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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The design of new drugs that resist microbial inactivation.

Several possible strategems for overcoming the development of bacterial resistance are discussed. The design of new drugs that resist microbial inactivation is reviewed, with particular emphasis on the aminoglycoside and beta-lactam antibiotics. Examples of alteration of the inactivation site, decreased enzyme affinity, steric hindrance of enzymic inactivation, and semiempirical systematic modification of the parent antibiotic are presented. The role of the 7-alpha-methoxy group in cefoxitin and the cephamycins in conferring stability in the presence of beta-lactamase is best rationalized by its steric bulk. The effects of other 7-alpha-substituents are also discussed.

Aminoglycosides

Beyond borders: plasmids drive a shared antibiotic resistome in European urban water systems.

BACKGROUND: Urban wastewater systems (UWSs) act as reservoirs and conduits for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with plasmids playing a central role in their spread. Despite their significance, the diversity and persistence of plasmids in UWSs remain underexplored. RESULTS: This study applies a multi-omics approach, including metagenomic and direct plasmidome sequencing, high-throughput qPCR array, and whole genome sequencing of plasmid isolates, to comprehensively profile the microbial plasmidome and resistome on 78 samples across UWSs in Denmark, Spain, and the UK. We successfully uncovered an extensive plasmid and ARG diversity that could not be fully captured by a single method, especially identified 78,574 plasmids, including 20,925 plasmids previously unreported. We also observed that plasmids carried a disproportionate share of clinically relevant ARGs, particularly beta-lactamase resistance genes; most importantly, they were preferentially located on transmissible plasmids. Furtherly, plasmids harbor ARG can enhance their persistence in wastewater ecosystems, especially harboring multiple types of ARGs. Moreover, Bacteroides emerged as a unique persistent ARG reservoir not only for harboring and disseminating diverse resistance genes especially in residential-relevant areas, but also emerged as a major driver of antimicrobial resistance dynamics across different wastewater treatment processes. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this work provides the first attempt at a holistic description of the UWSs' resistome, its structure, dynamics, and mobility and significantly expands the current knowledge. Video Abstract.

Plasmids

Occurrence of antibiotic-resistant E. coli and antibiotic resistance genes from culturable bacteria in drinking water sources along the Upper Mahaweli River, Sri Lanka.

Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli (AR-E. coli) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments pose a serious threat to public health. However, their presence in river water in South Asian countries is not well established. The present study investigated AR-E. coli and ARGs from culturable bacteria in drinking water sources from 14 drinking water treatment plants situated along the Upper Mahaweli River, a tropical central hill-country river system in Sri Lanka. A total of 167 E. coli isolates were tested against ten antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer method, and genomic DNA from culturable bacteria in 45 water samples were screened for 11 ARGs using PCR. Overall, 60.48% E. coli isolates exhibited resistance to at least one antibiotic and multidrug resistance was detected in 27.54%. Highest resistance was for amoxicillin (47.31%), tetracycline (26.95%), and co-trimoxazole (24.55%) and four antibiotics showed seasonal variation. ARGs, dominated by blaTEM (80.0%), tetA (66.67%), and tetM and qnrS (62.22%) were detected in 42.42% PCR assays (n = 210). Multiple antibiotic resistance index varied from 0.00 to 0.80, with 44.91% exceeding the 0.2 threshold value, and the antibiotic resistance index varied from 0.00 to 0.32, with eight above the threshold (≥ 0.2). Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped majority of drinking water sources into the intermediate category while few were categorized under low (Kotagala and Thalawakelle-Galkanda) and high (Haragama, Paradeka, and Nawalapitiya), reflecting the variability of anthropogenic interference. Results highlight the risk associated with AR-E. coli and ARGs from culturable bacteria in one of Sri Lanka's key drinking water sources. Proactive interventions ensuring long-term safety of drinking water sources are urgently needed to safeguard public health.

