plasmids
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGenetic Determinants of Resistance to Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin and Fluoroquinolone in Escherichia coli Isolated from Diseased Pigs in the United StatesUnderstanding the genetic mechanisms conferring resistance is critical to design informed control and preventive measures, particularly when involving critically important antimicrobial classes such as extended-spectrum cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. The genetic determinants of extended-spectrum cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone resistance were highly diverse, with multiple plasmids, insertion sequences, and genes playing key...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyTracking of Antibiotic Resistance Transfer and Rapid Plasmid Evolution in a Hospital Setting by Nanopore SequencingInfections with multidrug-resistant bacteria represent a major threat to global health. While the spread of multidrug-resistant bacterial clones is frequently studied in the hospital setting, surveillance of the transfer of mobile genetic elements between different bacterial species was difficult until recent advances in sequencing technologies. Nanopore sequencing technology was applied to track antimicrobial gene transfer in a long-...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceMultiple Plasmid Vectors Mediate the Spread of fosA3 in Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacterales Isolates from Retail Vegetables in ChinaThis report provides important information on the transmission and epidemiology of fosA3 among Enterobacterales isolates from vegetables. The rate of occurrence of fosA3 in ESBL-producing Enterobacterales from retail vegetables is high, and fosA3 was found to be carried by diverse plasmids. Some novel genetic contexts of fosA3 and novel fosA3-carrying plasmids, including...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCharacterization of a Type II-A CRISPR-Cas System in Streptococcus mutansCRISPR-Cas is one of the mechanisms used by bacteria to defend against viral predation. Increasing our knowledge of the biology and diversity of CRISPR-Cas systems will also improve our understanding of virus-bacterium interactions. As CRISPR-Cas systems acquiring novel immunities under laboratory conditions are rare, Streptococcus mutans strain P42S provides an...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceEnterococcus faecalis CRISPR-Cas Is a Robust Barrier to Conjugative Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination in the Murine IntestineCRISPR-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...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceConjugative Selectivity of Plasmids Is Affected by Coexisting Recipient CandidatesMost previous studies on plasmid conjugal transfer employed experimental setups with two strains: one as a donor and the other as a recipient. However, the results obtained sometimes failed to agree with observations obtained under natural environmental conditions or in a model microcosm using natural soil and water samples. Therefore, we consider that there is a “gap” in our understanding of plasmid behavior in the context of bacterial...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologySeparate F-Type Plasmids Have Shaped the Evolution of the H30 Subclone of Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131A clonal lineage of Escherichia coli known as ST131 has emerged as a dominating strain type causing extraintestinal infections in humans. The evolutionary history of ST131 E. coli is now well understood. However, the role of plasmids in ST131’s evolutionary history is poorly defined. This study...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCRISPR-Cas and Restriction-Modification Act Additively against Conjugative Antibiotic Resistance Plasmid Transfer in Enterococcus faecalisEnterococcus faecalis is a bacterium that normally inhabits the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other animals. Although these bacteria are members of our native gut flora, they can cause life-threatening infections in hospitalized patients. Antibiotic resistance genes appear to be readily shared among high-risk...