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Unemo M, Sánchez-Busó L, Golparian D, Jacobsson S, Shimuta K, Lan PT, Eyre DW, Cole M, Maatouk I, Wi T, Lahra MM. The novel 2024 WHO Neisseria gonorrhoeae reference strains for global quality assurance of laboratory investigations and superseded WHO N. gonorrhoeae reference strains-phenotypic, genetic and reference genome characterization. J Antimicrob Chemother 2024; 79:1885-1899. [PMID: 38889110 PMCID: PMC11290888 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkae176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES MDR and XDR Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains remain major public health concerns internationally, and quality-assured global gonococcal antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance is imperative. The WHO global Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (GASP) and WHO Enhanced GASP (EGASP), including metadata and WGS, are expanding internationally. We present the phenotypic, genetic and reference genome characteristics of the 2024 WHO gonococcal reference strains (n = 15) for quality assurance worldwide. All superseded WHO gonococcal reference strains (n = 14) were identically characterized. MATERIAL AND METHODS The 2024 WHO reference strains include 11 of the 2016 WHO reference strains, which were further characterized, and four novel strains. The superseded WHO reference strains include 11 WHO reference strains previously unpublished. All strains were characterized phenotypically and genomically (single-molecule PacBio or Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing). RESULTS The 2024 WHO reference strains represent all available susceptible and resistant phenotypes and genotypes for antimicrobials currently and previously used (n = 22), or considered for future use (n = 3) in gonorrhoea treatment. The novel WHO strains include internationally spreading ceftriaxone resistance, ceftriaxone resistance due to new penA mutations, ceftriaxone plus high-level azithromycin resistance and azithromycin resistance due to mosaic MtrRCDE efflux pump. AMR, serogroup, prolyliminopeptidase, genetic AMR determinants, plasmid types, molecular epidemiological types and reference genome characteristics are presented for all strains. CONCLUSIONS The 2024 WHO gonococcal reference strains are recommended for internal and external quality assurance in laboratory examinations, especially in the WHO GASP, EGASP and other GASPs, but also in phenotypic and molecular diagnostics, AMR prediction, pharmacodynamics, epidemiology, research and as complete reference genomes in WGS analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Unemo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Microbiology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Leonor Sánchez-Busó
- Joint Research Unit ‘Infection and Public Health’, FISABIO-University of Valencia, Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Valencia, Spain
- CIBERESP, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Golparian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Microbiology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Microbiology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Ken Shimuta
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Pham Thi Lan
- Hanoi Medical University, National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - David W Eyre
- Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Ismael Maatouk
- Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Teodora Wi
- Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Monica M Lahra
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Sexually Transmitted Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, New South Wales Health Pathology, Microbiology, Randwick, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Turner JM, Stratton CM, Bala S, Cardenas Alvarez M, Nicholas RA, Davies C. Ureidopenicillins Are Potent Inhibitors of Penicillin-Binding Protein 2 from Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae H041. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1298-1311. [PMID: 38446051 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Effective treatment of gonorrhea is threatened by the increasing prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains resistant to the extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs). Recently, we demonstrated the promise of the third-generation cephalosporin cefoperazone as an antigonococcal agent due to its rapid second-order rate of acylation against penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2) from the ESC-resistant strain H041 and robust antimicrobial activity against H041. Noting the presence of a ureido moiety in cefoperazone, we evaluated a subset of structurally similar ureido β-lactams, including piperacillin, azlocillin, and mezlocillin, for activity against PBP2 from H041 using biochemical and structural analyses. We found that the ureidopenicillin piperacillin has a second-order rate of acylation against PBP2 that is 12-fold higher than cefoperazone and 85-fold higher than ceftriaxone and a lower MIC against H041 than ceftriaxone. Surprisingly, the affinity of ureidopenicillins for PBP2 is minimal, indicating that their inhibitory potency is due to a higher rate of the acylation step of the reaction compared to cephalosporins. Enhanced acylation results from the combination of a penam scaffold with a 2,3-dioxopiperazine-containing R1 group. Crystal structures show that the ureido β-lactams overcome the effects of resistance mutations present in PBP2 from H041 by eliciting conformational changes that are hindered when PBP2 interacts with the weaker inhibitor ceftriaxone. Overall, our results support the potential of piperacillin as a treatment for gonorrhea and provide a framework for the future design of β-lactams with improved activity against ESC-resistant N. gonorrhoeae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M Turner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
| | - Caleb M Stratton
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36688, United States
| | - Sandeepchowdary Bala
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36688, United States
| | - Maria Cardenas Alvarez
- Departments of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Robert A Nicholas
- Departments of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36688, United States
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3
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Frost KM, Charron-Smith SL, Cotsonas TC, Dimartino DC, Eisenhart RC, Everingham ET, Holland EC, Imtiaz K, Kornowicz CJ, Lenhard LE, Lynch LH, Moore NP, Phadke K, Reed ML, Smith SR, Ward LL, Wadsworth CB. Rolling the evolutionary dice: Neisseria commensals as proxies for elucidating the underpinnings of antibiotic resistance mechanisms and evolution in human pathogens. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0350723. [PMID: 38179941 PMCID: PMC10871548 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03507-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Species within the genus Neisseria are adept at sharing adaptive allelic variation, with commensal species repeatedly transferring resistance to their pathogenic relative Neisseria gonorrhoeae. However, resistance in commensals is infrequently characterized, limiting our ability to predict novel and potentially transferable resistance mechanisms that ultimately may become important clinically. Unique evolutionary starting places of each Neisseria species will have distinct genomic backgrounds, which may ultimately control the fate of evolving populations in response to selection as epistatic and additive interactions coerce lineages along divergent evolutionary trajectories. Alternatively, similar genetic content present across species due to shared ancestry may constrain existing adaptive solutions. Thus, identifying the paths to resistance across commensals may aid in characterizing the Neisseria resistome-or the reservoir of alleles within the genus as well as its depth. Here, we use in vitro evolution of four commensal species to investigate the potential and repeatability of resistance evolution to two antimicrobials, the macrolide azithromycin and the β-lactam penicillin. After 20 days of selection, commensals evolved resistance to penicillin and azithromycin in 11/16 and 12/16 cases, respectively. Almost all cases of resistance emergence converged on mutations within ribosomal components or the mtrRCDE efflux pump for azithromycin-based selection and mtrRCDE, penA, and rpoB for penicillin selection, thus supporting constrained adaptive solutions despite divergent evolutionary starting points across the genus for these particular drugs. Though drug-selected loci were limited, we do identify novel resistance-imparting mutations. Continuing to explore paths to resistance across different experimental conditions and genomic backgrounds, which could shunt evolution down alternative evolutionary trajectories, will ultimately flesh out the full Neisseria resistome.IMPORTANCENeisseria gonorrhoeae is a global threat to public health due to its rapid acquisition of antibiotic resistance to all first-line treatments. Recent work has documented that alleles acquired from close commensal relatives have played a large role in the emergence of resistance to macrolides and beta-lactams within gonococcal populations. However, commensals have been relatively underexplored for the resistance genotypes they may harbor. This leaves a gap in our understanding of resistance that could be rapidly acquired by the gonococcus through a known highway of horizontal gene exchange. Here, we characterize resistance mechanisms that can emerge in commensal Neisseria populations via in vitro selection to multiple antimicrobials and begin to define the number of paths to resistance. This study, and other similar works, may ultimately aid both surveillance efforts and clinical diagnostic development by nominating novel and conserved resistance mechanisms that may be at risk of rapid dissemination to pathogen populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Frost
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Sierra L. Charron-Smith
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Terence C. Cotsonas
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Daniel C. Dimartino
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Rachel C. Eisenhart
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Eric T. Everingham
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Elle C. Holland
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Kainat Imtiaz
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Cory J. Kornowicz
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Lydia E. Lenhard
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Liz H. Lynch
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Nadia P. Moore
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Kavya Phadke
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Makayla L. Reed
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Samantha R. Smith
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Liza L. Ward
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Crista B. Wadsworth
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
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Frost KM, Charron-Smith SL, Cotsonas TC, Dimartino DC, Eisenhart RC, Everingham ET, Holland EC, Imtiaz K, Kornowicz CJ, Lenhard LE, Lynch LH, Moore NP, Phadke K, Reed ML, Smith SR, Ward LL, Wadsworth CB. Rolling the evolutionary dice: Neisseria commensals as proxies for elucidating the underpinnings of antibiotic resistance mechanisms and evolution in human pathogens. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559611. [PMID: 37808746 PMCID: PMC10557713 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Species within the genus Neisseria are especially adept at sharing adaptive allelic variation across species' boundaries, with commensal species repeatedly transferring resistance to their pathogenic relative N. gonorrhoeae. However, resistance in commensal Neisseria is infrequently characterized at both the phenotypic and genotypic levels, limiting our ability to predict novel and potentially transferable resistance mechanisms that ultimately may become important clinically. Unique evolutionary starting places of each Neisseria species will have distinct genomic backgrounds, which may ultimately control the fate of evolving populations in response to selection, as epistatic and additive interactions may coerce lineages along divergent evolutionary trajectories. However alternatively, similar genetic content present across species due to shared ancestry may constrain the adaptive solutions that exist. Thus, identifying the paths to resistance across commensals may aid in characterizing the Neisseria resistome - or the reservoir of alleles within the genus, as well as its depth. Here, we use in vitro evolution of four commensal species to investigate the potential for and repeatability of resistance evolution to two antimicrobials, the macrolide azithromycin and the β-lactam penicillin. After 20 days of selection, commensals evolved elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to penicillin and azithromycin in 11/16 and 12/16 cases respectively. Almost all cases of resistance emergence converged on mutations within ribosomal components or the mtrRCDE efflux pump for azithromycin-based selection, and mtrRCDE or penA for penicillin selection; thus, supporting constrained adaptive solutions despite divergent evolutionary starting points across the genus for these particular drugs. However, continuing to explore the paths to resistance across different experimental conditions and genomic backgrounds, which could shunt evolution down alternative evolutionary trajectories, will ultimately flesh out the full Neisseria resistome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Frost
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Sierra L. Charron-Smith
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Terence C. Cotsonas
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Daniel C. Dimartino
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Rachel C. Eisenhart
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Eric T. Everingham
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Elle C. Holland
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Kainat Imtiaz
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Cory J. Kornowicz
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Lydia E. Lenhard
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Liz H. Lynch
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Nadia P. Moore
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Kavya Phadke
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Makayla L. Reed
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Samantha R. Smith
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Liza L. Ward
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Crista B. Wadsworth
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
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López-Argüello S, Montaner M, Mármol-Salvador A, Velázquez-Escudero A, Docobo-Pérez F, Oliver A, Moya B. Penicillin-Binding Protein Occupancy Dataset for 18 β-Lactams and 4 β-Lactamase Inhibitors in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0069223. [PMID: 37093051 PMCID: PMC10269775 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00692-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The lack of effective first-line antibiotic treatments against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and the worldwide dissemination of resistant strains, are the main drivers of a worsening global health crisis. β-lactam antibiotics have been the backbone of therapeutic armamentarium against gonococci. However, we are lacking critical insights to design rationally optimized therapies. In the present work, we generated the first PBP-binding data set on 18 currently available and clinically relevant β-lactams and 4 β-lactamase inhibitors in two N. gonorrhoeae ATCC type collection strains, 19424 and 49226 (PBP2 type XXII and A39T change in mtrR). PBP binding (IC50) was determined via the Bocillin FL binding assay in isolated membrane preparations. Three clusters of differential PBP IC50s were identified and were mostly consistent across both strains, but with quantitative differences. Carbapenems were coselective for PBP2 and PBP3 (0.01 to 0.03 mg/L). Third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins cefixime, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefepime, and ceftriaxone showed the lowest IC50 values for PBP2 (0.01 mg/L), whereas cefoxitin, ceftaroline, and ceftolozane required higher concentrations (0.04 to >2 mg/L). Aztreonam was selective for PBP2 in both strains (0.03 to 0.07 mg/L); amdinocillin bound this PBP at higher concentrations (1.33 to 2.94 mg/L). Penicillins specifically targeted PBP2 in strain ATCC 19424 (0.02 to 0.19 mg/L) and showed limited inhibition in strain ATCC 49226 (0.01 to >2 mg/L). Preferential PBP2 binding was observed by β-lactam-based β-lactamase inhibitors sulbactam and tazobactam (1.07 to 6.02 mg/L); meanwhile, diazabicyclooctane inhibitors relebactam and avibactam were selective for PBP3 (1.27 to 5.40 mg/L). This data set will set the bar for future studies that will help the rational use and translational development of antibiotics against multidrug-resistant (MDR) N. gonorrhoeae. IMPORTANCE The manuscript represents the first N. gonorrhoeae PBP-binding data set for 22 chemically different drugs in two type strains with different genetic background. We have identified three clusters of drugs according to their PBP binding IC50s and highlighted the binding differences across the two strains studied. With the currently available genomic information and the PBP-binding data, we have been able to correlate the target attainment differences and the mutations that affect the drug uptake with the MIC changes. The results of the current work will allow us to develop molecular tools of great practical use for the study and the design of new rationally designed therapies capable of combating the growing MDR gonococci threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia López-Argüello
