Phenotypic and molecular characterization of TEM-116 extended-spectrum β-lactamase produced by aShigella flexnericlinical isolate from chickens

Development of a whole-cell biosensor for β-lactamase inhibitor discovery

The production of β-lactamases by bacterial pathogens endangers antimicrobial therapy, and new inhibitors for β-lactamases are urgently needed. We report the development of a luminescent-based biosensor that quantifies β-lactamase inhibition in a cellular context, based on the activation of transcriptional factor AmpR following the exposure of bacterial cells to β-lactams. This rapid method can account for factors like membrane permeability and can be employed to identify new β-lactamase inhibitors.

Amoxicillin and thiamphenicol treatments may influence the co-selection of resistance genes in the chicken gut microbiota

The aim of this study was to assess the dynamics of microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in the chicken gut following amoxicillin and thiamphenicol treatments and potential co-selection of ARGs. To this purpose, the microbial community composition, using 16S rRNA NGS, and the abundance of ARGs conferring resistance to β-lactams and phenicols, using qPCRs, were determined. Results revealed that the administered antimicrobials did not significantly reduce the gut microbiota diversity, but changed its composition, with taxa (e.g. Gallibacterium and Megamonas) being enriched after treatment and replacing other bacteria (e.g. Streptococcus and Bifidobacterium). Positive correlations were found between ARGs (e.g. cmlA, bla_CMY-2, and bla_SHV) and the relative abundance of specific taxa (e.g. Lactobacillus and Subdoligranulum). The selective pressure exerted by both amoxicillin and thiamphenicol resulted in an increased abundance of ARGs conferring resistance to β-lactams (e.g. bla_TEM-1, bla_SHV, and bla_CTX-M1-like) and phenicols (e.g. floR and cmlA). These findings, together with the co-occurrence of genes conferring resistance to the two antimicrobial classes (e.g. bla_TEM-1 and cmlA), suggest a possible interaction among antimicrobials on resistance emergence, possibly due to the presence of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) carrying multiple resistance determinants.

Identification of Shiga-Toxin-Producing Shigella Infections in Travel and Non-Travel Related Cases in Alberta, Canada

It has long been accepted that Shiga toxin (Stx) only exists in Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1. However, in recent decades, the presence of Shiga toxin genes (stx) in other Shigella spp. have been reported. We screened 366 Shigella flexneri strains from Alberta, Canada (2003 to 2016) for stx and 26 positive strains were identified. These isolates are highly related with the majority originating from the Dominican Republic and three isolates with Haiti origin. Both phylogenetic and spanning tree analysis of the 26 Alberta and 29 stx positive S. flexneri originating from the U.S., France, Canada (Quebec) and Haiti suggests that there are geographic specific distribution patterns (Haiti and Dominican Republic clades). This study provides the first comprehensive whole genome based phylogenetic analysis of stx positive S. flexneri strains as well as their global transmission, which signify the public health risks of global spreading of these strains.

Antibiotic resistance mechanisms in Acinetobacter spp. strains isolated from patients in a paediatric hospital in Mexico

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to identify Acinetobacter spp. strains from paediatric patients, to determine their genetic relationship, to detect antibiotic resistance genes and to evaluate the role of efflux pumps in antibiotic resistance.

METHODS

A total of 54 non-duplicate, non-consecutive Acinetobacter spp. isolates were collected from paediatric patients. Their genetic relationship, antibiotic resistance profile, efflux pump activity, antibiotic resistance genes and plasmid profile were determined.

