antibiotic resistance
- Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceEnterococcus faecalis CRISPR-Cas Is a Robust Barrier to Conjugative Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination in the Murine Intestine
CRISPR-Cas is a type of immune system in bacteria that is hypothesized to be a natural impediment to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. In this study, we directly assessed the impact of CRISPR-Cas on antibiotic resistance dissemination in the mammalian intestine and under different in vitro conditions. We observed a robust effect of CRISPR-Cas on in vivo but not in vitro dissemination of antibiotic...
- Observation | Applied and Environmental ScienceSalmonella Genomic Island 1B Variant Found in a Sequence Type 117 Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli Isolate
SGI1 and variants of it carry a variety of antimicrobial resistance genes, including those conferring resistance to extended-spectrum β-lactams and carbapenems, and have been found in diverse S. enterica serovars, Acinetobacter baumannii, and other members of the...
- Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceDiverse Commensal Escherichia coli Clones and Plasmids Disseminate Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Domestic Animals and Children in a Semirural Community in Ecuador...
Even though Escherichia coli strains may share nearly identical phenotypic AMR profiles and AMR genes and overlap in space and time, the diversity of clones and plasmids challenges research that aims to identify sources of AMR. Horizontal gene transfer appears to play a more significant role than clonal expansion in the spread of AMR in this community.
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyComplete Assembly of Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 Genomes Using Long Reads Demonstrates Antibiotic Resistance Gene Variation within Diverse Plasmid and Chromosomal Contexts
Drug-resistant bacteria are a major cause of illness worldwide, and a specific subtype called Escherichia coli ST131 causes a significant number of these infections. ST131 bacteria become resistant to treatments by modifying their DNA and by transferring genes among one another via large packages of genes called plasmids, like a game of pass-the-parcel. Tackling...
- Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceEffects of Dairy Manure-Based Amendments and Soil Texture on Lettuce- and Radish-Associated Microbiota and Resistomes
A controlled, integrated, and replicated greenhouse study, along with comprehensive metagenomic analysis, revealed that multiple preharvest factors, including antibiotic use during manure collection, composting, biological soil amendment, and soil type, influence vegetable-borne resistomes. Here, radishes, a root vegetable, carried a greater load of ARGs and species richness than lettuce, a leafy vegetable. However, the lettuce...
- Observation | Applied and Environmental ScienceA Novel Trimethoprim Resistance Gene, dfrA36, Characterized from Escherichia coli from Calves
The presence of dfrA36 associated with ISCR2 in Escherichia coli from animals, as well as its presence in other E. coli strains from different sources and countries and in Acinetobacter, highlights the global...
- Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceAntibiotic Resistance Gene Diversity and Virulence Gene Diversity Are Correlated in Human Gut and Environmental Microbiomes
Every year, thousands of tons of antibiotics are used, not only in human and animal health but also as growth promoters in livestock. Consequently, during the last 75 years, antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains have been selected in human and environmental microbial communities. This implies that, even when pathogenic bacteria are the targets of antibiotics, hundreds of nonpathogenic bacterial species are also affected. Here, we...
- Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPhotocatalytic Protein Damage by Silver Nanoparticles Circumvents Bacterial Stress Response and Multidrug Resistance
Although silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are well known for their antibacterial properties, the mechanism by which they kill bacterial cells remains a topic of debate. In this study, we uncovered the bactericidal mechanism of AgNPs, which is induced by light. We tested the efficacy of AgNPs against a panel of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens as well as Escherichia coli...
- Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionVitamin E Increases Antimicrobial Sensitivity by Inhibiting Bacterial Lipocalin Antibiotic Binding
Bacteria exposed to stress mediated by sublethal antibiotic concentrations respond by adaptive mechanisms leading to an overall increase of antibiotic resistance. One of these mechanisms involves the release of bacterial proteins called lipocalins, which have the ability to sequester antibiotics in the extracellular space before they reach bacterial cells. We speculated that interfering with lipocalin-mediated antibiotic binding could...
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyTetrasodium EDTA Is Effective at Eradicating Biofilms Formed by Clinically Relevant Microorganisms from Patients’ Central Venous Catheters
The colonization of catheters by microorganisms often precludes their long-term use, which can be a problem for human patients that have few body sites available for new catheters. The colonizing organisms often form biofilms, and increasingly these organisms are resistant to multiple antibiotics, making them difficult to treat. In this article, we have taken microorganisms that are associated with biofilm formation in catheters from...