Sri Lanka

Perfluorooctane sulfonate drives the synergistic dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity during sludge anaerobic digestion.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, one of the most prevalent and persistent emerging contaminants in sludge, may drive the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity during sludge treatment. However, the mechanisms underlying perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)-mediated propagation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs) remain poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of PFOS (1 and 10 μg/g-dw) on ARGs dynamics and virulence risks. Quantitative PCR and metagenomic analysis revealed that PFOS stress led to the widespread enrichment of ARGs, the total abundance of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and VFs also increased by 33.22-37.62% and 6.71-8.41%, respectively. Metagenomic binning results demonstrated that most metagenome-assembled genomes carrying ARGs or VFs simultaneously harbored MGEs. Mechanistically, excessive reactive oxygen species production and enhanced substrate-level phosphorylation for ATP generation may contribute to the increased horizontal transfer potential of ARGs under PFOS stress, which further facilitated the convergence of antimicrobial resistance and virulence traits within pathogens. Furthermore, PFOS may have hindered the negative regulation of the RhlI/RhlR quorum sensing system on the Type III secretion system, stimulating the secretion of VFs. This study elucidates the mechanisms by which PFOS promotes the dissemination of ARGs and pathogenicity during anaerobic digestion, highlighting the potentially overlooked environmental health risks of PFOS during sludge disposal.

Alkanesulfonic Acids

Environmental antibiotic contamination and AMR: Integrating pathways, impacts, and artificial intelligence-driven mitigation.

The widespread contamination of the environment with antibiotic residues is a significant factor contributing to the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antibiotics from various sources, such as effluents from municipal and hospital wastewater treatment plants, agricultural runoffs, discharges from pharmaceutical manufacturing and improper disposal of expired or unused medicines, create selective pressures in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. These environmental reservoirs act as hotspots for horizontal gene transfer, facilitating the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Conventional detection methods including culture-based assays, chromatographic quantification, and molecular diagnostics, provide essential insights but are limited by low throughput, reduced sensitivity to new Antibiotic Resistance Genes, and challenges in real-time monitoring across complex environments. Recent advances, such as whole-genome sequencing, metagenomics, and biosensor-based detection, help to address these gaps by enabling more comprehensive surveillance of the resistome. Artificial intelligence further enhances these approaches by improving data interpretation and pattern recognition, thus complementing traditional and molecular methods rather than replacing them. This review examines the pathways of environmental antibiotic contamination, ecological and health impacts of AMR, and limitations of conventional detection methods. It aims to clarify how these pathways contribute to the AMR crisis, assess the effectiveness of existing surveillance techniques, and identify gaps in current research.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

Microbial development of drug resistance: mechanisms and clinical significance.

Bacteria have demonstrated a disconcerting ability to develop resistance to antimicrobial agents nearly as quickly as new compounds become available. During the past two decades the molecular bases of several types of resistance have been elucidated. Mechanisms of resistance include the transference of genetic material either through conjugation (involving direct contact between microorganisms), or indirectly through transduction (involving bacteriophages). In addition to this "infectious" drug resistance, genetic mutations which permit the utilization of new metabolic pathways, and the production of enzymes which can inactivate the antimicrobic have been described. One particularly complex problem has been the ability of many Enterobacteriaceae to develop resistance to multiple antimicrobials simultaneously. The possible effect of such an occurrence is illustrated by the recent epidemic of multiply resistant Salmonella typhi in Mexico. Because the typhoid bacilli shared an identical resistance pattern to an epidemic Shigella dysenteriae type 1 the in vivo interspecies transmission of resistance has been postulated. Understanding the various mechanisms of resistance development should allow more rational use of antimicrobial agents.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

The fate of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in Large-Scale chicken farm Environments: Preliminary view of the performance of National veterinary Antimicrobial use reduction Action in Guangdong, China.

