Broad-specificity efflux pumps and their role in multidrug resistance of Gram-negative bacteria

Antibiotic resistance mechanisms reported in Gram-negative bacteria are causing a worldwide health problem. The continuous dissemination of 'multidrug-resistant' (MDR) bacteria drastically reduces the efficacy of our antibiotic 'arsenal' and consequently increases the frequency of therapeutic failure. In MDR bacteria, the overexpression of efflux pumps that expel structurally unrelated drugs contributes to the reduced susceptibility by decreasing the intracellular concentration of antibiotics. During the last decade, several clinical data have indicated an increasing involvement of efflux pumps in the emergence and dissemination of resistant Gram-negative bacteria. It is necessary to clearly define the molecular, functional and genetic bases of the efflux pump in order to understand the translocation of antibiotic molecules through the efflux transporter. The recent investigation on the efflux pump AcrB at its structural and physiological levels, including the identification of drug affinity sites and kinetic parameters for various antibiotics, may pave the way towards the rational development of an improved new generation of antibacterial agents as well as efflux inhibitors in order to efficiently combat efflux-based resistance mechanisms.     

Inhibitors of efflux pumps in Gram-negative bacteria

In Gram-negative bacteria, efflux complexes, consisting of an inner-membrane pump, a periplasmic adaptor protein and outer-membrane channel, provide an efficient means for the export of structurally unrelated drugs, causing the multidrug-resistance phenotype. Resistance due to this antibiotic efflux is an increasing problem worldwide. A new molecular challenge is to combat this transport by searching for new molecules to block efflux and thus restore drug susceptibility to resistant clinical strains. Recent data shed new light on the structure and activity of the archetypal efflux pumps AcrAB-TolC and MexAB-OprM. Here, we describe recent insights into the molecular mechanisms of bacterial efflux pumps and their inhibitors. Current progress for the clinical use of efflux-pump inhibitors and new strategies to combat the drug-efflux mechanisms will be discussed.     

Multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

Broadly specific, so-called multidrug, efflux mechanisms are now known to contribute significantly to intrinsic and acquired multidrug resistance in a number of Gram-negative bacteria, and the boom in bacterial genomics has confirmed the distribution of these systems in all bacteria. This broad distribution of multidrug transporters lends a certain credibility to suggestions that they play a housekeeping role in the cell, beyond any contributions they may make to antimicrobial efflux and resistance. In many instances, these transporters are dispensable, arguing against their carrying out essential cellular functions; nevertheless, the multiplicity of these broadly specific export systems within a given microorganism, often with overlapping substrate specificity, may explain the dispensability of individual exporters. Whatever their intended function, however, their conservation in so many organisms highlights their probable general importance in antimicrobial resistance, particularly in Gram-negative bacteria whose outer membranes work synergistically with many of these export systems to promote drug exclusion.     

Assembly and channel opening of outer membrane protein in tripartite drug efflux pumps of Gram-negative bacteria

Gram-negative bacteria are capable of expelling diverse xenobiotic substances from within the cell by use of three-component efflux pumps in which the energy-activated inner membrane transporter is connected to the outer membrane channel protein via the membrane fusion protein. In this work, we describe the crystal structure of the membrane fusion protein MexA from the Pseudomonas aeruginosa MexAB-OprM pump in the hexameric ring arrangement. Electron microscopy study on the chimeric complex of MexA and the outer membrane protein OprM reveals that MexA makes a tip-to-tip interaction with OprM, which suggests a docking model for MexA and OprM. This docking model agrees well with genetic results and depicts detailed interactions. Opening of the OprM channel is accompanied by the simultaneous exposure of a protein structure resembling a six-bladed cogwheel, which intermeshes with the complementary cogwheel structure in the MexA hexamer. Taken together, we suggest an assembly and channel opening model for the MexAB-OprM pump. This study provides a better understanding of multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria.     