- Servicio de Microbiología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
| | - Maria Montaner
- Servicio de Microbiología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
| | - Amanda Mármol-Salvador
- Servicio de Microbiología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
| | - Ana Velázquez-Escudero
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Fernando Docobo-Pérez
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Oliver
- Servicio de Microbiología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Bartolome Moya
- Servicio de Microbiología and Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
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Ciprofloxacin Concentrations 1/1000th the MIC Can Select for Antimicrobial Resistance in N. gonorrhoeae—Important Implications for Maximum Residue Limits in Food. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11101430. [PMID: 36290088 PMCID: PMC9598464 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11101430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Concentrations of fluoroquinolones up to 200-fold lower than the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) have been shown to be able to select for antimicrobial resistance in E. coli and Salmonella spp. (the minimum selection concentration—MSC). We hypothesized that the low concentrations of quinolones found in meat may play a role in the genesis of quinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. We aimed to (i) establish the ciprofloxacin MSC for N. gonorrhoeae and (ii) assess if, at the ecological level, the prevalence of gonococcal ciprofloxacin resistance is associated with the concentration of quinolones used in food animal production, which is an important determinant of long-term low-dose exposure to ciprofloxacin in humans. Methods: (i) To assess if subinhibitory ciprofloxacin concentrations could select for de novo generated resistant mutants, a susceptible WHO-P N. gonorrhoeae isolate was serially passaged at 1, 1:10, 1:100 and 1:1000 of the ciprofloxacin MIC of WHO-P (0.004 mg/L) on GC agar plates. (ii) Spearman’s correlation was used to assess the association between the prevalence of ciprofloxacin resistance in N. gonorrhoeae and quinolone use for animals and quinolone consumption by humans. Results: Ciprofloxacin concentrations as low as 0.004 µg/L (1/1000 of the MIC of WHO-P) were able to select for ciprofloxacin resistance. The prevalence of ciprofloxacin resistance in N. gonorrhoeae was positively associated with quinolone use for food animals (ρ = 0.47; p = 0.004; N = 34). Conclusion: Further individual level research is required to assess if low doses of ciprofloxacin from ingested foodstuffs are able to select for ciprofloxacin resistance in bacteria colonizing humans and other species.
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Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are important human pathogens that have evolved to bind the major negative regulator of the complement system, complement factor H (CFH). However, little is known about the interaction of pathogens with CFH-related proteins (CFHRs) which are structurally similar to CFH but lack the main complement regulatory domains found in CFH. Insights into the role of CFHRs have been hampered by a lack of specific reagents. We generated a panel of CFHR-specific monoclonal antibodies and demonstrated that CFHR5 was bound by both pathogenic Neisseria spp. We showed that CFHR5 bound to PorB expressed by both pathogens in the presence of sialylated lipopolysaccharide and enhanced complement activation on the surface of N. gonorrhoeae. Our study furthered our understanding of the interactions of CFHRs with bacterial pathogens and revealed that CFHR5 bound the meningococcus and gonococcus via similar mechanisms.
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Molecular Mechanisms of Drug Resistance and Epidemiology of Multidrug-Resistant Variants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810499. [PMID: 36142410 PMCID: PMC9505821 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The paper presents various issues related to the increasing drug resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and the occurrence and spread of multidrug-resistant clones. One of the most important is the incidence and evolution of resistance mechanisms of N. gonorrhoeae to beta-lactam antibiotics. Chromosomal resistance to penicillins and oxyimino-cephalosporins and plasmid resistance to penicillins are discussed. Chromosomal resistance is associated with the presence of mutations in the PBP2 protein, containing mosaic variants and nonmosaic amino acid substitutions in the transpeptidase domain, and their correlation with mutations in the mtrR gene and its promoter regions (the MtrCDE membrane pump repressor) and in several other genes, which together determine reduced sensitivity or resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime. Plasmid resistance to penicillins results from the production of beta-lactamases. There are different types of beta-lactamases as well as penicillinase plasmids. In addition to resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, the paper covers the mechanisms and occurrence of resistance to macrolides (azithromycin), fluoroquinolones and some other antibiotics. Moreover, the most important epidemiological types of multidrug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae, prevalent in specific years and regions, are discussed. Epidemiological types are defined as sequence types, clonal complexes and genogroups obtained by various typing systems such as NG-STAR, NG-MAST and MLST. New perspectives on the treatment of N. gonorrhoeae infections are also presented, including new drugs active against multidrug-resistant strains.
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Schörner MA, Mesa D, Barazzetti FH, Martins JM, Machado HDM, Grisard HBDS, Wachter JK, Starick MR, Scheffer MC, Palmeiro JK, Bazzo ML. In vitro selection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae unveils novel mutations associated with extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:924764. [PMID: 35967879 PMCID: PMC9363574 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.924764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) is a worldwide concern because this class of antibiotics represents the last empirical treatment option for gonorrhea. The abusive use of antimicrobials may be an essential factor for the emergence of ESC resistance in N. gonorrhoeae. Cephalosporin resistance mechanisms have not been fully clarified. In this study, we mapped mutations in the genome of N. gonorrhoeae isolates after resistance induction with cefixime and explored related metabolic pathways. Six clinical isolates with different antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and genotypes and two gonococcal reference strains (WHO F and WHO Y) were induced with increasing concentrations of cefixime. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed against six antimicrobial agents before and after induction. Clinical isolates were whole-genome sequenced before and after induction, whereas reference strains were sequenced after induction only. Cefixime resistance induction was completed after 138 subcultures. Several metabolic pathways were affected by resistance induction. Five isolates showed SNPs in PBP2. The isolates M111 and M128 (ST1407 with mosaic penA-34.001) acquired one and four novel missense mutations in PBP2, respectively. These isolates exhibited the highest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for cefixime among all clinical isolates. Mutations in genes contributing to ESC resistance and in other genes were also observed. Interestingly, M107 and M110 (ST338) showed no mutations in key determinants of ESC resistance despite having a 127-fold increase in the MIC of cefixime. These findings point to the existence of different mechanisms of acquisition of ESC resistance induced by cefixime exposure. Furthermore, the results reinforce the importance of the gonococcal antimicrobial resistance surveillance program in Brazil, given the changes in treatment protocols made in 2017 and the nationwide prevalence of sequence types that can develop resistance to ESC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos André Schörner
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Microbiologia e Sorologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Marcos André Schörner,
| | - Dany Mesa
- Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Fernando Hartmann Barazzetti
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Microbiologia e Sorologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioinformática, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia e Biociências, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Motta Martins
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Microbiologia e Sorologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmácia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Hanalydia de Melo Machado
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Microbiologia e Sorologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Henrique Borges da Silva Grisard
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Microbiologia e Sorologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Julia Kinetz Wachter
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Microbiologia e Sorologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Márick Rodrigues Starick
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia e Doenças Infecciosas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Mara Cristina Scheffer
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Unidade do Laboratório de Análises Clínicas, Hospital Universitário Professor Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Jussara Kasuko Palmeiro
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Maria Luiza Bazzo
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Microbiologia e Sorologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmácia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
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10
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Lin EY, Adamson PC, Ha SM, Klausner JD. Reliability of Genetic Alterations in Predicting Ceftriaxone Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae Globally. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0206521. [PMID: 35348352 PMCID: PMC9045316 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02065-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance in N. gonorrhoeae is increasing globally, and ceftriaxone is the recommended treatment for empirical therapy in most settings. Developing molecular assays to detect decreased ceftriaxone susceptibility is critical. Using PathogenWatch, a public database of N. gonorrhoeae genomes, antibiotic susceptibility data and DNA sequences of different genes associated with ceftriaxone resistance were extracted. That information was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of different molecular markers and algorithms to predict decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone. A total of 12,943 N. gonorrhoeae genomes were extracted from the PathogenWatch database, of which 9,540 genomes were used in the analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of specific molecular markers and algorithms were largely consistent with prior reports. Small variation (<10%) in either sensitivity or specificity occurred. Certain algorithms using different molecular markers at various prevalence of decreased ceftriaxone susceptibility identified a potentially clinically useful range of positive and negative predictive values. We validated previously described mutations and algorithms in a large public database containing a global collection of N. gonorrhoeae genomes. Certain mutations and algorithms resulted in sensitivity and specificity values consistent with those of prior studies. Further research is needed to integrate these markers and algorithms into the development of molecular assays to predict decreased ceftriaxone susceptibility. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae), the causative agent of gonorrhea, is rising globally. Ceftriaxone is the last remaining antibiotic for empirical treatment of gonorrhea. Developing molecular tests to predict ceftriaxone resistance can help to improve detection and surveillance of ceftriaxone resistance. Here, we utilized PathogenWatch, a public global online database of N. gonorrhoeae genomes, to evaluate different genetic markers in predicting decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone. We compiled MICs for ceftriaxone from the PathogenWatch database and used a computational approach to extract all the genetic markers from the genomic data. We determined the sensitivity and specificity for predicting decreased ceftriaxone susceptibility among several combinations of genetic markers. We identified several combinations of genetic markers with high predictive values for decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone. These combinations of genetic markers might be promising candidates for future molecular tests to predict ceftriaxone resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Yu Lin
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Paul C. Adamson
- Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Sung-min Ha
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jeffrey D. Klausner
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California, USA
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11
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Alternative Pathways to Ciprofloxacin Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: An In Vitro Study of the WHO-P and WHO-F Reference Strains. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11040499. [PMID: 35453249 PMCID: PMC9026730 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11040499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging resistance to ceftriaxone and azithromycin has led to renewed interest in using ciprofloxacin to treat Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This could lead to the rapid emergence and spread of ciprofloxacin resistance. Previous studies investigating the emergence of fluoroquinolone resistance have been limited to a single strain of N. gonorrhoeae. It is unknown if different genetic backgrounds affect the evolution of fluoroquinolone resistance in N. gonorrhoeae, as has been shown in other bacterial species. This study evaluated the molecular pathways leading to ciprofloxacin resistance in two reference strains of N.gonorrhoeae-WHO-F and WHO-P. Three clones of each of the two strains of N.gonorrhoeae were evolved in the presence of ciprofloxacin, and isolates from different time points were whole-genome sequenced. We found evidence of strain-specific differences in the emergence of ciprofloxacin resistance. Two out of three clones from WHO-P followed the canonical pathway to resistance proceeding via substitutions in GyrA-S91F, GyrA-D95N and ParC. None of the three WHO-F clones followed this pathway. In addition, mutations in gyrB, uvrA and rne frequently occurred in WHO-F clones, whereas mutations in yhgF, porB and potA occurred in WHO-P.
