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Journal ArticleDOI

Metallo-β-Lactamases: the Quiet before the Storm?

01 Apr 2005-Clinical Microbiology Reviews (American Society for Microbiology)-Vol. 18, Iss: 2, pp 306-325
TL;DR: Their rapid dissemination is worrisome and necessitates the implementation of not just surveillance studies but also metallo-β-lactamase inhibitor studies securing the longevity of important anti-infectives.
Abstract: The ascendancy of metallo-β-lactamases within the clinical sector, while not ubiquitous, has nonetheless been dramatic; some reports indicate that nearly 30% of imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains possess a metallo-β-lactamase. Acquisition of a metallo-β-lactamase gene will invariably mediate broad-spectrum β-lactam resistance in P. aeruginosa, but the level of in vitro resistance in Acinetobacter spp. and Enterobacteriaceae is less dependable. Their clinical significance is further embellished by their ability to hydrolyze all β-lactams and by the fact that there is currently no clinical inhibitor, nor is there likely to be for the foreseeable future. The genes encoding metallo-β-lactamases are often procured by class 1 (sometimes class 3) integrons, which, in turn, are embedded in transposons, resulting in a highly transmissible genetic apparatus. Moreover, other gene cassettes within the integrons often confer resistance to aminoglycosides, precluding their use as an alternative treatment. Thus far, the metallo-β-lactamases encoded on transferable genes include IMP, VIM, SPM, and GIM and have been reported from 28 countries. Their rapid dissemination is worrisome and necessitates the implementation of not just surveillance studies but also metallo-β-lactamase inhibitor studies securing the longevity of important anti-infectives.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Extended-spectrum β-lactamases represent an impressive example of the ability of gram-negative bacteria to develop new antibiotic resistance mechanisms in the face of the introduction of new antimicrobial agents.
Abstract: Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are a rapidly evolving group of β-lactamases which share the ability to hydrolyze third-generation cephalosporins and aztreonam yet are inhibited by clavulanic acid. Typically, they derive from genes for TEM-1, TEM-2, or SHV-1 by mutations that alter the amino acid configuration around the active site of these β-lactamases. This extends the spectrum of β-lactam antibiotics susceptible to hydrolysis by these enzymes. An increasing number of ESBLs not of TEM or SHV lineage have recently been described. The presence of ESBLs carries tremendous clinical significance. The ESBLs are frequently plasmid encoded. Plasmids responsible for ESBL production frequently carry genes encoding resistance to other drug classes (for example, aminoglycosides). Therefore, antibiotic options in the treatment of ESBL-producing organisms are extremely limited. Carbapenems are the treatment of choice for serious infections due to ESBL-producing organisms, yet carbapenem-resistant isolates have recently been reported. ESBL-producing organisms may appear susceptible to some extended-spectrum cephalosporins. However, treatment with such antibiotics has been associated with high failure rates. There is substantial debate as to the optimal method to prevent this occurrence. It has been proposed that cephalosporin breakpoints for the Enterobacteriaceae should be altered so that the need for ESBL detection would be obviated. At present, however, organizations such as the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (formerly the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards) provide guidelines for the detection of ESBLs in klebsiellae and Escherichia coli. In common to all ESBL detection methods is the general principle that the activity of extended-spectrum cephalosporins against ESBL-producing organisms will be enhanced by the presence of clavulanic acid. ESBLs represent an impressive example of the ability of gram-negative bacteria to develop new antibiotic resistance mechanisms in the face of the introduction of new antimicrobial agents.

3,308 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review details the significant advances that have been made in understanding of this remarkable organism over the last 10 years, including current taxonomy and species identification, issues with susceptibility testing, mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, global epidemiology, clinical impact of infection, host-pathogen interactions, and infection control and therapeutic considerations.
Abstract: Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a highly troublesome pathogen for many institutions globally. As a consequence of its immense ability to acquire or upregulate antibiotic drug resistance determinants, it has justifiably been propelled to the forefront of scientific attention. Apart from its predilection for the seriously ill within intensive care units, A. baumannii has more recently caused a range of infectious syndromes in military personnel injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. This review details the significant advances that have been made in our understanding of this remarkable organism over the last 10 years, including current taxonomy and species identification, issues with susceptibility testing, mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, global epidemiology, clinical impact of infection, host-pathogen interactions, and infection control and therapeutic considerations.