RESULTS

The isolates were identified as 24 Acinetobacter haemolyticus, 24 Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (Acb) complex and 1 strain each of Acinetobacter junii, Acinetobacter radioresistens, Acinetobacter indicus, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Acinetobacter ursingii and Acinetobacter venetianus. The 24 A. haemolyticus were considered genetically unrelated. One strain was resistant to carbapenems, two to cephalosporins, two to ciprofloxacin and sixteen to aminoglycosides. The antibiotic resistance genes bla_OXA-214 (29%), bla_OXA-215 (4%), bla_OXA-264 (8%), bla_OXA-265 (29%), bla_NDM-1 (4%), aac(6')-Ig (38%) and the novel variants bla_OXA-575 (13%), bla_TEM-229 (75%), aac(6')-Iga (4%), aac(6')-Igb (13%) and aac(6')-Igc (42%) were detected. Among 24 Acb complex, 5 were multidrug-resistant, carbapenem-resistant strains carrying bla_OXA-51 and bla_OXA-23; they were genetically related and had the same plasmid profile. Other species were susceptible. In some strains of A. haemolyticus and Acb complex, the role of RND efflux pumps was evidenced by a decrease in the MICs for cefotaxime, amikacin and ciprofloxacin in the presence of an efflux pump inhibitor.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified isolates of A. haemolyticus carrying new β-lactamase variants and shows for the first time the contribution of efflux pumps to antibiotic resistance in this species.

Genomic and Proteomic Analyses of Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Identifying Mechanisms of Induced de novo Tolerance to Ceftiofur

With the alarming proliferation of antibiotic resistance, it is important to understand the de novo development of bacterial adaptation to antibiotics in formerly susceptible lineages, in the absence of external genetic input from existing resistance pools. A strain of ceftiofur susceptible Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis ABB07-SB3071 (MIC = 1.0 μg/ml) was successively exposed to sub-MIC of ceftiofur to allow its adaptation for tolerance to a concentration of 2.0 μg/ml of this antibiotic. Genomic and proteomic comparative analyses of the parental strain and induced tolerant derived lineages were performed to characterize underlying mechanisms of de novo adaptation (tolerance). Expression and localization of specific drug-, heme-, sugar-, amino acid-, and sulfate-transporters were altered, as was the localization of the cell membrane stabilizing protein OsmY in the tolerant strains adapted to 2.0 μg/ml compared to the parental isolate lines. This redistribution of existing transporters acts to minimize the concentrations of ceftiofur in the periplasm, by decreasing facilitated import and increasing active efflux and cytosolic sequestration as determined by high performance liquid chromatography quantification of residual total and extracellular ceftiofur after growth. Genetic, subcellular localization, and abundance changes of specific regulators of transcription, translation, and post-translational dynamics in the derived ceftiofur tolerant lineages decrease metabolic strain on cell walls and enhance periplasmic envelop stability against stress. This produces slower growing, more tolerant populations, which deplete free ceftiofur concentrations significantly more than susceptible parental populations (P < 0.05), as measured by recoverable levels of ceftiofur from cultures of equivalent cellular density incubated with equal ceftiofur concentrations. Genetic and abundance changes to specific carbon and nitrogen metabolism enzymes, not traditionally associated with beta-lactam metabolism, establish an enzymatic framework with the potential to detoxify/degrade ceftiofur, while mutations and changes in subcellular localization in specific cell surface factors enhance the stability of the Gram-negative cell envelop despite the compromising effect of ceftiofur. The observed changes highlight generalizable mechanisms of de novo tolerance without horizontal gene transfer, and thus can inform policies to combat antibiotic tolerance and minimize induction of de novo tolerance.

Characterization of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Genes of Shigella flexneri Isolates With Fosfomycin Resistance From Patients in China

BACKGROUND

The emergence of fosfomycin resistance and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes is a serious threat to public health and a new challenge in shigellosis treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify fosfomycin resistance and characterize β-lactamase genes in fos-carrying isolates of Shigella flexneri from patients in China.

METHODS

A total of 263 S. flexneri isolates were collected from 34 hospitals in the Anhui Province of China during September 2012-September 2015 and screened for fosA3, fosA, and fosC2 by PCR amplification and sequencing. The fos-carrying isolates were then screened for β-lactamase genes. The clonal relationships between fosA3-carrying isolates, the transmissibility of fosfomycin resistance, replicon types of plasmids carrying fosfomycin resistance genes and other associated resistance genes were investigated.