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12
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Cassu-Corsi D, Santos FF, Cayô R, Martins WM, Nodari CS, Almeida LG, Martins RA, Carvalho da Silva RJ, Vasconcelos ATR, Pignatari AC, Gales AC. Genomic analyses of ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates recovered from the largest South American metropolitan area. Genomics 2022; 114:110287. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2022.110287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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13
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Golparian D, Unemo M. Antimicrobial resistance prediction in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Current status and future prospects. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2021; 22:29-48. [PMID: 34872437 DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2022.2015329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Several nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), mostly real-time PCRs, to detect antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants and predict AMR in Neisseria gonorrhoeae are promising, and some may be ready to apply at the point-of-care (POC), but important limitations remain with most NAATs. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can overcome many of these limitations.Areas covered: Recent advances, with main focus on publications since 2017, in the development and use of NAATs and NGS to predict gonococcal AMR for surveillance and clinical use, and pros and cons of these tests as well as future perspectives for appropriate use of molecular AMR prediction for N. gonorrhoeae.Expert Commentary: NAATs and/or NGS for AMR prediction should supplement culture-based AMR surveillance, which will remain because it detects also AMR due to unknown AMR determinants, and translation into POC tests is imperative for the end-goal of individualized treatment, sparing ceftriaxone±azithromycin. Several challenges for direct testing of clinical, especially pharyngeal, specimens and for accurate prediction of cephalosporins and azithromycin resistance, especially using NAATs, remain. The choice of AMR prediction assay needs to carefully consider the intended use of the assay; limitations intrinsic to the AMR prediction technology, algorithms and specific to chosen methodology; specimen types analyzed; and cost-effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, National Reference Laboratory for STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
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14
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Harrison OB, Maiden MCJ. Recent advances in understanding and combatting Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a genomic perspective. Fac Rev 2021; 10:65. [PMID: 34557869 PMCID: PMC8442004 DOI: 10.12703/r/10-65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhoea remains a major global public health concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 87 million new cases in individuals who were 15 to 49 years of age occurred in 2016. The growing number of gonorrhoea cases is concerning given the rise in gonococci developing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Therefore, a global action plan is needed to facilitate surveillance. Indeed, the WHO has made surveillance leading to the elimination of STIs (including gonorrhoea) a global health priority. The availability of whole genome sequence data offers new opportunities to combat gonorrhoea. This can be through (i) enhanced surveillance of the global prevalence of AMR, (ii) improved understanding of the population biology of the gonococcus, and (iii) opportunities to mine sequence data in the search for vaccine candidates. Here, we review the current status in Neisseria gonorrhoeae genomics. In particular, we explore how genomics continues to advance our understanding of this complex pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odile B Harrison
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Peter Medawar Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Martin CJ Maiden
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Peter Medawar Building, Oxford, UK
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15
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Reimche JL, Chivukula VL, Schmerer MW, Joseph SJ, Pham CD, Schlanger K, St Cyr SB, Weinstock HS, Raphael BH, Kersh EN, Gernert KM. Genomic Analysis of the Predominant Strains and Antimicrobial Resistance Determinants Within 1479 Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates From the US Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project in 2018. Sex Transm Dis 2021; 48:S78-S87. [PMID: 33993166 PMCID: PMC8284387 DOI: 10.1097/olq.0000000000001471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) isolates with elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations to various antibiotics continues to rise in the United States and globally. Genomic analysis provides a powerful tool for surveillance of circulating strains, antimicrobial resistance determinants, and understanding of transmission through a population. METHODS Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates collected from the US Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project in 2018 (n = 1479) were sequenced and characterized. Whole-genome sequencing was used to identify sequence types, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and phylogenetic relationships across demographic and geographic populations. RESULTS Genetic characterization identified that (1) 80% of the GC isolates were represented in 33 multilocus sequence types, (2) isolates clustered in 23 major phylogenetic clusters with select phenotypic and demographic prevalence, and (3) common antimicrobial resistance determinants associated with low-level or high-level decreased susceptibility or resistance to relevant antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS Characterization of this 2018 Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project genomic data set, which is the largest US whole-genome sequence data set to date, sets the basis for future prospective studies, and establishes a genomic baseline of GC populations for local and national monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Reimche
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participation and Fellowship Program, Oak Ridge, TN
| | - Vasanta L. Chivukula
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participation and Fellowship Program, Oak Ridge, TN
| | - Matthew W. Schmerer
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Sandeep J. Joseph
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Cau D. Pham
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Karen Schlanger
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Sancta B. St Cyr
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Hillard S. Weinstock
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Brian H. Raphael
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Ellen N. Kersh
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Kim M. Gernert
- From the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
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16
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Hanao M, Aoki K, Ishii Y, Shimuta K, Ohnishi M, Tateda K. Molecular characterization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates collected through a national surveillance programme in Japan, 2013: evidence of the emergence of a ceftriaxone-resistant strain from a ceftriaxone-susceptible lineage. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 76:1769-1775. [PMID: 33930160 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkab104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate the spread of ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae lineages similar to strains H041 (2009) and FC428 (2015), we characterized 55 strains collected in 2013 from hospitals across Japan. METHODS Susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing. RESULTS Susceptibility rates were 58% for cefixime and 98% for ceftriaxone. The 55 strains were whole-genome sequenced and classified into nine MLST-STs. MLST-ST1901 was the most prevalent (n = 19) followed by MLST-ST7363 (n = 12) and MLST-ST7359 (n = 11). The most prevalent penA [encoding penicillin binding protein 2 (PBP2)] mosaic types, based on the N. gonorrhoeae sequence typing for antimicrobial resistance (NG-STAR) scheme, were 10.001 (n = 20) followed by 34.001 (n = 13). The H041 and FC428 strains were not detected; however, a single ceftriaxone-resistant strain (TUM15748) with a MIC of 0.5 mg/L ceftriaxone was identified. The TUM15748 strain belonged to MLST-ST7359 and N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing-ST6771, and had a novel PBP2 (PBP2TUM15748, penA type 169.001). The amino acid sequence of PBP2TUM15748 showed partial similarity to that of PBP2 from N. gonorrhoeae GU140106 and commensal Neisseria perflava and Neisseria cinerea. Natural transformation and recombination experiments using full-length TUM15748 penA showed that the ceftriaxone MICs of transformants increased 16-fold or more compared with the parental ceftriaxone-susceptible recipient strain (NG9807, belonging to MLST-ST7363). No ceftriaxone-resistant MLST-ST7359 strains have previously been reported. CONCLUSIONS We showed here that a ceftriaxone-susceptible lineage acquired a mutant PBP2 mosaic type, integrating partial PBP2 sequences from commensal Neisseria species, resulting in the emergence of ceftriaxone-resistant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mami Hanao
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Health Science, Tokyo University of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kotaro Aoki
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Ishii
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ken Shimuta
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.,Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Ohnishi
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Tateda
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Bartsch A, Ives CM, Kattner C, Pein F, Diehn M, Tanabe M, Munk A, Zachariae U, Steinem C, Llabrés S. An antibiotic-resistance conferring mutation in a neisserial porin: Structure, ion flux, and ampicillin binding. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2021; 1863:183601. [PMID: 33675718 PMCID: PMC8047873 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2021.183601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Gram-negative bacteria cause the majority of highly drug-resistant bacterial infections. To cross the outer membrane of the complex Gram-negative cell envelope, antibiotics permeate through porins, trimeric channel proteins that enable the exchange of small polar molecules. Mutations in porins contribute to the development of drug-resistant phenotypes. In this work, we show that a single point mutation in the porin PorB from Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent of bacterial meningitis, can strongly affect the binding and permeation of beta-lactam antibiotics. Using X-ray crystallography, high-resolution electrophysiology, atomistic biomolecular simulation, and liposome swelling experiments, we demonstrate differences in drug binding affinity, ion selectivity and drug permeability of PorB. Our work further reveals distinct interactions between the transversal electric field in the porin eyelet and the zwitterionic drugs, which manifest themselves under applied electric fields in electrophysiology and are altered by the mutation. These observations may apply more broadly to drug-porin interactions in other channels. Our results improve the molecular understanding of porin-based drug-resistance in Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Bartsch
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Tammannstraße 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Callum M Ives
- Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Christof Kattner
- ZIK HALOmem, Membrane Protein Biochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes Straße 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Florian Pein
- Institute for Mathematical Stochastics, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Manuel Diehn
- Institute for Mathematical Stochastics, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mikio Tanabe
- Institute of Materials Structure Science, Structural Biology Research Center, KEK/High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
| | - Axel Munk
- Institute for Mathematical Stochastics, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Zachariae
- Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK; Physics, School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4NH, UK.
| | - Claudia Steinem
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Tammannstraße 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Am Fassberg 17, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Salomé Llabrés
- Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK.
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18
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Mahajan N, Sood S, Das BK, Kapil A, Sreenivas V, Kar HK, Sharma VK. Molecular characterization of decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and genotyping of Neisseria gonorrheae isolates in New Delhi, India. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2021; 101:115423. [PMID: 34116342 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Data on genetic characteristics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates exhibiting decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins in India is deficient. In this study, we have sequenced penA, porB, mtrR and ponA and blaTEM genes in 70 clinical isolates of NG with varying ceftriaxone MICs. Amongst these, 22 (31.4%) were PPNG. Additionally, N. gonorrheae Multiantigen Sequence Typing was performed. Fisher exact and χ2 were used to evaluate significance of mutations with MICs. A total of six non-mosaic penA (Penicillin binding protein 2 [PBP2]) amino acid patterns were seen (II, IV, IX, XII, XIX, XXII) of which, pattern IX was significantly associated with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone. Other significant associations were noted in porB & mtrR genes. There were no mutations in blaTEM gene. ST6069 was significantly associated with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone. To conclude, development of decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone in gonococci involves cumulation of different mutations in the four chromosomal genes investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj Mahajan
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Seema Sood
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
| | - Bimal Kumar Das
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Arti Kapil
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Hemanata Kumar Kar
- Department of Dermatology, STDs and Leprosy, P.G.I.M.E.R & Dr. Ram ManoharLohia Hospital, New Delhi India
| | - Vinod Kumar Sharma
- Department of Dermatology & Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
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19
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Sánchez-Busó L, Yeats CA, Taylor B, Goater RJ, Underwood A, Abudahab K, Argimón S, Ma KC, Mortimer TD, Golparian D, Cole MJ, Grad YH, Martin I, Raphael BH, Shafer WM, Town K, Wi T, Harris SR, Unemo M, Aanensen DM. A community-driven resource for genomic epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance prediction of Neisseria gonorrhoeae at Pathogenwatch. Genome Med 2021; 13:61. [PMID: 33875000 PMCID: PMC8054416 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-021-00858-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an urgent threat to public health, as strains resistant to at least one of the two last-line antibiotics used in empiric therapy of gonorrhoea, ceftriaxone and azithromycin, have spread internationally. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) data can be used to identify new AMR clones and transmission networks and inform the development of point-of-care tests for antimicrobial susceptibility, novel antimicrobials and vaccines. Community-driven tools that provide an easy access to and analysis of genomic and epidemiological data is the way forward for public health surveillance. METHODS Here we present a public health-focussed scheme for genomic epidemiology of N. gonorrhoeae at Pathogenwatch ( https://pathogen.watch/ngonorrhoeae ). An international advisory group of experts in epidemiology, public health, genetics and genomics of N. gonorrhoeae was convened to inform on the utility of current and future analytics in the platform. We implement backwards compatibility with MLST, NG-MAST and NG-STAR typing schemes as well as an exhaustive library of genetic AMR determinants linked to a genotypic prediction of resistance to eight antibiotics. A collection of over 12,000 N. gonorrhoeae genome sequences from public archives has been quality-checked, assembled and made public together with available metadata for contextualization. RESULTS AMR prediction from genome data revealed specificity values over 99% for azithromycin, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone and sensitivity values around 99% for benzylpenicillin and tetracycline. A case study using the Pathogenwatch collection of N. gonorrhoeae public genomes showed the global expansion of an azithromycin-resistant lineage carrying a mosaic mtr over at least the last 10 years, emphasising the power of Pathogenwatch to explore and evaluate genomic epidemiology questions of public health concern. CONCLUSIONS The N. gonorrhoeae scheme in Pathogenwatch provides customised bioinformatic pipelines guided by expert opinion that can be adapted to public health agencies and departments with little expertise in bioinformatics and lower-resourced settings with internet connection but limited computational infrastructure. The advisory group will assess and identify ongoing public health needs in the field of gonorrhoea, particularly regarding gonococcal AMR, in order to further enhance utility with modified or new analytic methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonor Sánchez-Busó
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
- Genomics and Health Area, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Community (FISABIO-Public Health), Valencia, Spain.
