk fed to dairy calves.

Synthesis and biological evaluations of novel benzimidazoles as potential antibacterial agents

A series of novel benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized via parallel solution-phase chemistry. Many of these compounds were found to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Several analogues exhibited low micromolar minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria of clinical relevance and could serve as leads for further optimizations for antibacterial research.

A survey of antibiotic resistance in Micrococcaceae isolated from Italian dry fermented sausages

The transfer of bacteria that are resistant to antimicrobial agents or resistance genes from animals to humans via the food chain is increasingly a problem. Therefore, it is important to determine the species and the numbers of bacteria involved in this phenomenon. For this purpose, 148 strains of microstaphylococci were isolated from three types of Italian dry fermented sausages. Eight of 148 strains belonged to the genera Kocuria and Micrococcus. The remaining 140 strains belonged to 11 different species of the genus Staphylococcus. The species most frequently isolated was Staphylococcus xylosus, followed by Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotic resistance levels differed among the species and depended on the strain origin. Microstaphylococci were generally susceptible to beta-lactams, but 12 strains were resistant to methicillin, 8 were resistant to oxacillin, and 9 were resistant to penicillin G. No resistance was observed for aminoglicosides and cephalosporines. Many strains were resistant to sulfonamide, colistin suphate, tetracyclin, and bacitracin. Two strains of S. aureus, four strains of S. xylosus, and one strain of Staphylococcus sciuri were able to grow in the presence of 8 microg of vancomycin per g, but all strains were susceptible to teicoplanin. Twenty-two microstaphylococci were resistant to at least five of the tested antibiotics. The multiresistant strain S. aureus 899 was unaffected by eight antibiotics, including vancomycin and methicillin, indicating that a more prudent use of antibiotics in animal husbandry and better hygienic conditions during production should be encouraged because they can play a major role in reducing the incidence of such multiresistant microorganisms and the possible spread of the genetic elements of their resistance.