Cryptic silver resistance is prevalent and readily activated in certain Gram-negative pathogens.

J Antimicrob Chemother

Antimicrobial Research Centre and School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS29JT, UK.

Published: November 2017

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of cryptic silver (Ag+) resistance amongst clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria, and to examine how overt Ag+ resistance becomes activated in such strains.

Methods: Established methods were used to determine the susceptibility of 444 recent clinical isolates to Ag+, and to evaluate the potential for overt Ag+ resistance to emerge in susceptible isolates by spontaneous mutation. The genetic basis for Ag+ resistance was investigated using PCR amplification and DNA sequencing.

Results: None of the isolates tested displayed overt Ag+ resistance. However, upon silver challenge, high-level Ag+ resistance (silver nitrate MIC >128 mg/L) was selected at high frequency (10-7 to 10-8) in 76% of isolates of Enterobacter spp., ∼58% of isolates of Klebsiella spp. and ∼0.7% of isolates of Escherichia coli. All strains in which Ag+ resistance could be selected harboured the sil operon, with resistance apparently resulting from activation of this system as a consequence of single missense mutations in silS. By contrast, Ag+ resistance was not selected in isolates lacking sil, which included all tested representatives of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp., Citrobacter spp. and Proteus spp.

Conclusions: Whilst overt Ag+ resistance in Gram-negative pathogens is uncommon, cryptic Ag+ resistance pertaining to the sil operon is prevalent and readily activated in particular genera (Enterobacter and Klebsiella).

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jac/dkx258DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

ag+ resistance
40
overt ag+
16
resistance
12
ag+
11
cryptic silver
8
prevalent activated
8
gram-negative pathogens
8
isolates
8
clinical isolates
8
resistance silver
8

Similar Publications

The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, has evolved resistance to nearly every management tactic utilized in the field. This study investigated the resistance mechanisms in a WCR strain resistant to the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein eCry3.1Ab using dsRNA to knockdown WCR midgut genes previously documented to be associated with the resistance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. The burden is highest in some low- and middle-income countries. One-quarter of the world's population is estimated to have been infected with TB, which is the seedbed for progressing from TB infection to the deadly and contagious disease itself.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Early detection of bacterial pneumonia by characteristic induced odor signatures.

BMC Infect Dis

December 2024

Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zürich, Zurich, 8097, Switzerland.

Introduction: The ability to detect pathogenic bacteria before the onsets of severe respiratory symptoms and to differentiate bacterial infection allows to improve patient-tailored treatment leading to a significant reduction in illness severity, comorbidity as well as antibiotic resistance. As such, this study refines the application of the non-invasive Secondary Electrospray Ionization-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (SESI-HRMS) methodology for real-time and early detection of human respiratory bacterial pathogens in the respiratory tract of a mouse infection model.

Methods: A real-time analysis of changes in volatile metabolites excreted by mice undergoing a lung infection by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pneumoniae were evaluated using a SESI-HRMS instrument.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb) is an urgent bacterial threat to public health, with only a few treatment options and a > 50% fatality rate. Although several resistance mechanisms are understood, it is still impossible to predict which mutations are most likely to occur. Here, we demonstrate that independent samples of Ab, exposed to different carbapenems with escalating concentrations, show concentration- and carbapenem-dependent trends in β-lactamase-isoform expression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lactoferrin-modified nanoemulsions enhance brain-targeting and therapeutic efficacy of arctigenin against Toxoplasma gondii-induced neuronal injury.

Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist

December 2024

Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines of the Changbai Mountain, Ministry of Education, Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, 133002, Jilin Province, China. Electronic address:

Toxoplasma gondii, a neurotropic protozoan parasite, affects the central nervous system and causes various neurological disorders. Previous studies have demonstrated that Arctigenin (AG) exhibits anti-T. gondii activity and reduces depression-like behaviors induced by T.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!