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Warnke P, Köller T, Kreikemeyer B, Barrantes I, Mach H, Podbielski A. Molecular epidemiology study of a nosocomial Moraxella catarrhalis outbreak in a neurological rehabilitation unit. J Hosp Infect 2019; 103:27-34. [PMID: 31054937 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2019.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Moraxella catarrhalis is a common agent causing upper and lower respiratory tract infections, particularly of ventilated patients. The bacteria are transmitted between humans by direct and indirect contacts. However, reports of nosocomial outbreaks by this pathogen are scarce. AIM To analyse M. catarrhalis strains isolated during an outbreak in a medical rehabilitation centre to reveal their clonal relationship and to elucidate potential transmission routes. METHODS Extensive environmental and medical staff sampling was performed. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses of 15 isolates were executed, including repetitive element palindromic polymerase chain reaction (repPCR) and whole-genome sequencing. Furthermore, an intensified hygiene regimen was installed. FINDINGS The clonal nature of nine patient isolates and a simultaneous presence of separate entities including a strain isolated from a physician during staff screening was confirmed. Although neither asymptomatic carriers among the staff persons nor outbreak strain-contaminated fomites were identified for a specific intervention, the outbreak ceased due to maximum general and specific hygiene precautions. Retrospective analysis showed the increasing prevalence of M. catarrhalis strains over a period of two years before the incidence. Since then and after returning to the regular hygiene regimen, only one patient with a phenotypically diverse M. catarrhalis isolate has been documented. CONCLUSION The first M. catarrhalis outbreak involving nine patients of a neurological and trauma rehabilitation centre was reported. Potential transmission pathways were discussed. Comprehensive outbreak analyses insinuated the extension of routine laboratory storage time for defined species.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Warnke
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology & Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Germany.
| | - T Köller
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology & Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Germany
| | - B Kreikemeyer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology & Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Germany
| | - I Barrantes
- Institute for Biostatistics and Informatics in Medicine and Ageing Research, University Medicine Rostock, Germany
| | - H Mach
- Center for Medical Rehabilitation, Waldeck-Schwaan, Germany
| | - A Podbielski
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology & Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Germany
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2
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Soares GMS, Figueiredo LC, Faveri M, Cortelli SC, Duarte PM, Feres M. Mechanisms of action of systemic antibiotics used in periodontal treatment and mechanisms of bacterial resistance to these drugs. J Appl Oral Sci 2013; 20:295-309. [PMID: 22858695 PMCID: PMC3881775 DOI: 10.1590/s1678-77572012000300002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2010] [Accepted: 09/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibiotics are important adjuncts in the treatment of infectious diseases, including periodontitis. The most severe criticisms to the indiscriminate use of these drugs are their side effects and, especially, the development of bacterial resistance. The knowledge of the biological mechanisms involved with the antibiotic usage would help the medical and dental communities to overcome these two problems. Therefore, the aim of this manuscript was to review the mechanisms of action of the antibiotics most commonly used in the periodontal treatment (i.e. penicillin, tetracycline, macrolide and metronidazole) and the main mechanisms of bacterial resistance to these drugs. Antimicrobial resistance can be classified into three groups: intrinsic, mutational and acquired. Penicillin, tetracycline and erythromycin are broad-spectrum drugs, effective against gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms. Bacterial resistance to penicillin may occur due to diminished permeability of the bacterial cell to the antibiotic; alteration of the penicillin-binding proteins, or production of β-lactamases. However, a very small proportion of the subgingival microbiota is resistant to penicillins. Bacteria become resistant to tetracyclines or macrolides by limiting their access to the cell, by altering the ribosome in order to prevent effective binding of the drug, or by producing tetracycline/macrolide-inactivating enzymes. Periodontal pathogens may become resistant to these drugs. Finally, metronidazole can be considered a prodrug in the sense that it requires metabolic activation by strict anaerobe microorganisms. Acquired resistance to this drug has rarely been reported. Due to these low rates of resistance and to its high activity against the gram-negative anaerobic bacterial species, metronidazole is a promising drug for treating periodontal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geisla Mary Silva Soares
- Department of Periodontology, Dental Research Division, Guarulhos University, Guarulhos, SP, Brazil
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3