RESULTS

Twenty-five of the 263 isolates (9.5%) showed resistance to fosfomycin, and 18 (6.8%) were positive for fosA3. None of the isolates was positive for fosA or fosC2. Seventeen of the isolates carrying fosA3 (94%) were CTX-M producers (seven CTX-M-55, five CTX-M-14, and five CTX-M-123), while three (16.7%) were TEM producers (TEM-1).Sixteen (88.9%) fosA3-carrying isolates exhibited multi-drug resistance. The replicon types of the 13 fosA3-carrying plasmids were IncF (n=13), IncHI2 (n=3), IncIl-Ir (n=2), and IncN (n=1).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that fosA3 could spread through plasmids in S. flexneri isolates, along with the bla(CTX-M) and bla(TEM), which facilitate its quick dispersal. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of CTX-M-123-type ESBLs in S. flexneri isolates from patients in China.

Profiling of antimicrobial resistance and plasmid replicon types in β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli isolated from Korean beef cattle

In this study, 78 isolates of Escherichia coli isolated from Korean beef cattle farms were investigated for the production of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and/or AmpC β-lactamase. In the disc diffusion test with ampicillin, amoxicillin, cephalothin, ceftiofur, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and cefoxitin, 38.5% of the isolates showed resistance to all of ampicillin, amoxicillin, and cephalothin. The double disc synergy method revealed that none of the isolates produced ESBL or AmpC β-lactamases. DNA sequencing showed that all isolates encoded genes for TEM-1-type β-lactamase. Moreover, 78.2% of the isolates transferred the TEM-1-type β-lactamase gene via conjugation. In plasmid replicon typing of all donors, IncFIB and IncFIA were identified in 71.4% and 41.0% of plasmids, respectively. In transconjugants, IncFIB and IncFIA were the most frequent types detected (61.5% and 41.0%, respectively). Overall, the present study indicates that selection pressures of antimicrobials on β-lactamases in beef cattle may be low relative to other livestock animals in Korea. Moreover, to reduce selection pressure and dissemination of β-lactamase, the long-term surveillance of antimicrobial use in domestic beef cattle should be established.

Molecular characterization of the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Shigella spp. in Shanghai

Shigellosis is a public health concern in China. We tested 216 Shigella isolates collected in Shanghai in 2007 for the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). ESBL-producing isolates were characterized using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genotyping, conjugation, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and DNA sequence analysis of regions adjacent to bla genes. Plasmids containing genes encoding ESBLs were analyzed using plasmid replicon typing. ESBLs were produced by 18.1 % (39/216) of Shigella isolates, and all 39 ESBL-producing strains harbored bla CTX-M genes. CTX-M-14 was the most frequent variant (69.2 %, 27/39), followed by CTX-M-15 (15.4 %, 6/39). All bla CTX-M genes were transferable by conjugation, and the insertion sequence ISEcp1 was detected upstream of all bla CTX-M genes. The CTX-M-producing Shigella isolates showed high clonal diversity. IncI1, IncFII, IncN, and IncB/O replicons were respectively detected in 23 (58.9 %), 9 (23.1 %), 1 (2.6 %), and 1 (2.6 %) of the 39 transconjugants carrying bla CTX-M. The bla CTX-M-14 genes were most frequently carried by IncI1 (n = 13, 48.1 %) or IncFII (n = 9, 33.3 %) plasmids, and the bla CTX-M-15 genes were closely associated with IncI1 (n = 5, 83.3 %). Our findings demonstrate the high prevalence of ESBL-producing Shigella in Shanghai, the importance of plasmids and ISEcp1 as carriers of bla CTX-M genes, and the close association between certain bla CTX-M genes with a specific plasmid.

Bovine intestinal bacteria inactivate and degrade ceftiofur and ceftriaxone with multiple beta-lactamases

