Enhanced Carbapenem Resistance through Multimerization of Plasmids Carrying Carbapenemase Genes
Ryuichiro Abe, Yukihiro Akeda, Yo Sugawara, Yuki Matsumoto, Daisuke Motooka, Ryuji Kawahara, Norihisa Yamamoto, Kazunori Tomono, Tetsuya Iida, Shigeyuki Hamada
Abstract
We demonstrated the multimerization of plasmids harboring carbapenemase genes, and multimeric plasmids of various discrete sizes existed in a host bacterial cell of Escherichia coli. Plasmid multimerization along with increased copy numbers of carbapenemase genes resulted in enhanced carbapenemase resistance, which was readily accelerated by an overnight preexposure to meropenem. This mechanism may lead to treatment failure in clinical settings after the initiation of antimicrobial therapy.
Topics & Concepts
PlasmidEscherichia coliGeneMicrobiologyMeropenemCarbapenemBacteriaBiologyCarbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceaeAntibiotic resistanceEnterobacteriaceaeChemistryGeneticsAntibioticsAntibiotic Resistance in BacteriaVibrio bacteria research studiesBacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing