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Chemical Communications (Cambridge,... May 2023Antibiotic resistance is an enormous problem that is accountable for over a million deaths annually, with numbers expected to significantly increase over the coming... (Review)
Review
Antibiotic resistance is an enormous problem that is accountable for over a million deaths annually, with numbers expected to significantly increase over the coming decades. Although some of the underlying causes leading up to antibiotic resistance are well understood, many of the molecular processes involved remain elusive. To better appreciate at a molecular level how resistance emerges, customized chemical biology tools can offer a solution. This Feature Article attempts to provide an overview of the wide variety of tools that have been developed over the last decade, by highlighting some of the more illustrative examples. These include the use of fluorescent, photoaffinity and activatable antibiotics and bacterial components to start to unravel the molecular mechanisms involved in resistance. The antibiotic crisis is an eminent global threat and requires the continuous development of creative chemical tools to dissect and ultimately counteract resistance.
Topics: Drug Resistance, Microbial; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria; Drug Resistance, Bacterial
PubMed: 37039397
DOI: 10.1039/d3cc00759f -
Poultry Science Mar 2022Antibiotic resistance is a serious concern for public health. Farm environments are relevant reservoirs of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes...
Antibiotic resistance is a serious concern for public health. Farm environments are relevant reservoirs of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), thus strategies to limit the spread of ARGs from farms to the environment are needed. In this study a broiler farm, where antibiotics have never been used for any purpose, was selected to evaluate if this measure is effective in reducing the ARGs load in farm environment (FE) and in meat processing environment (MPE). Faecal samples from FE and MPE were processed for DNA extraction. Detection and quantification of the 16S rRNA gene and selected ARGs (bla, qnrS, sul2, and tetA) were carried out by PCR and digital droplet PCR (ddPCR), respectively. Generally, the relative abundance of the quantified ARGs in FE was similar or higher than that measured in intensive farms. Furthermore, apart for tetA, no differences in relative abundances of the other ARGs between FE and MPE were determined. These results suggest that the choice to not use antibiotics in broiler farming is not so effective to limit the ARGs spread in MPE and that further sources of ARGs should be considered including the preceding production phase with particular reference to the breeding stage.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Farms; Genes, Bacterial; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
PubMed: 35091251
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101675 -
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal =... Feb 2021Urinary tract infection is one of the most common infections and its treatment is complicated by the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Resistance patterns of organisms...
BACKGROUND
Urinary tract infection is one of the most common infections and its treatment is complicated by the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Resistance patterns of organisms differ between community-acquired and hospital-associated urinary tract infections.
AIMS
The aim of this study was to determine the most effective antibiotics against uropathogens and if antibiotic resistance differed by setting (inpatient versus outpatient).
METHODS
This 2016-2017 cross-sectional study examined 300 midstream clean-catch urine samples with positive culture (150 outpatient and 150 inpatient samples) for the uropathogens isolated and the resistance of these pathogens to different antibiotics. Samples were obtained from the laboratory of Baharloo hospital, Tehran. The differences in antibiotic resistance between inpatient and outpatient uropathogens were analysed using the chi-squared test.
RESULTS
Escherichia coli (72.0% of the 300 samples) and Klebsiella spp (13.0%) were the most common uropathogens isolated. A greater proportion of inpatient samples showed resistance to ceftriaxone, cefixime, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid than the outpatient samples (P < 0.05). The most effective antibiotics for Gram-negative uropathogens were imipenem (only 6.0% of these uropathogens overall were antibiotic-resistant), amikacin (6.3%) and nitrofurantoin (10.3%).
CONCLUSIONS
Uropathogen resistant rates in inpatients were higher than outpatient rates. The use of imipenem and amikacin instead of traditional first-line empirical therapy (fluoroquinolone and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim) is advised for hospitalized patients with urinary tract infections.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans; Inpatients; Iran; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Outpatients
PubMed: 33665796
DOI: 10.26719/emhj.20.085 -
The Medical Journal of Malaysia Dec 1994
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Disease Outbreaks; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Health Surveys; Hospitals; Humans; Malaysia
PubMed: 7674965
DOI: No ID Found -
Water Research Feb 2021The free-floating extracellular DNA (exDNA) fraction of microbial ecosystems harbors antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Natural...