In 2018, China implemented the Veterinary Antimicrobial Use Reduction Action to curb the rapid development of antibiotic resistance (AR). However, the AR-related pollutions in animal farms after the reduction policy has been poorly investigated. Here, we performed a comprehensive investigation combining UPLC-MS/MS, metagenomic, and bacterial genomic analyses in eight representative large-scale chicken farms in Guangdong, China. Our results showed that antibiotics and ARGs contaminations were more severe in broiler farms than in layer farms. Notably, diverse tet(X) variants were prevalent in the chicken farms. These tet(X)s was carried by diverse E. coli lineages and obviously correlated with ISCR2 and IS1B transposases. The resistomes in chicken farms was significantly correlated with microbial community, and multiple factor analyses indicated that the joint effect of antibiotics-microbial community-MGEs was the most dominant driver of ARGs. Host tracking identified a variety of ARG bacterial hosts and the co-occurrence of ARGs-MRGs-MGEs. Source tracking indicated that the inherent component represented the main feature of resistomes in different hosts, while ARG transfer between the chicken gut and farm environments were frequent. A multiperspective evaluation of AR risk revealed that the early effect of antibiotic reduction was exhibited by the mitigation of maximum level of risky ARGs, prevalence of environmental AR pathogens, and HGT potential of ARGs mediated by phage structures. Overall, our findings provide insights into the antibiotic and ARG profiles in large-scale chicken farms with different rearing strategies and demonstrate a preliminary view of the performance of antibiotic reduction actions in China.

Chickens

[Effect of hydroacridine derivatives on the sensitivity of polyresistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli to antibiotics].

Sensitivity of 4 clinical strains of Staph. aureus and E. coli to 13 hydroacridine derivatives and their combinations with antibiotics, such as benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, semi-synthetic penicillins, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, monomycin, oleandomycin and erythromycin was studied. The highest bacteriostatic effect was observed on the use of perhydroactidine derivatives with benzylpenicillin or ampicillin with respect to polyresistant penicillinase-producing strains of Staph. aureus, resistance of which to these antibiotics was decreased 250--1000 times. Under the effect of the above compounds the staphylococcal resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oleandomycine and erythromycin decreased 2--66 times. The combinations of hydroacridine with the antibiotics, except 10-amino-trans-syn-trans-perhydroacridine had no effect on the resistance of the E. coli strains. The results of the combined effect of the above substances were associated with their chemical nature, the bacterial type and possibly the character of the strain resistance.

Acridines

Studies of properties and potential applications of some soluble salts of cellulose acetate phthalate. Part 1: rheological behavior and aging effect.

Rheological behaviour for solutions of the sodium, ammonium, and triethanolamie salts of cellulose acetate phthalate was studied. The comparative resistance to microbial growth and to changes in pH values exhibited by these solutions on storage was also investigated. The results indicated that the viscosities of these solutions were temperature and concentration dependent and that increasing the rate of shear produced only a slight increase of viscosity. Solutions of ammonium and the triethanolamine salts did not support any apparent microbial growth during storage at room temperature of three weeks, but the sodium salt appeared to suffer from microbial contamination. However, the use of a mixture of 0.15% methylparaben and 0.05% propylparaben prevented such contamination. The pH values of all the slat solutions studied appeared to decrease on storage.

Acetates

General principles of antimicrobial therapy.

In the initial therapy of life-threatening infections in which a bacterial cause is suspected, the emphasis should be on broad antibiotic coverage in contrast to definitive therapy, which is dependent on microbial isolation and, when indicated, in vitro susceptibility tests. In severe infections, antimicrobial agents should be given parenterally, at least initially. The need for optimal dosage is emphasized. This is particularly important when aminoglycosides are administered, for there is a tendency to use inadequate dosage because of concern for potential side effects with these agents. The problems leading to recurrence and persistence of fever during antimicrobial therapy include failure to diagnose and drain abscesses, superinfection, drug fever, and clinical or microbiologic errors. Combinations of antibiotics are indicated in severe infections in severe infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enterococcal group D streptococci, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Cryptococcus neoformans. Laboratory aid for the selection of antimicrobial therapy can be of great value but need not always be done, because certain microorganisms have stable, predictable susceptibilities, for example, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes. Cautious conservatism is advocated with regard to the use of new antimicrobial agents.

Aminoglycosides

Fusarium oxysporum endophthalmitis.

A 27-year-old man sustained a thorn injury to his left eye and a culture-proven Fusarium oxysporum endophthalmitis developed. This was successfully treated with a vitrectomy, intravitreal and intravenous amphotericin B, and oral flucytosine. The patient maintains 20/20 vision at this time in his left eye. We recommend combined therapy for this filamentous fungal infection.

Adult

[Metabolic products of microorganisms, 149. Lysolipin I, a new antibiotic from streptomyces violaceoniger (author's transl)].