| | - Corin A Yeats
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Benjamin Taylor
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Richard J Goater
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
- European Molecular Biology Lab, Heidelberg, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
| | - Anthony Underwood
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Khalil Abudahab
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Silvia Argimón
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Kevin C Ma
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tatum D Mortimer
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel Golparian
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Michelle J Cole
- National Infection Service, Public Health England, London, UK
| | - Yonatan H Grad
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irene Martin
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Brian H Raphael
- Division of STD prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - William M Shafer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Laboratories of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA
| | - Katy Town
- Division of STD prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Teodora Wi
- Department of the Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Simon R Harris
- Microbiotica, Biodata Innovation Centre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Magnus Unemo
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and Other STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - David M Aanensen
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
- Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK.
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20
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de Block T, Laumen JGE, Van Dijck C, Abdellati S, De Baetselier I, Manoharan-Basil SS, Van den Bossche D, Kenyon C. WGS of Commensal Neisseria Reveals Acquisition of a New Ribosomal Protection Protein (MsrD) as a Possible Explanation for High Level Azithromycin Resistance in Belgium. Pathogens 2021; 10:384. [PMID: 33806962 PMCID: PMC8005064 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10030384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we characterized all oropharyngeal and anorectal isolates of Neisseria spp. in a cohort of men who have sex with men. This resulted in a panel of pathogenic Neisseria (N. gonorrhoeae [n = 5] and N. meningitidis [n = 5]) and nonpathogenic Neisseria (N. subflava [n = 11], N. mucosa [n = 3] and N. oralis [n = 2]). A high proportion of strains in this panel were resistant to azithromycin (18/26) and ceftriaxone (3/26). Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of these strains identified numerous mutations that are known to confer reduced susceptibility to azithromycin and ceftriaxone in N. gonorrhoeae. The presence or absence of these known mutations did not explain the high level resistance to azithromycin (>256 mg/L) in the nonpathogenic isolates (8/16). After screening for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, we found a ribosomal protection protein, Msr(D), in these highly azithromycin resistant nonpathogenic strains. The complete integration site originated from Streptococcus pneumoniae and is associated with high level resistance to azithromycin in many other bacterial species. This novel AMR resistance mechanism to azithromycin in nonpathogenic Neisseria could be a public health concern if it were to be transmitted to pathogenic Neisseria. This study demonstrates the utility of WGS-based surveillance of nonpathogenic Neisseria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessa de Block
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (T.d.B.); (J.G.E.L.); (C.V.D.); (S.A.); (I.D.B.); (S.S.M.-B.); (D.V.d.B.)
| | - Jolein Gyonne Elise Laumen
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (T.d.B.); (J.G.E.L.); (C.V.D.); (S.A.); (I.D.B.); (S.S.M.-B.); (D.V.d.B.)
- Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Christophe Van Dijck
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (T.d.B.); (J.G.E.L.); (C.V.D.); (S.A.); (I.D.B.); (S.S.M.-B.); (D.V.d.B.)
- Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Said Abdellati
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (T.d.B.); (J.G.E.L.); (C.V.D.); (S.A.); (I.D.B.); (S.S.M.-B.); (D.V.d.B.)
| | - Irith De Baetselier
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (T.d.B.); (J.G.E.L.); (C.V.D.); (S.A.); (I.D.B.); (S.S.M.-B.); (D.V.d.B.)
| | - Sheeba Santhini Manoharan-Basil
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (T.d.B.); (J.G.E.L.); (C.V.D.); (S.A.); (I.D.B.); (S.S.M.-B.); (D.V.d.B.)
| | - Dorien Van den Bossche
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (T.d.B.); (J.G.E.L.); (C.V.D.); (S.A.); (I.D.B.); (S.S.M.-B.); (D.V.d.B.)
| | - Chris Kenyon
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium; (T.d.B.); (J.G.E.L.); (C.V.D.); (S.A.); (I.D.B.); (S.S.M.-B.); (D.V.d.B.)
- Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
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21
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Prajapati JD, Kleinekathöfer U, Winterhalter M. How to Enter a Bacterium: Bacterial Porins and the Permeation of Antibiotics. Chem Rev 2021; 121:5158-5192. [PMID: 33724823 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Despite tremendous successes in the field of antibiotic discovery seen in the previous century, infectious diseases have remained a leading cause of death. More specifically, pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria have become a global threat due to their extraordinary ability to acquire resistance against any clinically available antibiotic, thus urging for the discovery of novel antibacterial agents. One major challenge is to design new antibiotics molecules able to rapidly penetrate Gram-negative bacteria in order to achieve a lethal intracellular drug accumulation. Protein channels in the outer membrane are known to form an entry route for many antibiotics into bacterial cells. Up until today, there has been a lack of simple experimental techniques to measure the antibiotic uptake and the local concentration in subcellular compartments. Hence, rules for translocation directly into the various Gram-negative bacteria via the outer membrane or via channels have remained elusive, hindering the design of new or the improvement of existing antibiotics. In this review, we will discuss the recent progress, both experimentally as well as computationally, in understanding the structure-function relationship of outer-membrane channels of Gram-negative pathogens, mainly focusing on the transport of antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mathias Winterhalter
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen 28759, Germany
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22
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Turner JM, Connolly KL, Aberman KE, Fonseca JC, Singh A, Jerse AE, Nicholas RA, Davies C. Molecular Features of Cephalosporins Important for Activity against Antimicrobial-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:293-308. [PMID: 33533239 PMCID: PMC9847585 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains exhibiting decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) presents a challenge for the successful treatment of gonorrhea infections. To address this challenge, we evaluated a panel of 23 cephalosporins against penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2) from the ESC-resistant (ESCR) N. gonorrhoeae strain H041 to determine which molecular features are important for antimicrobial activity. Structure-activity relationships (SARs) developed from acylation rate constants against PBP2 and antimicrobial susceptibilities against the H041 strain of N. gonorrhoeae, and interpreted against docking models, reveal that cephalosporins possessing large, lipophilic R1 side chains and electronegative R2 side chains with planar groups are associated with higher acylation rates against PBP2, but also that these same amphipathic features can lower antimicrobial activity. Based on these studies, we tested cefoperazone, one of the most effective ESCs for targeting PBP2, in the female mouse model infected with H041 and showed that it was equally or more effective than ceftriaxone or gentamicin for clearing infections. Taken together, our results reveal that two U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved agents (cefoperazone, ceftaroline) and one FDA-qualified infectious disease product (ceftobiprole) have potential as first-line treatments for gonorrhea and provide a framework for the future design of cephalosporins with improved activity against ESC-resistant N. gonorrhoeae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M. Turner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Kristie L. Connolly
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Kate E. Aberman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Joseph C. Fonseca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Avinash Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Ann E. Jerse
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Robert A. Nicholas
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425,Corresponding author: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, 5795 USA Drive North, Mobile, AL 36688. Tel +1 (651) 460-6659;
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23
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Dong Y, Yang Y, Wang Y, Martin I, Demczuk W, Gu W. Shanghai Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates Exhibit Resistance to Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporins and Clonal Distribution. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:580399. [PMID: 33123111 PMCID: PMC7573285 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.580399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains with resistance (R) to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCsR) represents a public health threat of untreatable gonococcal infections. This study was designed to determine the prevalence and molecular mechanisms of ESCR of Shanghai N. gonorrhoeae isolates. A total of 366 N. gonorrhoeae isolates were collected in 2017 in Shanghai. Susceptibility to ceftriaxone (CRO), cefixime (CFM), azithromycin (AZM), ciprofloxacin (CIP), spectinomycin, penicillin, and tetracycline was determined using the agar dilution method. A subset of 124 isolates was subjected to phylogenetic analysis for nine antimicrobial resistance-associated genes, i.e., penA, porB, ponA, mtrR, 23S rRNA, gyrA, parC, 16S rRNA, and rpsE. Approximately 20.0% of the isolates exhibited CFMR [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) >0.125 mg/L], and 5.5% were CROR (MIC > 0.125 mg/L). In total, 72.7% of ESCR isolates were clonal and associated with mosaic penA 10 and 60 alleles. Non-mosaic penA 18 allele and substitutions of PenA A501T, G542S, and PorB1b G213S/Y were observed in non-clonal ESCR. Approximately 6.8% of the isolates showed AZM MIC above the epidemiological cutoff (ECOFF, 1 mg/L), were associated with 23S rRNA A2059G mutation, and did not exhibit clonal distribution. Almost all isolates were CIPR (resistance to ciprofloxacin) and associated with GyrA-91/92 and ParC-85/86/87/88/89/91 alterations. Isolates with ParC S88P substitution were clustered into the ESCR clade. The Shanghai isolates exhibited a high level of ESCR and distinct resistant patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Dong
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China
| | - Irene Martin
- Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Walter Demczuk
- Public Health Agency of Canada, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Weiming Gu
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Shanghai, China
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Kivata MW, Mbuchi M, Eyase F, Bulimo WD, Kyanya CK, Oundo V, Mbinda WM, Sang W, Andagalu B, Soge OO, McClelland RS, Distelhorst J. Plasmid mediated penicillin and tetracycline resistance among Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from Kenya. BMC Infect Dis 2020; 20:703. [PMID: 32977759 PMCID: PMC7517623 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05398-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Treatment of gonorrhea is complicated by the development of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) to the antibiotics recommended for treatment. Knowledge on types of plasmids and the antibiotic resistance genes they harbor is useful in monitoring the emergence and spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance. In Kenya, studies on gonococcal antimicrobial resistance are few and data on plasmid mediated drug resistance is limited. The present study characterizes plasmid mediated resistance in N. gonorrhoeae isolates recovered from Kenya between 2013 and 2018. METHODS DNA was extracted from 36 sub-cultured GC isolates exhibiting varying drug resistance profiles. Whole genome sequencing was done on Illumina MiSeq platform and reads assembled de-novo using CLC Genomics Workbench. Genome annotation was performed using Rapid Annotation Subsystem Technology. Comparisons in identified antimicrobial resistance determinants were done using Bioedit sequence alignment editor. RESULTS Twenty-four (66.7%) isolates had both β-lactamase (TEM) and TetM encoding plasmids. 8.3% of the isolates lacked both TEM and TetM plasmids and had intermediate to susceptible penicillin and tetracycline MICs. Twenty-six (72%) isolates harbored TEM encoding plasmids. 25 of the TEM plasmids were of African type while one was an Asian type. Of the 36 isolates, 31 (86.1%) had TetM encoding plasmids, 30 of which harbored American TetM, whereas 1 carried a Dutch TetM. All analyzed isolates had non-mosaic penA alleles. All the isolates expressing TetM were tetracycline resistant (MIC> 1 mg/L) and had increased doxycycline MICs (up to 96 mg/L). All the isolates had S10 ribosomal protein V57M amino acid substitution associated with tetracycline resistance. No relation was observed between PenB and MtrR alterations and penicillin and tetracycline MICs. CONCLUSION High-level gonococcal penicillin and tetracycline resistance in the sampled Kenyan regions was found to be mediated by plasmid borne blaTEM and tetM genes. While the African TEM plasmid, TEM1 and American TetM are the dominant genotypes, Asian TEM plasmid, a new TEM239 and Dutch TetM have emerged in the regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Wandia Kivata
- Institute for Biotechnology Research, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), P. O Box 62,000-00200, Thika, Kenya
- Department of Biological and Physical Science, Karatina University (KarU), P. O Box 1957-10101, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Margaret Mbuchi
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P. O Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi, 00621 Kenya
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Fredrick Eyase
- Institute for Biotechnology Research, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), P. O Box 62,000-00200, Thika, Kenya
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P. O Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi, 00621 Kenya
| | - Wallace Dimbuson Bulimo
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P. O Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi, 00621 Kenya
- School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, P. O Box 30197, GPO, Nairobi, 00100 Kenya
| | - Cecilia Katunge Kyanya
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P. O Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi, 00621 Kenya
| | - Valerie Oundo
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P. O Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi, 00621 Kenya
| | - Wilton Mwema Mbinda
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Pwani University, P. O Box 195-80108, Mombasa, Kenya
| | - Willy Sang
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P. O Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi, 00621 Kenya
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ben Andagalu
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P. O Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi, 00621 Kenya
| | - Olusegun O. Soge
- Departments of Global Health and Medicine, University of Washington, 325 9th Avenue, Box 359931, Seattle, WA 98104 USA
| | - Raymond Scott McClelland
- Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Global Health, University of Washington, 325 9th Avenue, Box 359931, Seattle, WA 98104 USA
| | - John Distelhorst
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P. O Box 606, Village Market, Nairobi, 00621 Kenya
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25