高龄患者血液感染常见革兰阴性杆菌及其耐药性分析

目的分析本院80~100岁高龄患者血液感染常见革兰阴性杆菌的种类及其耐药状况,为本院合理使用抗生素提供依据。方法采用BacT/Alert 3D血培养仪对血液标本进行阳性鉴定;VITEK-2Compact全自动微生物鉴定仪进行鉴定;K-B纸片扩散法对抗菌药物进行敏感性测定;使用WHONET 5.4分析软件分析数据。结果本院高龄患者血液培养阳性标本中共分离出革兰阴性杆菌108株,以肠杆菌科细菌为主,其次为非发酵菌,前者主要为大肠埃希菌52株(48.15%)和肺炎克雷伯菌37株(34.26%),后者主要包括铜绿假单胞菌10株(9.26%)和鲍曼不动杆菌8株(7.41%)。其中大肠埃希菌和肺炎克雷伯菌对亚胺培南的耐药率分别为1.92%和13.51%,两者对氨苄西林、氨苄西林/舒巴坦、头孢唑林、头孢呋辛的耐药率均高于50.00%;铜绿假单胞菌和鲍曼不动杆菌对亚胺培南的耐药率分别为20.00%和25.00%,后者对其他抗菌药物的耐药率均高于前者。结论碳青酶烯类抗生素可作为本院高龄患者常见革兰阴性杆菌所致血液感染的首选药物;但在治疗中应考虑细菌的耐药特点及患者的代谢特点合理选择抗生素。     

对安贞医院革兰阴性杆菌的耐药趋势调查

目的分析安贞医院感染菌中,居前5位的革兰阴性杆菌的耐药趋势,为临床合理使用抗生素提供必要依据。方法对2000～2002年该院分离的医院感染菌株中,居前5位的革兰阴性杆菌的耐药性,进行回顾性分析。结果革兰阴性杆菌中前5位细菌,对3代头孢菌素的耐药性增高。大多数细菌对亚胺培南和美洛培南敏感。阿米卡星的耐药性有所下降。大肠埃希菌对喹诺酮类抗生素耐药率在85％以上。结论不规范使用抗生素,使细菌的耐药性越来越高,交替使用抗生素可能是降低细菌对抗生素耐药性的有效方法。医院应宏观控制使用抗生素。     

Multidrug resistance in hydrocarbon-tolerant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

New Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from Poeni oily sludge, using enrichment procedures. The six Gram-positive strains belong to Bacillus, Lysinibacillus and Rhodococcus genera. The eight Gram-negative strains belong to Shewanella, Aeromonas, Pseudomonas and Klebsiella genera. Isolated bacterial strains were tolerant to saturated (i.e., n-hexane, n-heptane, n-decane, n-pentadecane, n-hexadecane, cyclohexane), monoaromatic (i.e., benzene, toluene, styrene, xylene isomers, ethylbenzene, propylbenzene) and polyaromatic (i.e., naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, fluorene) hydrocarbons, and also resistant to different antimicrobial agents (i.e., ampicillin, kanamycin, rhodamine 6G, crystal violet, malachite green, sodium dodecyl sulfate). The presence of hydrophilic antibiotics like ampicillin or kanamycin in liquid LB-Mg medium has no effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria resistance to toxic compounds. The results indicated that Gram-negative bacteria are less sensitive to toxic compounds than Gram-positive bacteria, except one bacteria belonging to Lysinibacillus genus. There were observed cellular and molecular modifications induced by ampicillin or kanamycin to isolated bacterial strains. Gram-negative bacteria possessed between two and four catabolic genes (alkB, alkM, alkB/alkB1, todC1, xylM, PAH dioxygenase, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase), compared with Gram-positive bacteria (except one bacteria belonging to Bacillus genus) which possessed one catabolic gene (alkB/alkB1). Transporter genes (HAE1, acrAB) were detected only in Gram-negative bacteria.     

Inhibition of efflux pumps as a novel approach to combat drug resistance in bacteria

Efflux mechanisms have become broadly recognized as major components of resistance to many classes of antibiotics. Some efflux pumps selectively extrude specific antibiotics, while others, referred to as multidrug resistance (MDR) pumps, expel a variety of structurally diverse compounds with differing antibacterial modes of action. There are numerous potentially beneficial consequences of the inhibition of efflux pumps in improving the clinical performance of various antibiotics, and several companies and research laboratories have initiated programs to discover and develop efflux pump inhibitors. This review will summarize recent achievements in this new, very exciting and equally challenging field.     