The free-floating extracellular DNA (exDNA) fraction of microbial ecosystems harbors antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Natural transformation of these xenogenetic elements can generate microbial cells resistant to one or more antibiotics. Isolating and obtaining a high yield of exDNA is challenging due to its low concentration in wastewater environments. Profiling exDNA is crucial to unravel the ecology of free-floating ARGs and MGEs and their contribution to horizontal genetransfer. We developed a method using chromatography to isolate and enrich exDNA without causing cell lysis from complex wastewater matrices like influent (9 µg exDNA out of 1 L), activated sludge (5.6 µg out of 1 L), and treated effluent (4.3 µg out of 1 L). ARGs and MGEs were metagenomically profiled for both the exDNA and intracellular DNA (iDNA) of activated sludge, and quantified by qPCR in effluent water. qPCR revealed that ARGs and MGEs are more abundant in the iDNA fraction while still significant on exDNA (100-1000 gene copies mL) in effluent water. The metagenome highlighted that exDNA is mainly composed of MGEs (65%). According to their relatively low abundance in the resistome of exDNA, ARGs uptake by natural transformation is likely not the main transfer mechanism. Although ARGs are not highly abundant in exDNA, the prevalence of MGEs in the exDNA fraction can indirectly promote antibiotic resistance development. The combination of this method with functional metagenomics can help to elucidate the transfer and development of resistances in microbial communities. A systematic profiling of the different DNA fractions will foster microbial risk assessments across water systems, supporting water authorities to delineate measures to safeguard environmental and public health.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; DNA; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Genes, Bacterial; Interspersed Repetitive Sequences; Wastewater
PubMed: 33171295
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116592 -
Nursing Standard (Royal College of... Nov 2014
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans; United Kingdom
PubMed: 25370240
DOI: 10.7748/ns.29.10.18.s25 -
Journal of Microbiology and... Jan 2021Bacterial biofilm is a community of bacteria that are embedded and structured in a self-secreted extracellular matrix. An important clinical-related characteristic of... (Review)
Review
Bacterial biofilm is a community of bacteria that are embedded and structured in a self-secreted extracellular matrix. An important clinical-related characteristic of bacterial biofilms is that they are much more resistant to antimicrobial agents than the planktonic cells (up to 1,000 times), which is one of the main causes of antibiotic resistance in clinics. Therefore, infections caused by biofilms are notoriously difficult to eradicate, such as lung infection caused by in cystic fibrosis patients. Understanding the resistance mechanisms of biofilms will provide direct insights into how we overcome such resistance. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of biofilms and chronic infections associated with bacterial biofilms. We examine the current understanding and research progress on the major mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in biofilms, including quorum sensing. We also discuss the potential strategies that may overcome biofilm-related antibiotic resistance, focusing on targeting biofilm EPSs, blocking quorum sensing signaling, and using recombinant phages.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria; Bacteriophages; Biofilms; Cystic Fibrosis; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans; Pseudomonas Infections; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Quorum Sensing
PubMed: 33323672
DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2010.10021 -
Cell Reports Methods Dec 2023We created a generalizable pipeline for antibiotic-resistance-gene-free plasmid (ARGFP)-based cloning using a dual auxotrophic- and essential-gene-based selection...
We created a generalizable pipeline for antibiotic-resistance-gene-free plasmid (ARGFP)-based cloning using a dual auxotrophic- and essential-gene-based selection strategy. We use auxotrophic selection to construct plasmids in engineered E. coli DH10B cloning strains and both auxotrophic- and essential-gene-based selection to (1) select for recombinant strains and (2) maintain a plasmid in E. coli Nissle 1917, a common chassis for engineered probiotic applications, and E. coli MG1655, the laboratory "wild-type" E. coli strain. We show that our approach has comparable efficiency to that of antibiotic-resistance-gene-based cloning. We also show that the double-knockout Nissle and MG1655 strains are simple to transform with plasmids of interest. Notably, we show that the engineered Nissle strains are amenable to long-term plasmid maintenance in repeated culturing as well as in the mouse gut, demonstrating the potential for broad applications while minimizing the risk of antibiotic resistance spread via horizontal gene transfer.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Escherichia coli; Plasmids; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Cloning, Molecular
PubMed: 38086386
DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100669 -
International Journal of Environmental... May 2023The role of microplastics (MPs) in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is increasingly attracting global research attention due to their unique ecological... (Review)
Review
The role of microplastics (MPs) in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is increasingly attracting global research attention due to their unique ecological and environmental effects. The ubiquitous use of plastics and their release into the environment by anthropic/industrial activities are the main sources for MP contamination, especially of water bodies. Because of their physical and chemical characteristics, MPs represent an ideal substrate for microbial colonization and formation of biofilm, where horizontal gene transfer is facilitated. In addition, the widespread and often injudicious use of antibiotics in various human activities leads to their release into the environment, mainly through wastewater. For these reasons, wastewater treatment plants, in particular hospital plants, are considered hotspots for the selection of ARGs and their diffusion in the environment. As a result, the interaction of MPs with drug-resistant bacteria and ARGs make them vectors for the transport and spread of ARGs and harmful microorganisms. Microplastic-associated antimicrobial resistance is an emerging threat to the environment and consequently for human health. More studies are required to better understand the interaction of these pollutants with the environment as well as to identify effective management systems to reduce the related risk.
Topics: Humans; Microplastics; Wastewater; Plastics; Genes, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Hospitals
PubMed: 37239594
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20105868 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Apr 2023Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the greatest threats to human health. Widespread use and residues of antibiotics in humans, animals, and the environment can... (Review)
Review
Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the greatest threats to human health. Widespread use and residues of antibiotics in humans, animals, and the environment can exert selective pressure on antibiotic resistance bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG), accelerating the flow of antibiotic resistance. As ARG spreads to the population, the burden of antibiotic resistance in humans increases, which may have potential health effects on people. Therefore, it is critical to mitigate the spread of antibiotic resistance to humans and reduce the load of antibiotic resistance in humans. This review briefly described the information of global antibiotic consumption information and national action plans (NAPs) to combat antibiotic resistance and provided a set of feasible control strategies for the transmission of ARB and ARG to humans in three areas including (a) Reducing the colonization capacity of exogenous ARB, (b) Enhancing human colonization resistance and mitigating the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARG, (c) Reversing ARB antibiotic resistance. With the hope of achieving interdisciplinary one-health prevention and control of bacterial resistance.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Bacteria; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Genes, Bacterial; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Drug Resistance, Bacterial
PubMed: 36950985
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114734