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Buckley C, Beatson SA, Limnios A, Lahra MM, Whiley DM, Forde BM. Whole-genome sequencing as an improved means of investigating Neisseria gonorrhoeae treatment failures. Sex Health 2020; 16:500-507. [PMID: 31481151 DOI: 10.1071/sh19012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Background Although rare, Neisseria gonorrhoeae treatment failures associated with ceftriaxone have been reported. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends standardised protocols to verify these cases. Two cases from Australia were previously investigated using N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST), which has been used extensively to assess treatment failures. Case 1 pharyngeal isolates were indistinguishable, whereas Case 2 pharyngeal isolates were distinguished based on an 18-bp deletion in the major outer membrane porin encoded by the porB gene, questioning the reliability of NG-MAST results. Here we used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to reinvestigate Cases 1 and 2, with a view to examining WGS to assess treatment failures. METHODS Pre- and post-treatment isolates for each case underwent Illumina sequencing, and the two post-treatment isolates underwent additional long-read sequencing using Pacific Biosciences. Sequence data were interrogated to identify differences at single nucleotide resolution. RESULTS WGS identified variation in the pilin subunit encoded by the pilE locus for both cases and the specific 18-bp porB deletion in Case 2 was confirmed, but otherwise the isolates in each case were indistinguishable. CONCLUSIONS The WHO recommends standardised protocols for verifying N. gonorrhoeae treatment failures. Case 2 highlights the enhanced resolution of WGS over NG-MAST and emphasises the immediate effect that WGS can have in a direct clinical application for N. gonorrhoeae. Assessing the whole genome compared with two highly variable regions also provides a more confident predictor for determining treatment failure. Furthermore, WGS facilitates rapid comparisons of these cases in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Buckley
- Faculty of Medicine, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Herston, Qld 4029, Australia
| | - Scott A Beatson
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia; and Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia; and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Athena Limnios
- WHO Collaborating Centre for STI and AMR, Microbiology Department, New South Wales Health Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia
| | - Monica M Lahra
- WHO Collaborating Centre for STI and AMR, Microbiology Department, New South Wales Health Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia; and School of Medical Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - David M Whiley
- Faculty of Medicine, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Herston, Qld 4029, Australia; and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia; and Pathology Queensland, Microbiology Department, Herston, Qld 4029, Australia
| | - Brian M Forde
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia; and Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia; and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia; and Corresponding author:
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27
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Singh A, Turner JM, Tomberg J, Fedarovich A, Unemo M, Nicholas RA, Davies C. Mutations in penicillin-binding protein 2 from cephalosporin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae hinder ceftriaxone acylation by restricting protein dynamics. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:7529-7543. [PMID: 32253235 PMCID: PMC7247294 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.012617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The global incidence of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea is expected to rise due to the spread of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains with decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs). ESC resistance is conferred by mosaic variants of penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2) that have diminished capacity to form acylated adducts with cephalosporins. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ESC resistance, we conducted a biochemical and high-resolution structural analysis of PBP2 variants derived from the decreased-susceptibility N. gonorrhoeae strain 35/02 and ESC-resistant strain H041. Our data reveal that mutations both lower affinity of PBP2 for ceftriaxone and restrict conformational changes that normally accompany acylation. Specifically, we observe that a G545S substitution hinders rotation of the β3 strand necessary to form the oxyanion hole for acylation and also traps ceftriaxone in a noncanonical configuration. In addition, F504L and N512Y substitutions appear to prevent bending of the β3-β4 loop that is required to contact the R1 group of ceftriaxone in the active site. Other mutations also appear to act by reducing flexibility in the protein. Overall, our findings reveal that restriction of protein dynamics in PBP2 underpins the ESC resistance of N. gonorrhoeae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Jonathan M Turner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Joshua Tomberg
- Departments of Pharmacology and Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Alena Fedarovich
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other STIs, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Robert A Nicholas
- Departments of Pharmacology and Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599.
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425.
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Transcriptional regulation of a gonococcal gene encoding a virulence factor (L-lactate permease). PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1008233. [PMID: 31860664 PMCID: PMC6957213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
GdhR is a GntR-type regulator of Neisseria gonorrhoeae encoded by a gene (gdhR) belonging to the MtrR regulon, which comprises multiple genes required for antibiotic resistance such as the mtrCDE efflux pump genes. In previous work we showed that loss of gdhR results in enhanced gonococcal fitness in a female mouse model of lower genital tract infection. Here, we used RNA-Seq to perform a transcriptional profiling study to determine the GdhR regulon. GdhR was found to regulate the expression of 2.3% of all the genes in gonococcal strain FA19, of which 39 were activated and 11 were repressed. Within the GdhR regulon we found that lctP, which encodes a unique L-lactate transporter and has been associated with gonococcal pathogenesis, was the highest of GdhR-repressed genes. By using in vitro transcription and DNase I footpriting assays we mapped the lctP transcriptional start site (TSS) and determined that GdhR directly inhibits transcription by binding to an inverted repeat sequence located 9 bases downstream of the lctP TSS. Epistasis analysis revealed that, while loss of lctP increased susceptibility of gonococci to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) the loss of gdhR enhanced resistance; however, this GdhR-endowed property was reversed in a double gdhR lctP null mutant. We assessed the effect of different carbon sources on lctP expression and found that D-glucose, but not L-lactate or pyruvate, repressed lctP expression within a physiological concentration range but in a GdhR-independent manner. Moreover, we found that adding glucose to the medium enhanced susceptibility of gonococci to hydrogen peroxide. We propose a model for the role of lctP regulation via GdhR and glucose in the pathogenesis of N. gonorrhoeae.
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29
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Thakur SD, Levett PN, Horsman GB, Dillon JAR. Association of Neisseria gonorrhoeae genogroups and specific PBP2/MtrR/PorB mutation patterns with susceptibility to penicillin in a susceptible gonococcal population. J Antimicrob Chemother 2019; 73:2682-2686. [PMID: 29992304 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dky233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives To ascertain whether the antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with differing susceptibilities to penicillin is associated with genogroups (GGs) and combined mutation patterns in PBP2 (penA), the multiple transfer resistance repressor (MtrR; mtrR) and porin B (PorB; porB). Methods The susceptibility of 146 clinical N. gonorrhoeae isolates to penicillin was determined using the agar dilution method and the interpretation criteria of CLSI. The DNA sequences of penA, mtrR and porB in isolates were compared with WT sequences and mutation patterns were determined. Isolates were typed by N. gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) and STs were grouped into specific GGs. Results The isolates tested carried 9 mutation patterns in PBP2 and 12 mutation patterns in each of MtrR and PorB. Of the 146 isolates, 121 (82.9%) were grouped into 13 different GGs. Isolates with penicillin MICs of 0.03-0.06 mg/L were significantly associated with GG25 (P < 0.05) and PBP2/MtrR/PorB mutation pattern I/WT/WT (P < 0.01). Isolates with a penicillin MIC of 1.0 mg/L were associated (P < 0.05) with: (i) GG3655 and mutation pattern XXII/A-;G45D/G120K;A121N; (ii) GG921 and mutation pattern IX/G45D/G120D;A121N; and (iii) GG1109 and mutation pattern IX/G45D/WT. Sixty percent (9/15) of penicillin-resistant isolates (MIC ≥2 mg/L) were GG3654 (P < 0.0001) and carried mutation pattern IX/G45D/G120K;A121D or IX/G45D/G120D;A121D (P < 0.05). Conclusions Specific mutation patterns in PBP2/MtrR/PorB were associated with specific GGs and penicillin susceptibility. This approach of typing strains and resistance patterns is ideal for predicting antimicrobial resistance and should be used in instances in which gonococcal culture is not available but DNA can be obtained from clinical specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidharath D Thakur
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.,Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Paul N Levett
- Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory (formerly the Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory), Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Gregory B Horsman
- Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory (formerly the Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory), Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Jo-Anne R Dillon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.,Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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30
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Singh A, Tomberg J, Nicholas RA, Davies C. Recognition of the β-lactam carboxylate triggers acylation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae penicillin-binding protein 2. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:14020-14032. [PMID: 31362987 PMCID: PMC6755799 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) has become a major threat to human health. The primary mechanism by which N. gonorrhoeae becomes resistant to ESCs is by acquiring a mosaic penA allele, encoding penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2) variants containing up to 62 mutations compared with WT, of which a subset contribute to resistance. To interpret molecular mechanisms underpinning cephalosporin resistance, it is necessary to know how PBP2 is acylated by ESCs. Here, we report the crystal structures of the transpeptidase domain of WT PBP2 in complex with cefixime and ceftriaxone, along with structures of PBP2 in the apo form and with a phosphate ion bound in the active site at resolutions of 1-7-1.9 Å. These structures reveal that acylation of PBP2 by ESCs is accompanied by rotation of the Thr-498 side chain in the KTG motif to contact the cephalosporin carboxylate, twisting of the β3 strand to form the oxyanion hole, and rolling of the β3-β4 loop toward the active site. Recognition of the cephalosporin carboxylate appears to be the key trigger for formation of an acylation-competent state of PBP2. The structures also begin to explain the impact of mutations implicated in ESC resistance. In particular, a G545S mutation may hinder twisting of β3 because its side chain hydroxyl forms a hydrogen bond with Thr-498. Overall, our data suggest that acylation is initiated by conformational changes elicited or trapped by binding of ESCs and that these movements are restricted by mutations associated with resistance against ESCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Joshua Tomberg
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Robert A. Nicholas
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, To whom correspondence should be addressed:
Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave., Charleston, SC 29425. Tel.:
843-876-2302; Fax:
843-792-8568; E-mail:
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31
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Choutko V, Lazarevic V, Gaïa N, Girard M, Renzi G, Leo S, Keller PM, Huber C, Schrenzel J. Rare Case of Community-Acquired Endocarditis Caused by Neisseria meningitidis Assessed by Clinical Metagenomics. Front Cardiovasc Med 2019; 6:112. [PMID: 31448292 PMCID: PMC6691042 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2019.00112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The most common causes of infective endocarditis (IE) are Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and HACEK-related organisms. In 15–30% of the IE cases, standard blood cultures remain sterile. We aimed at identifying the causative agent of a blood-culture-negative IE by whole metagenome shotgun sequencing (WMGS). A 54-year old woman diagnosed with community-onset pneumonia by a general practitioner, was admitted with dyspnea, cough and fever. The patient's blood cultures were repeatedly negative. The transesophageal echocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography showed an echo density on the left coronary leaflet of the aortic valve and signs suggestive of a ruptured abscess of the mitro-aortic junction. The patient underwent a semi-urgent aortic valve replacement by a mechanical prosthetic valve. We extracted DNA from the surgically-removed fresh valve tissue. The extraction procedure included bacterial/fungal DNA enrichment procedure. Nextera XT library prepared from the valve DNA extract was sequenced (2 × 250) on an Illumina MiSeq instrument. Sequence reads were mapped against bacterial genomic sequences, 16S rRNA genes and clade-specific taxonomic markers. Most of the 103,136 sequencing reads classified as bacterial were assigned to Neisseria meningitidis. In line with these data, mapping of reads against clade-specific and 16S rRNA gene markers revealed N. meningitidis as the most represented species. Assembled metagenomic fragments had the best average nucleotide identity (ANI) with N. meningitidis. Comparison of assembled contigs to reference alleles showed that this strain belongs to the ST-41/44 complex. N. meningitidis is commonly associated with meningitis and/or septicemia but should not be neglected as a causative agent of IE, which became exceedingly rare with the introduction of antibiotics. Our data show that WMGS may be used as a diagnostic procedure to strengthen the diagnosis of IE and to obtain draft genomic sequence of the pathogen and typing information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassili Choutko
- Service of General Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vladimir Lazarevic
- Genomic Research Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva University, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nadia Gaïa
- Genomic Research Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva University, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Myriam Girard
- Genomic Research Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva University, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Gesuele Renzi
- Bacteriology Laboratory, Service of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.,Service of Laboratory Medicine, National Reference Center on Meningococci, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Leo
- Genomic Research Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva University, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Peter M Keller
- Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Huber
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jacques Schrenzel