Analysis of antibiotic resistance regions in Gram-negative bacteria

Antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is often due to the acquisition of resistance genes from a shared pool. In multiresistant isolates these genes, together with associated mobile elements, may be found in complex conglomerations on plasmids or on the chromosome. Analysis of available sequences reveals that these multiresistance regions (MRR) are modular, mosaic structures composed of different combinations of components from a limited set arranged in a limited number of ways. Components common to different MRR provide targets for homologous recombination, allowing these regions to evolve by combinatorial evolution, but our understanding of this process is far from complete. Advances in technology are leading to increasing amounts of sequence data, but currently available automated annotation methods usually focus on identifying ORFs and predicting protein function by homology. In MRR, where the genes are often well characterized, the challenge is to identify precisely which genes are present and to define the boundaries of complete and fragmented mobile elements. This review aims to summarize the types of mobile elements involved in multiresistance in Gram-negative bacteria and their associations with particular resistance genes, to describe common components of MRR and to illustrate methods for detailed analysis of these regions.     

R plasmids among Gram-negative bacteria with multiple drug resistance isolated in a general hospital.

The incidence of conjugative R plasmids in multiple drug-resistant strains of gram-negative bacteria isolated in 1973 from patients in a 700-bed general hospital in Tokyo and some properties of the R plasmids isolated are described. Conjugative R plasmids were found in 52 of the 96 strains (54%), from which 74 R plasmids were demonstrated. It is remarkable that the isolation frequency of R plasmids mediating quadruple- or five-drug resistance was rather low, and the complete pattern of multiple resistance of the original isolates was only rarely transferred by conjugation. These results revealed the existing state of the distribution of R plasmids among hospital strains with multiple drug-resistance.     

2011～2015年医院呼吸内科常见革兰阴性菌耐药性分析与临床用药探讨

目的：分析2011～2015年我院呼吸内科常见革兰阴性菌的分布情况及耐药性特点,为规范抗生素的合理使用提供依据。方法选用法国梅里埃公司生产的ID 32GD试剂盒,应用ATB Expression全自动分析系统对细菌进行鉴定与药敏试验。结果2011～2015年在我院呼吸内科常见的病原菌分别为肺炎克雷伯菌（31．0％）、大肠埃希菌（21．2％）、铜绿假单胞菌（23．2％）与鲍曼不动杆菌（14．8％）。肺炎克雷伯菌对碳青霉烯类的耐药率几乎为0,对单纯的头孢菌素耐药率相对较高,但对含β‐内酰胺酶抑制剂的头孢菌素类以及阿米卡星有较强的抗菌活性;大肠埃希菌对哌拉西林耐药率高,但对含酶青霉素类有较强的抗菌活性,对碳青霉烯类的耐药率连续5年来均为零;铜绿假单胞菌对磺胺类耐药性较高,对头孢三代、头孢四代及含酶青霉素类与含酶头孢类均有较强的抗菌活性,但敏感性呈逐年下降趋势;鲍曼不动杆菌的耐药率呈逐年上升趋势,仅对含酶的头孢哌酮／舒巴坦敏感（约80％）。结论医院呼吸内科革兰阴性菌仍以肺炎克雷伯菌、大肠埃希菌、铜绿假单胞菌、鲍曼不动杆菌为主。鲍曼不动杆菌耐药性逐年增长的问题已日趋严重,相关部门应定期监测细菌耐药趋势,指导临床合理用药,特别是合理应用抗生素以避免细菌耐药及减少细菌耐药性的发生。     

革兰阴性细菌耐药特性的双聚类分析

目的通过双聚类分析了解临床分离的革兰阴性菌的耐药特征。方法采用K-B法对临床分离的113株细菌进行药物敏感试验,用软件WHONET 5.6和MATLAB对药敏试验结果进行统计分析。结果传统耐药分析方法表明113株细菌总体耐药率较低,其中大肠埃希菌、铜绿假单胞菌和鲍曼不动杆菌的耐药率则较高,而肺炎克雷伯菌耐药率较低。通过双聚类分析,所有菌株被聚为三大类,I类菌株占23.0%,耐药率最高,几乎对18种药物都耐药,细菌种类以肺炎克雷伯菌、铜绿假单胞菌、鲍曼不动杆菌为主;Ⅱ类菌株占56.6%,耐药率普遍较低,以肺炎克雷伯菌为主;Ⅲ类菌株占20.4%,菌株的耐药率介于I和Ⅱ类之间,包括肺炎克雷伯菌、铜绿假单胞菌和大肠埃希菌。其中Ⅱ大类,根据所耐抗生素的不同又分为Ⅱ-A、Ⅱ-B、Ⅱ-C三个亚类,每一亚类都具有相似的耐药特点。结论本实验收集的革兰阴性菌株根据耐药特征被聚为Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ类,耐药程度为IⅢⅡ,双聚类分析法有利于快速找到具有相同耐药特征的菌株以及不同菌株之间的耐药差别。     