2,915 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The characteristics, epidemiology, and detection of the carbapenemases found in pathogenic bacteria are updates and metallo-β-lactamases are detected primarily in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Abstract: Carbapenemases are β-lactamases with versatile hydrolytic capacities. They have the ability to hydrolyze penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, and carbapenems. Bacteria producing these β-lactamases may cause serious infections in which the carbapenemase activity renders many β-lactams ineffective. Carbapenemases are members of the molecular class A, B, and D β-lactamases. Class A and D enzymes have a serine-based hydrolytic mechanism, while class B enzymes are metallo-β-lactamases that contain zinc in the active site. The class A carbapenemase group includes members of the SME, IMI, NMC, GES, and KPC families. Of these, the KPC carbapenemases are the most prevalent, found mostly on plasmids in Klebsiella pneumoniae. The class D carbapenemases consist of OXA-type β-lactamases frequently detected in Acinetobacter baumannii. The metallo-β-lactamases belong to the IMP, VIM, SPM, GIM, and SIM families and have been detected primarily in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; however, there are increasing numbers of reports worldwide of this group of β-lactamases in the Enterobacteriaceae. This review updates the characteristics, epidemiology, and detection of the carbapenemases found in pathogenic bacteria.

2,199 citations


Cites background from "Metallo-β-Lactamases: the Quiet bef..."

  • ...VIM-2 has the dubious distinction of being the most-reported metallo- -lactamase worldwide (224)....

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  • ...The metallo- -lactamases have been thoroughly reviewed recently (221, 224), and so this section serves as a summary and epidemiological update....

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  • ...Amino acid sequence identities are as low as 23% across the metallo- -lactamases, including enzymes such as CcrA, CphA, and L1 (Table 1) (182, 224)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A Swedish patient of Indian origin traveled to New Delhi, India, and acquired a urinary tract infection caused by a carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain that typed to the sequence type 14 complex, showing broad resistance carried on these plasmids.
Abstract: A Swedish patient of Indian origin traveled to New Delhi, India, and acquired a urinary tract infection caused by a carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain that typed to the sequence type 14 complex. The isolate, Klebsiella pneumoniae 05-506, was shown to possess a metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) but was negative for previously known MBL genes. Gene libraries and amplification of class 1 integrons revealed three resistance-conferring regions; the first contained blaCMY-4 flanked by ISEcP1 and blc. The second region of 4.8 kb contained a complex class 1 integron with the gene cassettes arr-2, a new erythromycin esterase gene; ereC; aadA1; and cmlA7. An intact ISCR1 element was shown to be downstream from the qac/sul genes. The third region consisted of a new MBL gene, designated blaNDM-1, flanked on one side by K. pneumoniae DNA and a truncated IS26 element on its other side. The last two regions lie adjacent to one another, and all three regions are found on a 180-kb region that is easily transferable to recipient strains and that confers resistance to all antibiotics except fluoroquinolones and colistin. NDM-1 shares very little identity with other MBLs, with the most similar MBLs being VIM-1/VIM-2, with which it has only 32.4% identity. As well as possessing unique residues near the active site, NDM-1 also has an additional insert between positions 162 and 166 not present in other MBLs. NDM-1 has a molecular mass of 28 kDa, is monomeric, and can hydrolyze all β-lactams except aztreonam. Compared to VIM-2, NDM-1 displays tighter binding to most cephalosporins, in particular, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, and cephalothin (cefalotin), and also to the penicillins. NDM-1 does not bind to the carbapenems as tightly as IMP-1 or VIM-2 and turns over the carbapenems at a rate similar to that of VIM-2. In addition to K. pneumoniae 05-506, blaNDM-1 was found on a 140-kb plasmid in an Escherichia coli strain isolated from the patient's feces, inferring the possibility of in vivo conjugation. The broad resistance carried on these plasmids is a further worrying development for India, which already has high levels of antibiotic resistance.

2,144 citations


Cites background or result from "Metallo-β-Lactamases: the Quiet bef..."

  • ...coli TOP10 and J53 compared with those for strains with the other cloned MBL genes (31, 41)....