- Genomic Research Laboratory, Service of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva University, Geneva, Switzerland.,Bacteriology Laboratory, Service of Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.,Service of Laboratory Medicine, National Reference Center on Meningococci, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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Jamaludin N, Gedye K, Collins-Emerson J, Benschop J, Nulsen M. Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates from New Zealand with Reduced Susceptibility to Ceftriaxone. Microb Drug Resist 2019; 25:1003-1011. [PMID: 31021281 DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2018.0111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: To characterize mutations in penA, mtrR, ponA, and porBIB, considered target genes for antimicrobial resistance, in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ceftriaxone cultured from patients in New Zealand. Results: Out of 28 isolates supplied by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR), Porirua, New Zealand, 14 were found to show reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone (MIC of 0.06 mg/L) according to criteria used by the ESR and the Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme (AGSP) when tested in our laboratory. Rates of resistance to ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, penicillin, and tetracycline were 100% (28/28), 7% (2/28), 36% (10/28), and 25% (7/28), respectively. Ten different penA (Penicillin binding protein 2 [PBP2]) sequences were observed. The most common mosaic penA M-1 resembled mosaic penA XXXIV, which has been associated with ceftriaxone treatment failures in other countries. Four semimosaic PBP2 sequences were observed and may be novel PBP sequences, while four out of five nonmosaic PBP2 sequences were similar to PBP2 sequences reported in Australia. Twenty-one isolates harbored mutations in all 4 genes (penA, mtrR, porBIB, and ponA), and 13 of these exhibited reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone. Conclusion: Mutations in penA, mtrR, porBIB, and ponA observed in this study may have contributed to reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone among New Zealand gonococcal isolates. Over half (16/22) of mosaic penA sequences from the gonococcal isolates resembled penA XXXIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norshuhaidah Jamaludin
- College of Health, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.,National Blood Centre (PDN), Transfusion Microbiology Laboratory Department, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Kristene Gedye
- College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | | | - Jackie Benschop
- Epilab, Hopkirk Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Mary Nulsen
- College of Health, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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33
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Kivata MW, Mbuchi M, Eyase FL, Bulimo WD, Kyanya CK, Oundo V, Muriithi SW, Andagalu B, Mbinda WM, Soge OO, McClelland RS, Sang W, Mancuso JD. gyrA and parC mutations in fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from Kenya. BMC Microbiol 2019; 19:76. [PMID: 30961546 PMCID: PMC6454682 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-019-1439-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phenotypic fluoroquinolone resistance was first reported in Western Kenya in 2009 and later in Coastal Kenya and Nairobi. Until recently gonococcal fluoroquinolone resistance mechanisms in Kenya had not been elucidated. The aim of this paper is to analyze mutations in both gyrA and parC responsible for elevated fluoroquinolone Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) isolated from heterosexual individuals from different locations in Kenya between 2013 and 2017. METHODS Antimicrobial Susceptibility Tests were done on 84 GC in an ongoing Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) surveillance program. Of the 84 isolates, 22 resistant to two or more classes of antimicrobials were chosen for analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done using E-test (BioMerieux) and the results were interpreted with reference to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) standards. The isolates were sub-cultured, and whole genomes were sequenced using Illumina platform. Reads were assembled de novo using Velvet, and mutations in the GC Quinolone Resistant Determining Regions identified using Bioedit sequence alignment editor. Single Nucleotide Polymorphism based phylogeny was inferred using RaxML. RESULTS Double GyrA amino acid substitutions; S91F and D95G/D95A were identified in 20 isolates. Of these 20 isolates, 14 had an additional E91G ParC substitution and significantly higher ciprofloxacin MICs (p = 0.0044*). On the contrary, norfloxacin MICs of isolates expressing both GyrA and ParC QRDR amino acid changes were not significantly high (p = 0.82) compared to MICs of isolates expressing GyrA substitutions alone. No single GyrA substitution was found in the analyzed isolates, and no isolate contained a ParC substitution without the simultaneous presence of double GyrA substitutions. Maximum likelihood tree clustered the 22 isolates into 6 distinct clades. CONCLUSION Simultaneous presence of amino acid substitutions in ParC and GyrA has been reported to increase gonococcal fluoroquinolone resistance from different regions in the world. Our findings indicate that GyrA S91F, D95G/D95A and ParC E91G amino acid substitutions mediate high fluoroquinolone resistance in the analyzed Kenyan GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Wandia Kivata
- Institute for Biotechnology Research, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), P.O Box 62,000-00200, Thika, Kenya
- Department of Biological and Physical Science, Karatina University (KarU), P.O Box 1957-10101, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Margaret Mbuchi
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Fredrick Lunyagi Eyase
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
- Institute for Biotechnology Research, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), P.O Box 62,000-00200, Thika, Kenya
| | - Wallace Dimbuson Bulimo
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197, GPO, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Cecilia Katunge Kyanya
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Valerie Oundo
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Simon Wachira Muriithi
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ben Andagalu
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Wilton Mwema Mbinda
- Department of Biological and Physical Science, Karatina University (KarU), P.O Box 1957-10101, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Olusegun O. Soge
- Department of Global Health and Medicine, University of Washington, 325 9th Avenue, Box 359931, Seattle, WA 98104 USA
| | - R. Scott McClelland
- Department of Global Health and Medicine, University of Washington, 325 9th Avenue, Box 359931, Seattle, WA 98104 USA
| | - Willy Sang
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - James D. Mancuso
- US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, P.O Box 606, 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
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Cristillo AD, Bristow CC, Torrone E, Dillon JA, Kirkcaldy RD, Dong H, Grad YH, Nicholas RA, Rice PA, Lawrence K, Oldach D, Shafer WM, Zhou P, Wi TE, Morris SR, Klausner JD. Antimicrobial Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Proceedings of the STAR Sexually Transmitted Infection-Clinical Trial Group Programmatic Meeting. Sex Transm Dis 2019; 46:e18-e25. [PMID: 30363025 PMCID: PMC6370498 DOI: 10.1097/olq.0000000000000929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The goal of the Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinical Trial Group's Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) meeting was to assemble experts from academia, government, nonprofit and industry to discuss the current state of research, gaps and challenges in research and technology and priorities and new directions to address the continued emergence of multidrug-resistant NG infections. Topics discussed at the meeting, which will be the focus of this article, include AMR NG global surveillance initiatives, the use of whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics to understand mutations associated with AMR, mechanisms of AMR, and novel antibiotics, vaccines and other methods to treat AMR NG. Key points highlighted during the meeting include: (i) US and International surveillance programs to understand AMR in NG; (ii) the US National Strategy for combating antimicrobial-resistant bacteria; (iii) surveillance needs, challenges, and novel technologies; (iv) plasmid-mediated and chromosomally mediated mechanisms of AMR in NG; (v) novel therapeutic (eg, sialic acid analogs, factor H [FH]/Fc fusion molecule, monoclonal antibodies, topoisomerase inhibitors, fluoroketolides, LpxC inhibitors) and preventative (eg, peptide mimic) strategies to combat infection. The way forward will require renewed political will, new funding initiatives, and collaborations across academic and commercial research and public health programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D. Cristillo
- From the Department of Clinical Research and Bioscience Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., Silver Spring, MD
| | - Claire C. Bristow
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA
| | - Elizabeth Torrone
- Division of STD Prevention, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
| | - Jo-Anne Dillon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Robert D. Kirkcaldy
- Division of STD Prevention, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
| | - Huan Dong
- Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA
- David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Yonatan H. Grad
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Robert A. Nicholas
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Peter A. Rice
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
| | | | | | - William Maurice Shafer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, GA
| | - Pei Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; and
| | - Teodora E. Wi
- Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; and
| | - Sheldon R. Morris
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA
| | - Jeffrey D. Klausner
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
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35
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Lee RS, Seemann T, Heffernan H, Kwong JC, Gonçalves da Silva A, Carter GP, Woodhouse R, Dyet KH, Bulach DM, Stinear TP, Howden BP, Williamson DA. Genomic epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in New Zealand. J Antimicrob Chemother 2019; 73:353-364. [PMID: 29182725 PMCID: PMC5890773 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkx405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major threat to public health. No studies to date have examined the genomic epidemiology of gonorrhoea in the Western Pacific Region, where the incidence of gonorrhoea is particularly high. Methods A population-level study of N. gonorrhoeae in New Zealand (October 2014 to May 2015). Comprehensive susceptibility testing and WGS data were obtained for 398 isolates. Relatedness was inferred using phylogenetic trees, and pairwise core SNPs. Mutations and genes known to be associated with resistance were identified, and correlated with phenotype. Results Eleven clusters were identified. In six of these clusters, >25% of isolates were from females, while in eight of them, >15% of isolates were from females. Drug resistance was common; 98%, 32% and 68% of isolates were non-susceptible to penicillin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline, respectively. Elevated MICs to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) were observed in 3.5% of isolates (cefixime MICs ≥ 0.12 mg/L, ceftriaxone MICs ≥ 0.06 mg/L). Only nine isolates had penA XXXIV genotypes, three of which had decreased susceptibility to ESCs (MIC = 0.12 mg/L). Azithromycin non-susceptibility was identified in 43 isolates (10.8%); two of these isolates had 23S mutations (C2611T, 4/4 alleles), while all had mutations in mtrR or its promoter. Conclusions The high proportion of females in clusters suggests transmission is not exclusively among MSM in New Zealand; re-assessment of risk factors for transmission may be warranted in this context. As elevated MICs of ESCs and/or azithromycin were found in closely related strains, targeted public health interventions to halt transmission are urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn S Lee
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.,The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
| | - Torsten Seemann
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.,The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.,Melbourne Bioinformatics Group, The University of Melbourne, 187 Grattan Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Helen Heffernan
- The Institute of Environmental Science and Research, 34 Kenepuru Drive, Porirua 5022, New Zealand
| | - Jason C Kwong
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.,The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
| | - Anders Gonçalves da Silva
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.,The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
| | - Glen P Carter
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
| | - Rosemary Woodhouse
- The Institute of Environmental Science and Research, 34 Kenepuru Drive, Porirua 5022, New Zealand
| | - Kristin H Dyet
- The Institute of Environmental Science and Research, 34 Kenepuru Drive, Porirua 5022, New Zealand
| | - Dieter M Bulach
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
| | - Timothy P Stinear
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Howden
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.,The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
| | - Deborah A Williamson
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.,The Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, 792 Elizabeth Street, Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
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Bartsch A, Llabrés S, Pein F, Kattner C, Schön M, Diehn M, Tanabe M, Munk A, Zachariae U, Steinem C. High-resolution experimental and computational electrophysiology reveals weak β-lactam binding events in the porin PorB. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1264. [PMID: 30718567 PMCID: PMC6362148 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37066-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The permeation of most antibiotics through the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria occurs through porin channels. To design drugs with increased activity against Gram-negative bacteria in the face of the antibiotic resistance crisis, the strict constraints on the physicochemical properties of the permeants imposed by these channels must be better understood. Here we show that a combination of high-resolution electrophysiology, new noise-filtering analysis protocols and atomistic biomolecular simulations reveals weak binding events between the β-lactam antibiotic ampicillin and the porin PorB from the pathogenic bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. In particular, an asymmetry often seen in the electrophysiological characteristics of ligand-bound channels is utilised to characterise the binding site and molecular interactions in detail, based on the principles of electro-osmotic flow through the channel. Our results provide a rationale for the determinants that govern the binding and permeation of zwitterionic antibiotics in porin channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Bartsch
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Tammannstraße 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Salomé Llabrés
- Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Florian Pein
- Institute for Mathematical Stochastics, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christof Kattner
- ZIK HALOmem, Membrane Protein Biochemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes Straße 3, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Markus Schön
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Tammannstraße 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Manuel Diehn
- Institute for Mathematical Stochastics, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mikio Tanabe
- Institute of Materials Structure Science, Structural Biology Research Center, KEK/High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0801, Japan
| | - Axel Munk
- Institute for Mathematical Stochastics, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Zachariae
- Computational Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK.