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CHRISTENSEN JENSJØRGEN. Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis: Clinical, microbiological and immunological features in lower respiratory tract infections. APMIS 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0463.1999.tb05670.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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4
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Gergova R, Markovska R, Mitov I. Antimicrobial resistance and production of beta-lactamases in Bulgarian clinical isolatesMoraxella catarrhalis. ANN MICROBIOL 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/bf03175616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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5
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Roberts MC. Genetic Mobility and Distribution of Tetracycline Resistance Determinants. CIBA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM 207 - ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE: ORIGINS, EVOLUTION, SELECTION AND SPREAD 2007. [DOI: 10.1002/9780470515358.ch13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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6
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Chopra I, Roberts M. Tetracycline antibiotics: mode of action, applications, molecular biology, and epidemiology of bacterial resistance. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2001; 65:232-60 ; second page, table of contents. [PMID: 11381101 PMCID: PMC99026 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.65.2.232-260.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2425] [Impact Index Per Article: 105.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tetracyclines were discovered in the 1940s and exhibited activity against a wide range of microorganisms including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, chlamydiae, mycoplasmas, rickettsiae, and protozoan parasites. They are inexpensive antibiotics, which have been used extensively in the prophlylaxis and therapy of human and animal infections and also at subtherapeutic levels in animal feed as growth promoters. The first tetracycline-resistant bacterium, Shigella dysenteriae, was isolated in 1953. Tetracycline resistance now occurs in an increasing number of pathogenic, opportunistic, and commensal bacteria. The presence of tetracycline-resistant pathogens limits the use of these agents in treatment of disease. Tetracycline resistance is often due to the acquisition of new genes, which code for energy-dependent efflux of tetracyclines or for a protein that protects bacterial ribosomes from the action of tetracyclines. Many of these genes are associated with mobile plasmids or transposons and can be distinguished from each other using molecular methods including DNA-DNA hybridization with oligonucleotide probes and DNA sequencing. A limited number of bacteria acquire resistance by mutations, which alter the permeability of the outer membrane porins and/or lipopolysaccharides in the outer membrane, change the regulation of innate efflux systems, or alter the 16S rRNA. New tetracycline derivatives are being examined, although their role in treatment is not clear. Changing the use of tetracyclines in human and animal health as well as in food production is needed if we are to continue to use this class of broad-spectrum antimicrobials through the present century.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Chopra
- Antimicrobial Research Centre and Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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7
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Chopra I, Roberts M. Tetracycline antibiotics: mode of action, applications, molecular biology, and epidemiology of bacterial resistance. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2001. [PMID: 11381101 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3093(98)00783-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Tetracyclines were discovered in the 1940s and exhibited activity against a wide range of microorganisms including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, chlamydiae, mycoplasmas, rickettsiae, and protozoan parasites. They are inexpensive antibiotics, which have been used extensively in the prophlylaxis and therapy of human and animal infections and also at subtherapeutic levels in animal feed as growth promoters. The first tetracycline-resistant bacterium, Shigella dysenteriae, was isolated in 1953. Tetracycline resistance now occurs in an increasing number of pathogenic, opportunistic, and commensal bacteria. The presence of tetracycline-resistant pathogens limits the use of these agents in treatment of disease. Tetracycline resistance is often due to the acquisition of new genes, which code for energy-dependent efflux of tetracyclines or for a protein that protects bacterial ribosomes from the action of tetracyclines. Many of these genes are associated with mobile plasmids or transposons and can be distinguished from each other using molecular methods including DNA-DNA hybridization with oligonucleotide probes and DNA sequencing. A limited number of bacteria acquire resistance by mutations, which alter the permeability of the outer membrane porins and/or lipopolysaccharides in the outer membrane, change the regulation of innate efflux systems, or alter the 16S rRNA. New tetracycline derivatives are being examined, although their role in treatment is not clear. Changing the use of tetracyclines in human and animal health as well as in food production is needed if we are to continue to use this class of broad-spectrum antimicrobials through the present century.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Chopra
