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Horizontal transfer of the OXA-24 carbapenemase gene via outer membrane vesicles: a new mechanism of dissemination of carbapenem resistance genes in Acinetobacter baumannii.

ABSTRACT: The resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii strains to carbapenems is a worrying problem in hospital settings. The main mechanism of carbapenem resistance is the expression of ?-lactamases (metalloenzymes or class D enzymes). The mechanisms of the dissemination of these genes among A. baumannii strains are not fully understood. In this study we used two carbapenem-resistant clinical strains of A. baumannii (AbH12O-A2 and AbH12O-CU3) expressing the plasmid-borne bla(OXA-24) gene (plasmids pMMA2 and pMMCU3, respectively) to demonstrate that A. baumannii releases outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) during in vitro growth. The use of hybridization studies enabled us to show that these OMVs harbored the bla(OXA-24) gene. The incubation of these OMVs with the carbapenem-susceptible A. baumannii ATCC 17978 host strain yielded full resistance to carbapenems. The presence of the original plasmids harboring the bla(OXA-24) gene was detected in strain ATCC 17978 after the transformation of OMVs. New OMVs harboring bla(OXA-24) were released by A. baumannii ATCC 17978 after it was transformed with the original OMV-mediated plasmids, indicating the universality of the process. We present the first experimental evidence that clinical isolates of A. baumannii may release OMVs as a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer whereby carbapenem resistance genes are delivered to surrounding A. baumannii bacterial isolates.

SUBMITTER: Rumbo C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3122458 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Horizontal transfer of the OXA-24 carbapenemase gene via outer membrane vesicles: a new mechanism of dissemination of carbapenem resistance genes in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Rumbo Carlos C Fernández-Moreira Esteban E Merino María M Poza Margarita M Mendez Jose Antonio JA Soares Nelson C NC Mosquera Alejandro A Chaves Fernando F Bou Germán G

Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 20110425 7

The resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii strains to carbapenems is a worrying problem in hospital settings. The main mechanism of carbapenem resistance is the expression of β-lactamases (metalloenzymes or class D enzymes). The mechanisms of the dissemination of these genes among A. baumannii strains are not fully understood. In this study we used two carbapenem-resistant clinical strains of A. baumannii (AbH12O-A2 and AbH12O-CU3) expressing the plasmid-borne bla(OXA-24) gene (plasmids pMMA2 and ...[more]

PMID: 21518847

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Project description:Purpose:A novel variant of OXA-23, named OXA-423, was identified in an Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolate. The aim of this study was to analyse the resistance phenotype of OXA-423. Methods:The A. baumannii strain WY-0713 was isolated from an intensive care unit patient. PCR was used to detect the bla OXA-23-like genes. Amplifying, cloning and sequencing were performed for the complete bla OXA-23-like. The novel bla OXA-423 and its ancestor bla OXA-23 were cloned into the expression vector pET-28b(+), and transformed into E. coli Rosetta (DE3) for antibiotic susceptibility testing. SDS-PAGE, modified Hodge test and CarbaNP test were used for detecting the expression of OXA-423 and OXA-23. Results:PCR screening of A. baumannii WY-0713 was positive for bla OXA-23-like genes. Sequencing of the PCR product identi?ed a novel bla OXA-23-like, named bla OXA-423 which encoding OXA-423. OXA-423 differed from OXA-23 by a crucial amino acid substitution (Val128Ala). The V128A substitution was located at the conserved active-site motifs SAV of OXA-23. Antibiotic susceptibility testing performed using isogenic E. coli showed that the MICs of E. coli Rosetta (pET-OXA-423) for penicillins and carbapenems were lower (reduced MICs 4-fold to 16-fold) than that of E. coli Rosetta (pET-OXA-23). The MICs of cefotaxime, ceftazidime and aztreonam for both transformants remained the same as the acceptor strain. Moreover, OXA-423 was slightly inhibited by sulbactam, clavulanic acid and tazobactam. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that OXA-423 and OXA-23 were conspicuously expressed. Modified Hodge test and CarbaNP test were positive demonstrated both of them were functional. Conclusion:OXA-423, the first report of an amino acid substitution located at conserved active-site motifs of OXA-23, conferred lower MIC values of penicillins and carbapenems as compared with OXA-23, while without affecting the resistance pro?les of expanded-spectrum cephalosporins and aztreonam.

Dataset Information

Horizontal transfer of the OXA-24 carbapenemase gene via outer membrane vesicles: a new mechanism of dissemination of carbapenem resistance genes in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Publications

Horizontal transfer of the OXA-24 carbapenemase gene via outer membrane vesicles: a new mechanism of dissemination of carbapenem resistance genes in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Similar Datasets

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