- Physics, School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4NH, UK.
| | - Claudia Steinem
- Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Tammannstraße 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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A Case of Decreased Susceptibility to Ceftriaxone in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the Absence of a Mosaic Penicillin-Binding Protein 2 (penA) Allele. Sex Transm Dis 2018; 44:492-494. [PMID: 28703729 DOI: 10.1097/olq.0000000000000645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We report a case of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with a non-mosaic penA allele that exhibited decreased susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins, including a ceftriaxone minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.5 μg/mL. An analysis of resistance determinants suggested that the observed phenotype might have resulted from the combined effects of mutations in multiple genes.
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In Vivo-Selected Compensatory Mutations Restore the Fitness Cost of Mosaic penA Alleles That Confer Ceftriaxone Resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. mBio 2018; 9:mBio.01905-17. [PMID: 29615507 PMCID: PMC5885032 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01905-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Resistance to ceftriaxone in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is mainly conferred by mosaic penA alleles that encode penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2) variants with markedly lower rates of acylation by ceftriaxone. To assess the impact of these mosaic penA alleles on gonococcal fitness, we introduced the mosaic penA alleles from two ceftriaxone-resistant (Cror) clinical isolates (H041 and F89) into a Cros strain (FA19) by allelic exchange and showed that the resultant Cror mutants were significantly outcompeted by the Cros parent strain in vitro and in a murine infection model. Four Cror compensatory mutants of FA19 penA41 were isolated independently from mice that outcompeted the parent strain both in vitro and in vivo. One of these compensatory mutants (LV41C) displayed a unique growth profile, with rapid log growth followed by a sharp plateau/gradual decline at stationary phase. Genome sequencing of LV41C revealed a mutation (G348D) in the acnB gene encoding the bifunctional aconitate hydratase 2/2 methylisocitrate dehydratase. Introduction of the acnBG348D allele into FA19 penA41 conferred both a growth profile that phenocopied that of LV41C and a fitness advantage, although not as strongly as that exhibited by the original compensatory mutant, suggesting the existence of additional compensatory mutations. The mutant aconitase appears to be a functional knockout with lower activity and expression than wild-type aconitase. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of FA19 penA41 acnBG348D revealed a large set of upregulated genes involved in carbon and energy metabolism. We conclude that compensatory mutations can be selected in Cror gonococcal strains that increase metabolism to ameliorate their fitness deficit. The emergence of ceftriaxone-resistant (Cror) Neisseria gonorrhoeae has led to the looming threat of untreatable gonorrhea. Whether Cro resistance is likely to spread can be predicted from studies that compare the relative fitnesses of susceptible and resistant strains that differ only in the penA gene that confers Cro resistance. We showed that mosaic penA alleles found in Cror clinical isolates are outcompeted by the Cros parent strain in vitro and in vivo but that compensatory mutations that allow ceftriaxone resistance to be maintained by increasing bacterial fitness are selected during mouse infection. One compensatory mutant that was studied in more detail had a mutation in acnB, which encodes the aconitase that functions in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. This study illustrates that compensatory mutations can be selected during infection, which we hypothesize may allow the spread of Cro resistance in nature. This study also provides novel insights into gonococcal metabolism and physiology.
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Phylogeny and antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2017; 58:157-163. [PMID: 29225148 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 12/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Costa-Lourenço APRD, Barros Dos Santos KT, Moreira BM, Fracalanzza SEL, Bonelli RR. Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: history, molecular mechanisms and epidemiological aspects of an emerging global threat. Braz J Microbiol 2017; 48:617-628. [PMID: 28754299 PMCID: PMC5628311 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjm.2017.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the agent of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection with an estimate from The World Health Organization of 78 million new cases in people aged 15-49 worldwide during 2012. If left untreated, complications may include pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Antimicrobial treatment is usually effective; however, resistance has emerged successively through various molecular mechanisms for all the regularly used therapeutic agents throughout decades. Detection of antimicrobial susceptibility is currently the most critical aspect for N. gonorrhoeae surveillance, however poorly structured health systems pose difficulties. In this review, we compiled data from worldwide reports regarding epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance in N. gonorrhoeae, and highlight the relevance of the implementation of surveillance networks to establish policies for gonorrhea treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Beatriz Meurer Moreira
- Institute of Microbiology, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Raquel Regina Bonelli
- Institute of Microbiology, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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Eyre DW, De Silva D, Cole K, Peters J, Cole MJ, Grad YH, Demczuk W, Martin I, Mulvey MR, Crook DW, Walker AS, Peto TEA, Paul J. WGS to predict antibiotic MICs for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Antimicrob Chemother 2017; 72:1937-1947. [PMID: 28333355 PMCID: PMC5890716 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkx067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tracking the spread of antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a major priority for national surveillance programmes. Objectives We investigate whether WGS and simultaneous analysis of multiple resistance determinants can be used to predict antimicrobial susceptibilities to the level of MICs in N. gonorrhoeae. Methods WGS was used to identify previously reported potential resistance determinants in 681 N. gonorrhoeae isolates, from England, the USA and Canada, with phenotypes for cefixime, penicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline determined as part of national surveillance programmes. Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify genetic predictors of MIC. Model performance was assessed using leave-one-out cross-validation. Results Overall 1785/3380 (53%) MIC values were predicted to the nearest doubling dilution and 3147 (93%) within ±1 doubling dilution and 3314 (98%) within ±2 doubling dilutions. MIC prediction performance was similar across the five antimicrobials tested. Prediction models included the majority of previously reported resistance determinants. Applying EUCAST breakpoints to MIC predictions, the overall very major error (VME; phenotypically resistant, WGS-prediction susceptible) rate was 21/1577 (1.3%, 95% CI 0.8%-2.0%) and the major error (ME; phenotypically susceptible, WGS-prediction resistant) rate was 20/1186 (1.7%, 1.0%-2.6%). VME rates met regulatory thresholds for all antimicrobials except cefixime and ME rates for all antimicrobials except tetracycline. Country of testing was a strongly significant predictor of MIC for all five antimicrobials. Conclusions We demonstrate a WGS-based MIC prediction approach that allows reliable MIC prediction for five gonorrhoea antimicrobials. Our approach should allow reasonably precise prediction of MICs for a range of bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Eyre
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit, Oxford, UK
| | - Dilrini De Silva
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit, Oxford, UK
| | - Kevin Cole
- Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK
- National Infection Service, Public Health England, UK
| | - Joanna Peters
- Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK
- National Infection Service, Public Health England, UK
| | - Michelle J. Cole
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections (AMRHAI) Reference Unit, National Infection Service, London, UK
| | - Yonatan H. Grad
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Walter Demczuk
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Irene Martin
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Michael R. Mulvey
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Derrick W. Crook
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit, Oxford, UK
- National Infection Service, Public Health England, UK
| | - A. Sarah Walker
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit, Oxford, UK
| | - Tim E. A. Peto
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit, Oxford, UK
| | - John Paul
- National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
- Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK
- National Infection Service, Public Health England, UK
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Abrams AJ, Trees DL. Genomic sequencing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to respond to the urgent threat of antimicrobial-resistant gonorrhea. Pathog Dis 2017; 75:3106325. [PMID: 28387837 PMCID: PMC6956991 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftx041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to available first-line antibiotics, including penicillins, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, has led to the circulation of multidrug-resistant gonorrhea at a global scale. Advancements in high-throughput whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provide useful tools that can be used to enhance gonococcal detection, treatment and management capabilities, which will ultimately aid in the control of antimicrobial resistant gonorrhea worldwide. In this minireview, we discuss the application of WGS of N. gonorrhoeae to strain typing, phylogenomic, molecular surveillance and transmission studies. We also examine the application of WGS analyses to the public health sector as well as the potential usage of WGS-based transcriptomic and epigenetic methods to identify novel gonococcal resistance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Jeanine Abrams
- Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - David L. Trees
- Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
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Neisseria gonorrhoeae Sequence Typing for Antimicrobial Resistance, a Novel Antimicrobial Resistance Multilocus Typing Scheme for Tracking Global Dissemination of N. gonorrhoeae Strains. J Clin Microbiol 2017; 55:1454-1468. [PMID: 28228492 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00100-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A curated Web-based user-friendly sequence typing tool based on antimicrobial resistance determinants in Neisseria gonorrhoeae was developed and is publicly accessible (https://ngstar.canada.ca). The N. gonorrhoeae Sequence Typing for Antimicrobial Resistance (NG-STAR) molecular typing scheme uses the DNA sequences of 7 genes (penA, mtrR, porB, ponA, gyrA, parC, and 23S rRNA) associated with resistance to β-lactam antimicrobials, macrolides, or fluoroquinolones. NG-STAR uses the entire penA sequence, combining the historical nomenclature for penA types I to XXXVIII with novel nucleotide sequence designations; the full mtrR sequence and a portion of its promoter region; portions of ponA, porB, gyrA, and parC; and 23S rRNA sequences. NG-STAR grouped 768 isolates into 139 sequence types (STs) (n = 660) consisting of 29 clonal complexes (CCs) having a maximum of a single-locus variation, and 76 NG-STAR STs (n = 109) were identified as unrelated singletons. NG-STAR had a high Simpson's diversity index value of 96.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.959 to 0.969). The most common STs were NG-STAR ST-90 (n = 100; 13.0%), ST-42 and ST-91 (n = 45; 5.9%), ST-64 (n = 44; 5.72%), and ST-139 (n = 42; 5.5%). Decreased susceptibility to azithromycin was associated with NG-STAR ST-58, ST-61, ST-64, ST-79, ST-91, and ST-139 (n = 156; 92.3%); decreased susceptibility to cephalosporins was associated with NG-STAR ST-90, ST-91, and ST-97 (n = 162; 94.2%); and ciprofloxacin resistance was associated with NG-STAR ST-26, ST-90, ST-91, ST-97, ST-150, and ST-158 (n = 196; 98.0%). All isolates of NG-STAR ST-42, ST-43, ST-63, ST-81, and ST-160 (n = 106) were susceptible to all four antimicrobials. The standardization of nomenclature associated with antimicrobial resistance determinants through an internationally available database will facilitate the monitoring of the global dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant N. gonorrhoeae strains.