- Antimicrobial Research Centre and Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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8
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Sethi S, Murphy TF. Bacterial infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2000: a state-of-the-art review. Clin Microbiol Rev 2001; 14:336-63. [PMID: 11292642 PMCID: PMC88978 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.14.2.336-363.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 408] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. The precise role of bacterial infection in the course and pathogenesis of COPD has been a source of controversy for decades. Chronic bacterial colonization of the lower airways contributes to airway inflammation; more research is needed to test the hypothesis that this bacterial colonization accelerates the progressive decline in lung function seen in COPD (the vicious circle hypothesis). The course of COPD is characterized by intermittent exacerbations of the disease. Studies of samples obtained by bronchoscopy with the protected specimen brush, analysis of the human immune response with appropriate immunoassays, and antibiotic trials reveal that approximately half of exacerbations are caused by bacteria. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae are the most common causes of exacerbations, while Chlamydia pneumoniae causes a small proportion. The role of Haemophilus parainfluenzae and gram-negative bacilli remains to be established. Recent progress in studies of the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of infection in the human respiratory tract and in vaccine development guided by such studies promises to lead to novel ways to treat and prevent bacterial infections in COPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Sethi
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Murphy TF, Brauer AL, Yuskiw N, Hiltke TJ. Antigenic structure of outer membrane protein E of Moraxella catarrhalis and construction and characterization of mutants. Infect Immun 2000; 68:6250-6. [PMID: 11035732 PMCID: PMC97706 DOI: 10.1128/iai.68.11.6250-6256.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Outer membrane protein E (OMP E) is a 50-kDa protein of Moraxella catarrhalis which possesses several characteristics indicating that the protein will be an effective vaccine antigen. To study the antigenic structure of OMP E, eight monoclonal antibodies were developed and characterized. Three of the antibodies recognized epitopes which are present on the bacterial surface. Fusion peptides corresponding to overlapping regions of OMP E were constructed, and immunoblot assays were performed to localize the areas of the molecule bound by the monoclonal antibodies. These studies identified a surface-exposed epitope in the region of amino acids 80 through 180. To further study the protein, two mutants which lack OMP E were constructed. In bactericidal assays, the mutants were more readily killed by normal human serum compared to the isogenic parent strains. These results indicate that OMP E is involved in the expression of serum resistance of M. catarrhalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- T F Murphy
- Division of Infectious Diseases of the Department of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14215, USA.
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10
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Roberts MC. Antibiotic resistance in oral/respiratory bacteria. CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ORAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ORAL BIOLOGISTS 1998; 9:522-40. [PMID: 9825225 DOI: 10.1177/10454411980090040801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the last 20 years, changes in world technology have occurred which have allowed for the rapid transport of people, food, and goods. Unfortunately, antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been transported as well. Over the past 20 years, the rise in antibiotic-resistant gene carriage in virtually every species of bacteria, not just oral/respiratory bacteria, has been documented. In this review, the main mechanisms of resistance to the important antibiotics used for treatment of disease caused by oral/respiratory bacteria--including beta-lactams, tetracycline, and metronidazole--are discussed in detail. Mechanisms of resistance for macrolides, lincosamides, streptogramins, trimethoprim, sulfonamides, aminoglycosides, and chloramphenicol are also discussed, along with the possible role that mercury resistance may play in the bacterial ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Roberts
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7238, USA
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11