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  • ...These include blaIMP, blaVIM, blaGIM, blaSIM, and blaKMH (41)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: These resistance traits have been identified among nosocomial and community-acquired infections and are being investigated for use in drug discovery and development.
Abstract: Carbapenemases increasingly have been reported in Enterobacteriaceae in the past 10 years. Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases have been reported in the United States and then worldwide, with a marked endemicity at least in the United States and Greece. Metallo-enzymes (Verona integron–encoded metallo-β-lactamase, IMP) also have been reported worldwide, with a higher prevalence in southern Europe and Asia. Carbapenemases of the oxacillinase-48 type have been identified mostly in Mediterranean and European countries and in India. Recent identification of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 producers, originally in the United Kingdom, India, and Pakistan and now worldwide, is worrisome. Detection of infected patients and carriers with carbapenemase producers is necessary for prevention of their spread. Identification of the carbapenemase genes relies mostly on molecular techniques, whereas detection of carriers is possible by using screening culture media. This strategy may help prevent development of nosocomial outbreaks caused by carbapenemase producers, particularly K. pneumoniae.

2,044 citations


Cites background or methods or result from "Metallo-β-Lactamases: the Quiet bef..."

  • ...Endemicity of VIM- and IMP-type enzymes has been reported in Greece, Taiwan, and Japan (2,12), although outbreaks and single reports of VIM and IMP producers have been reported in many other countries (Figure 3)....

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  • ...The Etest MBL, using imipenem and imipenem/EDTA, is effi cient for detection of MBL producers with high resistance (12), but may be defi cient for detecting MBL producers with low resistance to imipenem....

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  • ...These enzymes hydrolyze all β-lactams except aztreonam (12)....

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  • ...The Etest MBL strip (bioMérieux, Solna, Sweden) is one of the methods advocated for detecting MBL producers on the basis of inhibition of MBL activity by EDTA (12)....

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  • ...Class B Metallo-β-Lactamases Class B metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are mostly of the Verona integron–encoded metallo-β-lactamase (VIM) and IMP types and, more recently, of the New Delhi metalloβ-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) type (2,12)....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: β-Lactamases continue to be the leading cause of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics among gram-negative bacteria and are now found in a significant percentage of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in certain countries.
Abstract: β-Lactamases continue to be the leading cause of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics among gram-negative bacteria. In recent years there has been an increased incidence and prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), enzymes that hydrolyze and cause resistance to oxyimino-cephalosporins and aztreonam. The majority of ESBLs are derived from the widespread broad-spectrum β-lactamases TEM-1 and SHV-1. There are also new families of ESBLs, including the CTX-M and OXA-type enzymes as well as novel, unrelated β-lactamases. Several different methods for the detection of ESBLs in clinical isolates have been suggested. While each of the tests has merit, none of the tests is able to detect all of the ESBLs encountered. ESBLs have become widespread throughout the world and are now found in a significant percentage of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in certain countries. They have also been found in other Enterobacteriaceae strains and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Strains expressing these β-lactamases will present a host of therapeutic challenges as we head into the 21st century.

2,676 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: These enzymes are the major cause of bacterial resistance to b-lactam antibiotics and have been the subject of extensive microbiological, biochemical, and genetic investigations.
Abstract: A classification scheme for b-lactamases based on functional characteristics is presented. Three major groups of enzymes are defined by their substrate and inhibitor profiles: group 1 cephalosporinases that are not well inhibited by clavulanic acid; group 2 penicillinases, cephalosporinases, and broadspectrum b-lactamases that are generally inhibited by active site-directed b-lactamase inhibitors; and the group 3 metallob-lactamases that hydrolyze penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems and that are poorly inhibited by almost all b-lactam-containing molecules. Functional characteristics have been correlated with molecular structure in a dendrogram for those enzymes with known amino acid sequences. b-Lactamases (EC 3.5.2.6) have been designated by the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry as ‘‘enzymes hydrolysing amides, amidines and other CON bonds . . . separated on the basis of the substrate: . . . cyclic amides’’ (323). These enzymes are the major cause of bacterial resistance to b-lactam antibiotics and have been the subject of extensive microbiological, biochemical, and genetic investigations. Investigators have described more than 190 unique bacterial proteins with the ability to interact with the variety of b-lactam-containing molecules that can serve as sub-