From the cultures of Streptomyces violaceoniger, strain Tü 96, two new lipophilic antibiotics, Lysolipin I and Lysolipin X were isolated. The latter one is chemically unstable and is easily transformed to Lysolipin I. The deeply yellow Lysolipin I has a molecular formula C29H24CINO11. It was characterized by the ir, uv, H-nmr and 13C-nmr spectra, which make a quinone structure very probable. Lysolipin I is active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, enterobacteriae are only inhibited in high dilution, when the membrane permeation is damaged. Lysolipin I acts lytically against bacterial cells. Its activity is decreased by several lipids. The site of action is the biosynthesis of bacterial cell walls, an interaction with the carrier lipid for mureine intermediates being probable.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

[Efficacy, tolerance, and pharmacokinetics of sisomicin in urinary tract infections (author's transl)].

Since 1973 30 patients with urinary tract infections (UTI) or pyelonephritis have been treated with sisomicin, a new aminoglycoside, in a daily dose of 2 mg/kg for a period of seven to nine days. From a clinical point of view the result of treatment was good. Complete resolution was achieved in 17 patients, improvement in nine, and there was no effect in four patients. Thirty-five causative organisms (Escherichia coli = 23, Proteus sp. = 7, Klebsiella sp. = 3, Pseudomonas aeruginosa = 1, Citrobacter = 1) were isolated before treatment. Thirty of the organisms were eliminated during treatment, but seven reappeared during the follow-up period; five strains persisted. Side effects observed consisted of reversible increase of serum creatinine in four patients, excretion of granular casts in 14 patients, and a transient rise of alkaline phosphatase, SGOT and/or SGPT in five patients. No signs of ototoxicity or any other adverse reactions were found and local tolerance was good. In 20 patients blood samples for assay were obtained daily one hour after i. m. injection of 1.0 mg/kg. No evidence of drug accumulation in the serum was found: the mean serum concentrations one hour after injection remained between 3.4 and 3,9 microgram/ml during the entire treatment period. Sisomicin is a highly effective antibiotic for the treatment of UTI caused by gramnegative pathogens. On account of its potential toxicity however, it should be used, like other aminoglycosides, only in selected cases.

Anti-Infective Agents, Urinary

Sensitivity of strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli to tobramycin and other antibiotics.

The sensitivity patterns of strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli associated with diarrhoeal disease of infants to tobramycin and other antibiotics were estimated. The activity of tobramycin and of gentamicin alone and in combinations against recent isolates of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli was investigated. It was found that all the strains included in the present study were sensitive to tobramycin and gentamicin and most of them were sensitive to colistin and furazolidone. No significant differences in minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and rates of killing were found between tobramycin and gentamicin, and they acted in an additive manner against most of the strains tested.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

Novel approaches to the mode of action of colicins.

According to the theory of Fredericq (1949) and Nomura (1964), colicins are attached by specific receptor sites in the cell walls of sensitive bacteria, which mediate their inhibitive effects. During last years, a great variety of experimental data have been accumulated, some of which cannot be easily interpreted in terms of this theory. There exist considerable discrepancies concerning the chemical nature and molecular weight of isolated receptors. The attachment of a colicin onto its receptor need not be irreversible. The inhibition of numerous membrane-associated functions in colicin-tolerant mutants suggests their pleiotropic deletion nature. The difference between colicin resistance and colicin tolerance does not seem to be clear-cut. Cells of stable L-forms of protoplast type, completely devoid of their walls, retain in most cases the same patterns of sensitivity to colicins as rods of the same strains. Experimental changes in the relationship between the cell wall and the cytoplasmic membrane decrease colicin sensitivity of the cells. Colicin E3 has been found to be a specific endoribonuclease, able to cleave a terminal fragment from the 16 S rRNA also in isolated ribosomes in vitro: not only in ribosomes from sensitive bacteria, but also in those from resistant ones and from eukaryotic cells. A destabilization of the DNA helix was induced by colicin E2 in vitro as in vivo. It seems that there exist two distinct types of colicin receptors with different functions: those in the cell wall, and those in the cytoplasmic membrane. Only the contact of colicins with the latter ones is biologically effective and starts both stages of their inhibitive effect: the reversible and the irreversible ones.

Bacteria