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McGregor K, Chang BJ, Mee BJ, Riley TV. Moraxella catarrhalis: clinical significance, antimicrobial susceptibility and BRO beta-lactamases. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 1998; 17:219-34. [PMID: 9707304 DOI: 10.1007/bf01699978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Moraxella catarrhalis is an important pathogen of humans. It is a common cause of respiratory infections, particularly otitis media in children and lower respiratory tract infections in the elderly. Colonisation of the upper respiratory tract appears to be associated with infection in many cases, although this association is not well understood. Nosocomial transmission is being increasingly documented and the emergence of this organism as a cause of bacteremia is of concern. The widespread production of a beta-lactamase enzyme renders Moraxella catarrhalis resistant to the penicillins. Cephalosporins and beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations are effective for treatment of beta-lactamase producers, and the organism remains nearly universally susceptible to the macrolides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines and the combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. Two major beta-lactamase forms, BRO-1 and BRO-2, have been described on the basis of their isoelectric focusing patterns. The BRO-1 enzyme is found in the majority of beta-lactamase-producing isolates and confers a higher level of resistance to strains than BRO-2. The BRO enzymes are membrane associated and their production appears to be mediated by chromosomal determinants which are transmissible by an unknown mechanism. The origin of these novel proteins is unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- K McGregor
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Western Australia, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Australia
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12
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Murphy TF. Lung infections. 2. Branhamella catarrhalis: epidemiological and clinical aspects of a human respiratory tract pathogen. Thorax 1998; 53:124-8. [PMID: 9624298 PMCID: PMC1758713 DOI: 10.1136/thx.53.2.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T F Murphy
- Department of Microbiology, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, USA
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13
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Davies J, Webb V. 8 Antibiotic resistance in bacteria. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1998. [DOI: 10.1016/s1874-5326(07)80032-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
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14
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Roberts MC. Tetracycline resistance determinants: mechanisms of action, regulation of expression, genetic mobility, and distribution. FEMS Microbiol Rev 1996; 19:1-24. [PMID: 8916553 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.1996.tb00251.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 345] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Tetracycline-resistant bacteria were first isolated in 1953 from Shigella dysenteriae, a bacterium which causes bacterial dysentery. Since then tetracycline-resistant bacterial have been found in increasing numbers of species and genera. This has resulted in reduced effectiveness of tetracycline therapy over time. Tetracycline resistance is normally due to the acquisition of new genes often associated with either a mobile plasmid or a transposon. These tetracycline resistance determinants are distinguishable both genetically and biochemically. Resistance is primarily due to either energy-dependent efflux of tetracycline or protection of the ribosomes from the action of tetracycline. Gram-negative tetracycline efflux proteins are linked to repressor proteins which in the absence of tetracycline block transcription of the repressor and structural efflux genes. In contrast, expression of the Gram-positive tetracycline efflux genes and some of the ribosomal protection genes appears to be regulated by attenuation of mRNA transcription. Specific tetracycline resistance genes have been identified in 32 Gram-negative and 22 Gram-positive genera. Tetracycline-resistant bacteria are found in pathogens, opportunistic and normal flora species. Tetracycline-resistant bacteria can be isolated from man, animals, food, and the environment. The nonpathogens in each of these ecosystems may play an important role as reservoirs for the antibiotic resistance genes. It is clear that if we are to reverse the trend toward increasingly antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria we will need to change how antibiotics are used in both human and animal health and food production.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Roberts
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7238, USA.
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Roberts MC, Chung WO, Roe DE. Characterization of tetracycline and erythromycin resistance determinants in Treponema denticola. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1996; 40:1690-4. [PMID: 8807063 PMCID: PMC163396 DOI: 10.1128/aac.40.7.1690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Treponema denticola isolates were evaluated for the presence of known tetracycline and erythromycin resistance determinants by Southern blot hybridization of whole-cell DNA and PCR assays. We examined all isolates available, which included 12 clinical and 4 American Type Culture Collection isolates. Two isolates carried the Tet B determinant, five isolates carried both the Tet B and Erm F determinants, seven isolates carried the Erm F determinant, and two did not carry any of the Tet or Erm determinants tested. Both the Tet B and Erm F determinants appeared to be associated with the chromosome. Neither of the two T. denticola donors tested could transfer the Tet B determinant, but three of four T. denticola tested transferred the Erm F determinant to an Enterococcus faecalis recipient. This extends the host range of both the tetB and ermF genes into the genus Treponema.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Roberts
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7238, USA.