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Sachdev D, Kumari I, Bala M, Kumar V, Saluja D. Mutation Pattern in the Genome of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Its Association with Multidrug-resistant Isolates from Delhi, India. Indian J Med Microbiol 2017; 35:109-112. [DOI: 10.4103/ijmm.ijmm_16_46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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45
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Unemo M, Golparian D, Sánchez-Busó L, Grad Y, Jacobsson S, Ohnishi M, Lahra MM, Limnios A, Sikora AE, Wi T, Harris SR. The novel 2016 WHO Neisseria gonorrhoeae reference strains for global quality assurance of laboratory investigations: phenotypic, genetic and reference genome characterization. J Antimicrob Chemother 2016; 71:3096-3108. [PMID: 27432602 PMCID: PMC5079299 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkw288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Revised: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 06/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Gonorrhoea and MDR Neisseria gonorrhoeae remain public health concerns globally. Enhanced, quality-assured, gonococcal antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance is essential worldwide. The WHO global Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (GASP) was relaunched in 2009. We describe the phenotypic, genetic and reference genome characteristics of the 2016 WHO gonococcal reference strains intended for quality assurance in the WHO global GASP, other GASPs, diagnostics and research worldwide. METHODS The 2016 WHO reference strains (n = 14) constitute the eight 2008 WHO reference strains and six novel strains. The novel strains represent low-level to high-level cephalosporin resistance, high-level azithromycin resistance and a porA mutant. All strains were comprehensively characterized for antibiogram (n = 23), serovar, prolyliminopeptidase, plasmid types, molecular AMR determinants, N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing STs and MLST STs. Complete reference genomes were produced using single-molecule PacBio sequencing. RESULTS The reference strains represented all available phenotypes, susceptible and resistant, to antimicrobials previously and currently used or considered for future use in gonorrhoea treatment. All corresponding resistance genotypes and molecular epidemiological types were described. Fully characterized, annotated and finished references genomes (n = 14) were presented. CONCLUSIONS The 2016 WHO gonococcal reference strains are intended for internal and external quality assurance and quality control in laboratory investigations, particularly in the WHO global GASP and other GASPs, but also in phenotypic (e.g. culture, species determination) and molecular diagnostics, molecular AMR detection, molecular epidemiology and as fully characterized, annotated and finished reference genomes in WGS analysis, transcriptomics, proteomics and other molecular technologies and data analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Unemo
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other Sexually Transmitted Infections, National Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Daniel Golparian
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other Sexually Transmitted Infections, National Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Leonor Sánchez-Busó
- Pathogen Genomics, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Yonatan Grad
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Gonorrhoea and other Sexually Transmitted Infections, National Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Makoto Ohnishi
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Monica M Lahra
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Department of Microbiology, South Eastern Area Laboratory Services, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
| | - Athena Limnios
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Department of Microbiology, South Eastern Area Laboratory Services, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Sydney, Australia
| | - Aleksandra E Sikora
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Teodora Wi
- Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Simon R Harris
- Pathogen Genomics, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridgeshire, UK
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46
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Grad YH, Harris SR, Kirkcaldy RD, Green AG, Marks DS, Bentley SD, Trees D, Lipsitch M. Genomic Epidemiology of Gonococcal Resistance to Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporins, Macrolides, and Fluoroquinolones in the United States, 2000-2013. J Infect Dis 2016; 214:1579-1587. [PMID: 27638945 PMCID: PMC5091375 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiw420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection is empirical and based on population-wide susceptibilities. Increasing antimicrobial resistance underscores the potential importance of rapid diagnostic tests, including sequence-based tests, to guide therapy. However, the usefulness of sequence-based diagnostic tests depends on the prevalence and dynamics of the resistance mechanisms. Methods. We define the prevalence and dynamics of resistance markers to extended-spectrum cephalosporins, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones in 1102 resistant and susceptible clinical N. gonorrhoeae isolates collected from 2000 to 2013 via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project. Results. Reduced extended-spectrum cephalosporin susceptibility is predominantly clonal and associated with the mosaic penA XXXIV allele and derivatives (sensitivity 98% for cefixime and 91% for ceftriaxone), but alternative resistance mechanisms have sporadically emerged. Reduced azithromycin susceptibility has arisen through multiple mechanisms and shows limited clonal spread; the basis for resistance in 36% of isolates with reduced azithromycin susceptibility is unclear. Quinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae has arisen multiple times, with extensive clonal spread. Conclusions. Quinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae and reduced cefixime susceptibility appear amenable to development of sequence-based diagnostic tests, whereas the undefined mechanisms of resistance to ceftriaxone and azithromycin underscore the importance of phenotypic surveillance. The identification of multidrug-resistant isolates highlights the need for additional measures to respond to the threat of untreatable gonorrhea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonatan H Grad
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
| | | | | | - Anna G Green
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Debora S Marks
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stephen D Bentley
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton.,Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge and Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - David Trees
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Marc Lipsitch
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases.,Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
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47
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Buckley C, Trembizki E, Donovan B, Chen M, Freeman K, Guy R, Lahra MM, Kundu RL, Regan DG, Smith HV, Whiley DM. Real-time PCR detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae susceptibility to penicillin. J Antimicrob Chemother 2016; 71:3090-3095. [PMID: 27494921 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkw291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to develop a real-time PCR assay targeting the gonococcal porB gene (PorB-PCR) for predicting susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to penicillin. This complements a previously described PCR assay for detecting penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG) developed by our laboratory (PPNG-PCR). METHODS The PorB-PCR assay was designed using six probes to characterize various combinations of amino acids at positions 101 and 102 of the PorB1b class protein, including the WT G101/A102 and mutant G101K/A102D, G101K/A102N and G101K/A102G sequences, as well as the PorB1a sequence. The ability of these sequences to predict penicillin susceptibility was initially assessed using 2307 N. gonorrhoeae isolates from throughout Australia for which phenotypic susceptibility data were available. The assay was then applied to N. gonorrhoeae-positive clinical specimens (n = 70). Specificity was assessed by testing commensal Neisseria strains (n = 75) and N. gonorrhoeae-negative clinical specimens (n = 171). RESULTS Testing of the 2307 N. gonorrhoeae isolates using PorB-PCR to detect G101/A102 and PorB1a sequences identified a total of 78.4% (61.2% and 17.2%, respectively) of penicillin-susceptible isolates with specificities of 97.4% and 99.3% and positive predictive values of 98.8% and 98.9%, where PPNG strains were simultaneously identified and excluded. Similar performance data were obtained when the PorB-PCR assay was applied to the N. gonorrhoeae-positive clinical specimens. No false-positive results were observed for the N. gonorrhoeae-negative samples and no cross-reactions were observed with the non-gonococcal species. CONCLUSIONS When used in parallel with the previously described PPNG-PCR, the PorB-PCR approach has the potential to facilitate individualized treatment of gonorrhoea using penicillin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Buckley
- The University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Ella Trembizki
- The University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Basil Donovan
- Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Marcus Chen
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia.,Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3181, Australia
| | - Kevin Freeman
- Microbiology Laboratory, Pathology Department, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Rebecca Guy
- Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Monica M Lahra
- WHO Collaborating Centre for STD, Microbiology Department, South Eastern Area Laboratory Services, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales 2031, Australia
| | - Ratan L Kundu
- WHO Collaborating Centre for STD, Microbiology Department, South Eastern Area Laboratory Services, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales 2031, Australia
| | - David G Regan
- Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Helen V Smith
- Public Health Microbiology, Communicable Disease, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, Archerfield, Queensland, Australia
| | - David M Whiley
- The University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia.,Pathology Queensland, Microbiology Department, Herston, Queensland, Australia
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Karch A, Vogel U, Claus H. Role of penA polymorphisms for penicillin susceptibility in Neisseria lactamica and Neisseria meningitidis. Int J Med Microbiol 2015; 305:729-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2015.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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49
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Molecular Assay for Detection of Genetic Markers Associated with Decreased Susceptibility to Cephalosporins in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Clin Microbiol 2015; 53:2042-8. [PMID: 25878350 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00493-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The incidence of antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae continues to rise in Canada; however, antimicrobial resistance data are lacking for approximately 70% of gonorrhea infections that are diagnosed directly from clinical specimens by nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). We developed a molecular assay for surveillance use to detect mutations in genes associated with decreased susceptibility to cephalosporins that can be applied to both culture isolates and clinical samples. Real-time PCR assays were developed to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ponA, mtrR, penA, porB, and one N. gonorrhoeae-specific marker (porA). We tested the real-time PCR assay with 252 gonococcal isolates, 50 nongonococcal isolates, 24 N. gonorrhoeae-negative NAAT specimens, and 34 N. gonorrhoeae-positive NAAT specimens. Twenty-four of the N. gonorrhoeae-positive NAAT specimens had matched culture isolates. Assay results were confirmed by comparison with whole-genome sequencing data. For 252 N. gonorrhoeae strains, the agreement between the DNA sequence and real-time PCR was 100% for porA, ponA, and penA, 99.6% for mtrR, and 95.2% for porB. The presence of ≥2 SNPs correlated with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone (sensitivities of >98%) and cefixime (sensitivities of >96%). Of 24 NAAT specimens with matched cultures, the agreement between the DNA sequence and real-time PCR was 100% for porB, 95.8% for ponA and mtrR, and 91.7% for penA. We demonstrated the utility of a real-time PCR assay for sensitive detection of known markers for the decreased susceptibility to cephalosporins in N. gonorrhoeae. Preliminary results with clinical NAAT specimens were also promising, as they correlated well with bacterial culture results.
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Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the 21st century: past, evolution, and future. Clin Microbiol Rev 2015; 27:587-613. [PMID: 24982323 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00010-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 773] [Impact Index Per Article: 85.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is evolving into a superbug with resistance to previously and currently recommended antimicrobials for treatment of gonorrhea, which is a major public health concern globally. Given the global nature of gonorrhea, the high rate of usage of antimicrobials, suboptimal control and monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and treatment failures, slow update of treatment guidelines in most geographical settings, and the extraordinary capacity of the gonococci to develop and retain AMR, it is likely that the global problem of gonococcal AMR will worsen in the foreseeable future and that the severe complications of gonorrhea will emerge as a silent epidemic. By understanding the evolution, emergence, and spread of AMR in N. gonorrhoeae, including its molecular and phenotypic mechanisms, resistance to antimicrobials used clinically can be anticipated, future methods for genetic testing for AMR might permit region-specific and tailor-made antimicrobial therapy, and the design of novel antimicrobials to circumvent the resistance problems can be undertaken more rationally. This review focuses on the history and evolution of gonorrhea treatment regimens and emerging resistance to them, on genetic and phenotypic determinants of gonococcal resistance to previously and currently recommended antimicrobials, including biological costs or benefits; and on crucial actions and future advances necessary to detect and treat resistant gonococcal strains and, ultimately, retain gonorrhea as a treatable infection.
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