conjugation
- Mechanisms of ResistanceSimulating the Influence of Conjugative-Plasmid Kinetic Values on the Multilevel Dynamics of Antimicrobial Resistance in a Membrane Computing Model
Bacterial plasmids harboring antibiotic resistance genes are critical in the spread of antibiotic resistance. It is known that plasmids differ in their kinetic values, i.e., conjugation rate, segregation rate by copy number incompatibility with related plasmids, and rate of stochastic loss during replication. They also differ in cost to the cell in terms of reducing fitness and in the frequency of compensatory mutations compensating...
- Epidemiology and SurveillanceThe mcr-9 Gene of Salmonella and Escherichia coli Is Not Associated with Colistin Resistance in the United States
Reports of transmissible colistin resistance show the importance of comprehensive colistin resistance surveillance. Recently, a new allele of the mobile colistin resistance (mcr) gene family designated mcr-9, which shows variation in genetic context and colistin susceptibility, was reported. We tested over 100 Salmonella enterica and...
- PharmacologyDevelopment of Neutropenic Murine Models of Iron Overload and Depletion To Study the Efficacy of Siderophore-Antibiotic Conjugates
Siderophore-antibiotic conjugates have increased in vitro activity in low-iron environments where bacteria express siderophores and associated transporters. The host immune hypoferremic response reduces iron availability to bacteria; however, patients with iron overload or deficiency may have altered ability to restrict iron, which may affect the efficacy of siderophore-antibiotic conjugates. In vivo models of...
- Mechanisms of ResistanceEvolution of a 72-Kilobase Cointegrant, Conjugative Multiresistance Plasmid in Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from the Early 1990s
Horizontal transfer of plasmids encoding antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants has been instrumental in Staphylococcus aureus evolution, including the emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA). In the early 1990s, the first CA-MRSA strain isolated in...
- Editor's Pick Mechanisms of ResistanceConjugative Delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 for the Selective Depletion of Antibiotic-Resistant Enterococci
The innovation of new therapies to combat multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is being outpaced by the continued rise of MDR bacterial infections. Of particular concern are hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) that are recalcitrant to antibiotic therapies. The Gram-positive intestinal pathobiont Enterococcus faecalis is associated with HAIs, and some strains are MDR....
- Mechanisms of ResistanceIn Silico Typing and Comparative Genomic Analysis of IncFIIK Plasmids and Insights into the Evolution of Replicons, Plasmid Backbones, and Resistance Determinant Profiles
IncFIIK plasmids are associated with the acquisition and dissemination of multiple-antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and often encountered in clinical isolates of this species. Since the phylogeny and evolution of IncFIIK plasmids remain unclear, here we performed large-scale in silico typing and comparative analysis of...