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Abstract
Over the past decade, Branhamella catarrhalis has emerged as an important human pathogen. The bacterium is a common cause of otitis media in children and of lower respiratory tract infections in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. B. catarrhalis is exclusively a human pathogen. It colonizes the respiratory tract of a small proportion of adults and a larger proportion of children. Studies involving restriction enzyme analysis of genomic DNA show that colonization is a dynamic process, with the human host eliminating and acquiring new strains frequently. The surface of B. catarrhalis contains outer membrane proteins, lipooligosaccharide, and pili. The genes which encode several outer membrane proteins have been cloned, and some of these proteins are being studied as potential vaccine antigens. Analysis of the immune response has been limited by the lack of an adequate animal model of B. catarrhalis infection. New information regarding outer membrane structure should guide studies of the human immune response to B. catarrhalis. Immunoassays which specifically detect antibodies to determinants exposed on the bacterial surface will elucidate the most relevant immune response. The recognition of B. catarrhalis as an important human pathogen has stimulated research on the epidemiology and surface structures of the bacterium. Future studies to understand the mechanisms of infection and to elucidate the human immune response to infection hold promise of developing new methods to treat and prevent infections caused by B. catarrhalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- T F Murphy
- Department of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA.
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Roe DE, Braham PH, Weinberg A, Roberts MC. Characterization of tetracycline resistance in Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. ORAL MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY 1995; 10:227-32. [PMID: 8602335 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-302x.1995.tb00147.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Comparison of susceptibility data for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans has been difficult because of the lack of standard susceptibility testing conditions. In this study, minimum inhibitory concentration to tetracycline was evaluated by comparing different media, air conditions and incubation times. Ten of 22 (45%) A. actinomycetemcomitans isolated from periodontally diseased sites grew on media supplemented with 4 micrograms per ml of tetracycline, but minimum inhibitory concentrations ranged from 0.125 to 8 micrograms/ml depending on the media and condition used. The best results were obtained with brain heart infusion agar (Difco Laboratories, Detroit MI) incubated in 5% CO2 for 48 h. Eighteen (82%) of the A. actinomycetemcomitans isolates hybridized with the Tet B determinant. The Tet B determinant was transferable between A. actinomycetemcomitans isolates as well as a Haemophilus influenzae recipient and appears to be associated with conjugative plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Roe
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
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Abstract
Resistance to tetracycline is generally due either to energy-dependent efflux of tetracycline or to protection of the bacterial ribosomes from the action of tetracycline. The genes that encode this resistance are normally acquired via transferable plasmids and/or transposons. Tet determinants have been found in a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and have reduced the effectiveness of therapy with tetracycline.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Roberts
- Dept of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98195
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Speer BS, Shoemaker NB, Salyers AA. Bacterial resistance to tetracycline: mechanisms, transfer, and clinical significance. Clin Microbiol Rev 1992; 5:387-99. [PMID: 1423217 PMCID: PMC358256 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.5.4.387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 286] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Tetracycline has been a widely used antibiotic because of its low toxicity and broad spectrum of activity. However, its clinical usefulness has been declining because of the appearance of an increasing number of tetracycline-resistant isolates of clinically important bacteria. Two types of resistance mechanisms predominate: tetracycline efflux and ribosomal protection. A third mechanism of resistance, tetracycline modification, has been identified, but its clinical relevance is still unclear. For some tetracycline resistance genes, expression is regulated. In efflux genes found in gram-negative enteric bacteria, regulation is via a repressor that interacts with tetracycline. Gram-positive efflux genes appear to be regulated by an attenuation mechanism. Recently it was reported that at least one of the ribosome protection genes is regulated by attenuation. Tetracycline resistance genes are often found on transmissible elements. Efflux resistance genes are generally found on plasmids, whereas genes involved in ribosome protection have been found on both plasmids and self-transmissible chromosomal elements (conjugative transposons). One class of conjugative transposon, originally found in streptococci, can transfer itself from streptococci to a variety of recipients, including other gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and mycoplasmas. Another class of conjugative transposons has been found in the Bacteroides group. An unusual feature of the Bacteroides elements is that their transfer is enhanced by preexposure to tetracycline. Thus, tetracycline has the double effect of selecting for recipients that acquire a resistance gene and stimulating transfer of the gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- B S Speer
- Keck Laboratories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125
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