Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria Flashcards
Natural (intrinsic) resistance
-chromosomally mediated and is predictable
Mutational resistance
- random mutation
- secondary resistance occurring after therapy with the antimicrobial in question has begun
Transferable resistance
- is plasmid-mediated through:
- conjugation (bacterial mating)
- transduction (bacteriophage transmission)
- transformation (uptake of DNA from environment)
Induced resistance
- does not happen right away
- takes 20-30 days
Transposable Genetic Elements
- these are two types of transposable genetic elements: transposons, insertion sequences
- either element can translocate as an independent unit
- both elements are flanked on either end by short identical sequences of DNA in reverse order (inverted repeats)- these inverted repeat DNA termini are essential to the transposition process
- transposons and insertion sequences are incapable of autonomous self-replication and must exist on a replicon, such as the chromsome, bacteriophagem or plasmid to be replicated and maintained in a bacterial population
Insertion Sequences
- inserted sequences are mobile genetic elements that are known to encode only functions involved in insertion events
- IS may contain partial or complete promoters capable of activating the expression of neighboring genes
- allows expression of downstream genes presumably because the transposon is supplying a new promoter for those genes
- IS elements have proven to play an important role in the activation of resistant gene transcription in Staphylococci
Transposons
- specialized sequences of DNA that possess their own recombination enzymes (transposases), allowing for transposition (hopping) from one location to another independent of the recombination enzymes of the host
- transposons can translocate as a unit from one area of the bacterial chromosome to another or between the chromosome and plasmid or bacteriphage DNA
Integrons
- integrons are mobile DNA elements with the ability to capture genes, notabliy those encoding antibiotic resistance, by site-specific recombination
- the antibiotic resistance genes that integrons capture are located on gene cassettes
- the expression of promoterless, cassette-associated resistance genes is markedly influences by their position in a cassette array
Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance
- enzymatic inactivation
- decreased permeability
- efflux
- alteration of target site
- protection of target site
- overproduction of target
- bypass of inhibited process
B-lactamses
- bacterial enzymes that inactivate B-lactam antibiotics by hydrolysis of the B-lactamase bond
- they may differ in their substrate profiles, the drugs they can inactivate
- enzymes require either a serine or zinc atom moiety at the active site to hydrolyze the B-lactam ring
Decreased Susceptibility to the B-lactams
- Narrow spectrum B-lactamases- resistance to penicillins and narrow-spectrum cephalosporins
- Extended spectrum B- lectamases (ESBL’s)- resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (3rd generation) but remain susceptible to aztreonam
- ampC production- mostly chromosomal- plasmid mediated now being observed
- carbapenemase production (carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae)
- major outer membrane protein modifications- decreased production of OmpC or OmpF may result in low level B-lectamase production
B-lactam inhibitor combinations
-currently availible products combine ampicillin, amoxicillin, ticarcillin, or piperaccillin with a beta lactamase inhibitor
- Clavulanate +amoxacillin = augmentin
- Clavulanate+ ticarcillin = timentin
- Sulbactam + amplicillin = Unasyn
- Tazobactam + piperacillin = Xosyn
Penicillinase Resistant Penicillins
- the drugs in this class are highly resistant to inactivation by staphylococcal penicillinase (B lactamase) and are active against B-lactamase producing Staphylococcus aureus
- Methicillin, Oxacillin, Cloxacillin, Dicloxacillin, Nafcillin
Extended Spectrum B- lactamases (ESBL’s)
- this group of enzymes is emerging as a major problem in the US
- mutant enzymes in the class A B-lactamases- wider spectrum of activity
- confer resistance to monobactams (aztreonam), cerfotaxime, ceftazidime and other broad spectrum cephalosporins: not active against carbapenems (imipenem) or cephamycins (cefoxitin/cefotetan)
- primarily found in Klebsiella pneumoniae and oxytoca, E coli and P miribilis
- most are inhibited well by clavulanic acid and tazobactam
- resistance conferred to extended-spectrum penicillins, 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins and aztreonam
- susceptible to carbapenases (imipenem) or cephamycins (cefoxitin/cefotetan)
Therapeutic Choices of ESBL’s
-carbapenems (imipenem, ertapenem, meropenem) are the most effective therapeutic agents against ESBL-producing enterobacteriaceae