Stress responses as determinants of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

Bacteria encounter a myriad of potentially growth-compromising conditions in nature and in hosts of pathogenic bacteria. These 'stresses' typically elicit protective and/or adaptive responses that serve to enhance bacterial survivability. Because they impact upon many of the same cellular components and processes that are targeted by antimicrobials, adaptive stress responses can influence antimicrobial susceptibility. In targeting and interfering with key cellular processes, antimicrobials themselves are 'stressors' to which protective stress responses have also evolved. Cellular responses to nutrient limitation (nutrient stress), oxidative and nitrosative stress, cell envelope damage (envelope stress), antimicrobial exposure and other growth-compromising stresses, have all been linked to the development of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria - resulting from the stimulation of protective changes to cell physiology, activation of resistance mechanisms, promotion of resistant lifestyles (biofilms), and induction of resistance mutations.     

Molecular basis of active copper resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacteria

Copper is a metallic element that is crucial for cell metabolism; however, in extended concentrations, it is toxic for all living organisms. The dual nature of copper has forced organisms, including bacteria, to keep a tight hold on cellular copper content. This challenge has led to the evolution of complex mechanisms that on one hand enable them to deliver the essential element and on the other to protect cells against its toxicity. Such mechanisms have been found in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. In bacteria a number of different systems such as extra- and intracellular sequestration, enzymatic detoxification, and metal removal from the cell enabling them to survive in the presence of high concentration of copper have been identified. Gram-negative bacteria, due to their additional compartment, need to deal with both cytoplasmic and periplasmic copper. Therefore, these bacteria have evolved intricate and precisely regulated systems which interact with each other. In this review the active mechanisms of copper resistance at their molecular level are discussed.     

Efflux as a mechanism for drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis remains an important global public health problem, with an estimated prevalence of 14 million individuals with tuberculosis worldwide in 2007. Because antibiotic treatment is one of the main tools for tuberculosis control, knowledge of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance is an important component for the disease control strategy. Although several gene mutations in specific loci of the M. tuberculosis genome have been reported as the basis for drug resistance, additional resistance mechanisms are now believed to exist. Efflux is a ubiquitous mechanism responsible for intrinsic and acquired drug resistance in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Mycobacterium tuberculosis presents one of the largest numbers of putative drug efflux pumps compared with its genome size. Bioinformatics as well as direct and indirect evidence have established relationships among drug efflux with intrinsic or acquired resistance in M. tuberculosis. This minireview describes the current knowledge on drug efflux in M. tuberculosis.     

Disinfectant tolerance and antibiotic resistance in psychrotrophic Gram-negative bacteria isolated from vegetables

A total of 330 strains of psychrotrophic non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria isolated from vegetables were studied. In spite of the wide range of antibiotic resistance occurring, less than 10% showed resistance patterns which included mezclocillin-ticarcillin-gentamicin or ceftizoxime-norfloxacin. Reductions of > 5 log₁₀ in the numbers of cfu were found when these strains were exposed for 30 min to a quaternary ammonium compound (1% w/v).     

Efflux-mediated drug resistance in Gram-positive bacteria

Gram-positive bacteria express numerous membrane transporters that promote the efflux of various drugs, including many antibiotics, from the cell to the outer medium. Drug transporters can be specific to a particular drug, or can have broad specificity, as in so-called multidrug transporters. This broad specificity can be a consequence of the hydrophobic nature of transported molecules, as suggested by recent structural studies of soluble multidrug-binding proteins. Although the functions of drug transporters may involve both the protection of bacteria from outside toxins and the transport of natural metabolites, their clinical importance lies largely in providing Gram-positive pathogens with resistance to macrolides, tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones. A number of agents, discovered in recent years, that inhibit drug transporters can potentially be used to overcome efflux-associated antibiotic resistance.