2,563 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that the β-lactamases have a polyphyletic origin and all the enzymes of currently known amino acid sequence belong to one homology group, called class A enzymes.
Abstract: The beta-lactamases are widely distributed in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. They all inactivate penicillins and cephalosporins by opening the beta-lactam ring. Many varieties of the enzyme can be distinguished on the basis of their catalytic and molecular properties, but only amino acid sequence determination gives information upon which a molecular phylogeny can be based. The present evidence suggests that the beta-lactamases have a polyphyletic origin. All the beta-lactamases of currently known amino acid sequence belong to one homology group, here called class A enzymes. Class B consists of the mechanistically distinct Bacillus cereus beta-lactamase II, which preliminary partial sequence analysis suggests to be structurally unrelated to the class A enzymes. It is predicted that sequence analysis will show that further classes will need to be created to account for particular beta-lactamases of distinctive molecular and mechanistic properties.

1,624 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: K. pneumoniae strain 1534 is mainly due to production of a novel Bush group 2f, class A, carbapenem-hydrolyzing β-lactamase, KPC-1, although alterations in porin expression may also play a role.
Abstract: A Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate showing moderate to high-level imipenem and meropenem resistance was investigated. The MICs of both drugs were 16 microg/ml. The beta-lactamase activity against imipenem and meropenem was inhibited in the presence of clavulanic acid. The strain was also resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins and aztreonam. Isoelectric focusing studies demonstrated three beta-lactamases, with pIs of 7.2 (SHV-29), 6.7 (KPC-1), and 5.4 (TEM-1). The presence of bla(SHV) and bla(TEM) genes was confirmed by specific PCRs and DNA sequence analysis. Transformation and conjugation studies with Escherichia coli showed that the beta-lactamase with a pI of 6.7, KPC-1 (K. pneumoniae carbapenemase-1), was encoded on an approximately 50-kb nonconjugative plasmid. The gene, bla(KPC-1), was cloned in E. coli and shown to confer resistance to imipenem, meropenem, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, and aztreonam. The amino acid sequence of the novel carbapenem-hydrolyzing beta-lactamase, KPC-1, showed 45% identity to the pI 9.7 carbapenem-hydrolyzing beta-lactamase, Sme-1, from Serratia marcescens S6. Hydrolysis studies showed that purified KPC-1 hydrolyzed not only carbapenems but also penicillins, cephalosporins, and monobactams. KPC-1 had the highest affinity for meropenem. The kinetic studies also revealed that clavulanic acid and tazobactam inhibited KPC-1. An examination of the outer membrane proteins of the parent K. pneumoniae strain demonstrated that the strain does not express detectable levels of OmpK35 and OmpK37, although OmpK36 is present. We concluded that carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae strain 1534 is mainly due to production of a novel Bush group 2f, class A, carbapenem-hydrolyzing beta-lactamase, KPC-1, although alterations in porin expression may also play a role.

1,439 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 2004-Nature
TL;DR: The ‘SOS response’ to DNA damage alleviates this repression, increasing the expression of genes necessary for SXT transfer and hence the frequency of transfer, and presents a mechanism by which therapeutic agents can promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.
Abstract: Mobile genetic elements have a crucial role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes among bacterial populations. Environmental and genetic factors that regulate conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial populations are largely unknown1. Integrating conjugative elements (ICEs) are a diverse group of mobile elements that are transferred by means of cell–cell contact and integrate into the chromosome of the new host2. SXT is a ∼100-kilobase ICE derived from Vibrio cholerae that encodes genes that confer resistance to chloramphenicol, sulphamethoxazole, trimethoprim and streptomycin3. SXT-related elements were not detected in V. cholerae before 1993 but are now present in almost all clinical V. cholerae isolates from Asia4. ICEs related to SXT are also present in several other bacterial species and encode a variety of antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes4,5,6,7. Here we show that SetR, an SXT encoded repressor, represses the expression of activators of SXT transfer. The ‘SOS response’ to DNA damage alleviates this repression, increasing the expression of genes necessary for SXT transfer and hence the frequency of transfer. SOS is induced by a variety of environmental factors and antibiotics, for example ciprofloxacin, and we show that ciprofloxacin induces SXT transfer as well. Thus, we present a mechanism by which therapeutic agents can promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

945 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...terium was exposed to fluoroquinolones (9, 67)....

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