An agent-based model of bacteria-antibiotic interactions has been developed that incorporates the antibiotic-resistance mechanisms of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The model, called the Micro-Gen Bacterial Simulator, uses information about the cell biology of bacteria to produce global information about population growth in different environmental conditions. It facilitates a detailed systems-level investigation of the dynamics involved in bacteria-antibiotic interactions and a means to relate this information to traditional high-level properties such as the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of an antibiotic. The two main resistance strategies against beta-lactam antibiotics employed by MRSA were incorporated into the model: beta-lactamase enzymes, which hydrolytically cleave antibiotic molecules, and penicillin-binding proteins (PBP2a) with reduced binding affinities for antibiotics. Initial tests with three common antibiotics (penicillin, ampicillin and cephalothin) indicate that the model can be used to generate quantitatively accurate predictions of MICs for antibiotics against different strains of MRSA from basic cellular and biochemical information. Furthermore, by varying key parameters in the model, the relative impact of different kinetic parameters associated with the two resistance mechanisms to beta-lactam antibiotics on cell survival in the presence of antibiotics was investigated.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2008.05.037 | DOI Listing |
Environ Res
January 2025
Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China. Electronic address:
Residual antibiotics in aquatic environments pose health and ecological risks due to their persistence and resistance to biodegradation. Thus, it is crucial to develop efficient technologies for the degradation of such antibiotics. This study presents a novel approach using a nano zero-valent iron/graphitic carbon nitride (nZVI/g-CN)-enhanced dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma process for the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Pathog
January 2025
Department of Medical Microbiology, Inonu University, Malatya, Türkiye. Electronic address:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) bacteria can cause oxidative stress and the production of inflammatory cytokines, creating an environment that enhances tumour formation, progression and metastasis. Epidemiological studies have found a link between lung cancer and tuberculosis (TB), but the cellular mechanism is still unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Biomaterials Department, Institute of Industrial Nanomaterials, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan. Electronic address:
The global rise of bacterial resistance demands innovative strategies to enhance antibiotic efficacy. This study investigates keratin nanoparticles (KNPs) derived from waste chicken feathers as sustainable drug carriers. Antibacterial activity of KNPs was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using antibacterial sensitivity assays, including disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration tests, while cytotoxicity was evaluated on human lymphoma cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcotoxicol Environ Saf
January 2025
MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria/Tianjin Engineering Center of Environmental Diagnosis and Contamination Remediation, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China. Electronic address:
Plastic pollution has become a common phenomenon. The process of plastic degradation is accompanied by the release of microplastics and plasticizers. However, the coexistence of microplastics and plasticizers on the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has not been reported until now.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMar Pollut Bull
January 2025
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China. Electronic address:
To assess the environmental status of an abandoned aquaculture and breeding area in the northeast coast of the Hainan Island, surface and well water, sediment and surface soils were sampled and analyzed for conventional physicochemical properties, heavy metals and antibiotics. Metagenome tests were also conducted to determine the composition and diversity of the microbial community in typical habitats. Affected by the discharge of wastewater from higher-place pond aquaculture, coastal freshwater rivers have undergone significant salinization, Cl and Na were as high as 4.
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