The veterinary cephalosporin drug ceftiofur is rapidly degraded in the bovine intestinal tract. A cylinder-plate assay was used to detect microbiologically active ceftiofur, and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was used to quantify the amount of ceftiofur remaining after incubation with bovine intestinal anaerobic bacteria, which were isolated from colon contents or feces from 8 cattle. Ninety-six percent of the isolates were able to inactivate ceftiofur to some degree, and 54% actually degraded the drug. None of 9 fungal isolates inactivated or degraded ceftiofur. Facultative and obligate anaerobic bacterial species that inactivated or degraded ceftiofur were identified with Vitek and Biolog systems, respectively. A subset of ceftiofur degraders also degraded the chemically similar drug ceftriaxone. Most of the species of bacteria that degraded ceftiofur belonged to the genera Bacillus and Bacteroides. PCR analysis of bacterial DNA detected specific β-lactamase genes. Bacillus cereus and B. mycoides isolates produced extended-spectrum β-lactamases and metallo-β-lactamases. Seven isolates of Bacteroides spp. produced multiple β-lactamases, including possibly CepA, and metallo-β-lactamases. Isolates of Eubacterium biforme, Bifidobacterium breve, and several Clostridium spp. also produced ceftiofur-degrading β-lactamases. An agar gel overlay technique on isoelectric focusing separations of bacterial lysates showed that β-lactamase enzymes were sufficient to degrade ceftiofur. These results suggest that ceftiofur is inactivated nonenzymatically and degraded enzymatically by multiple β-lactamases from bacteria in the large intestines of cattle.

Prevalence and characterization of human Shigella infections in Henan Province, China, in 2006

In 2006, 3,531 fecal samples were collected from patients with diarrhea in Henan Province, China. A total of 467 (13.2%) Shigella strains were isolated and serotyped. Seventy-one Shigella flexneri strains were characterized by MIC determination, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and detection of genes encoding cephalosporin resistance. Most infections were caused by S. flexneri variant X [IV:(7),8] (27.6%), S. sonnei (24.2%), and S. flexneri 2a (20.8%). However, large regional differences were observed. Significantly higher odds (2.0) of females compared to males were infected with S. flexneri 2a. Untypeable S. flexneri (-:6) isolates were absent among males, as were untypeable S. flexneri [I:(7),8] isolates among females. Patient ages ranged from 2 months to 82 years, with 231 subjects (49.7%) <5 years of age. Most of the patients were male (62.1% [n = 290]). Infections peaked in July; week 27 with 38 cases (8.1%). All of the 71 S. flexneri conferred resistance to nalidixic acid; in addition, 21% (n = 15) and 79% (n = 56) were high- and low-level resistant to ciprofloxacin, respectively. Six S. flexneri isolates {serotype 2b [II:7,(8)] and 2b [II:(3),4;7,(8)]} harbored the bla(CTX-M-14) or bla(CTX-M-15) gene. A total of 52 unique XbaI PFGE patterns were observed among the 71 S. flexneri isolates with 11 distinct PFGE clusters. This study revealed a high prevalence of shigellosis with geographical differences in the distribution of serotypes in the distribution of serotypes and also differences in comparisons by gender. A high frequency of resistance, including 100% resistance to ciprofloxacin and resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins, was observed. We detected several isolates exhibiting the same PFGE type and MIC profile, indicating multiple undetected outbreaks.

Molecular characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolates from chickens in Henan Province, China

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli has spread rapidly worldwide and poses a serious threat to human and animal health. This study collected 51 non-replicate E. coli isolates from 14 different chicken farms in Henan Province in China from December 2007 to August 2008. The prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli, molecular characterization of the ESBL-related bla genes, including bla TEM, bla SHV and bla CTX-M, and the susceptibilities of these bacteria to various antimicrobial agents were determined. Thirty-one of the 51 isolates were positive for an ESBL phenotype and 29 of these isolates carried one or more bla genes. Twenty-two isolates harboured bla TEM genes and 15 isolates carried bla CTX-M genes (one CTX-M-14, three CTX-M-24 and 11 CTX-M-65). One isolate carried bla TEM -57; the remaining bla TEM isolates carried bla TEM-1 with one silent nucleotide base variation (T18C). We believe that this is the first study to report TEM-57 in E. coli isolates. All isolates harbouring bla CTX-M-24 and bla CTX-M-14 and five of the bla CTX-M-65 isolates also harboured the bla TEM-1 gene. To our knowledge, this study is the first to describe detection of CTX-M-65-producing E. coli isolated from chickens. None of the isolates contained the bla SHV gene. Conjugation experiments demonstrated that bla CTX-M and bla TEM genes could be transferred to E. coli DH5α. The results indicate that ESBL frequency has reached an alarming level in chicken isolates in China, with TEM-1 and CTX-M-65 enzymes being the two predominant β-lactamases detected.