Skip to main content
PMC home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1981 Jun;19(6):952–957. doi: 10.1128/aac.19.6.952

Molecular and phenotypic characterization of penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Canadian sources.

J R Dillon, P Duck, D Y Thomas
PMCID: PMC181591  PMID: 6791587

Abstract

The incidence of penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) infections has increased in Canada during the past 2 years. Most of these cases were imported from abroad. The PPNG strains from these cases were characterized with respect to susceptibility to 11 antibiotics, auxotype, and plasmid content. Rosaramicin and cefuroxime proved to be the most potent of the antibiotics tested. The molecular characterization of the isolates indicated that all carried a 2.6-megadalton cryptic plasmid. Most of the PPNG isolates (87%) harbored a 4.5-megadalton penicillinase-producing plasmid, whereas only 13% harbored the 3.2-megadalton penicillinase-producing plasmid. In those cases where contact tracing was possible, the correlation linking strains of Far Eastern etiology with carriage of the 4.5-megadalton plasmid was upheld. The penicillinase-producing strains were typed auxanographically in either the proline-requiring (57%) or prototrophic groups (42%). Substrate hydrolysis profiles and analytical isoelectric focusing of crude beta-lactamase extracts of several isolates has reconfirmed that these strains elaborate a type TEM-1 enzyme. Several of the penicillinase-producing plasmids were also examined for plasmid stability.

Full text

PDF
955

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baumueller A., Hoyme U., Madsen P. O. Rosamicin--a new drug for the treatment of bacterial prostatitis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Aug;12(2):240–242. doi: 10.1128/aac.12.2.240. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Biddle J. W., Thornsberry C. In vitro activity of rosamicin, josamycin, erythromycin, and clindamycin against beta-lactamase-nagative and beta-lactamase-positive strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1979 Feb;15(2):243–245. doi: 10.1128/aac.15.2.243. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Clewell D. B., Helinski D. R. Supercoiled circular DNA-protein complex in Escherichia coli: purification and induced conversion to an opern circular DNA form. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1969 Apr;62(4):1159–1166. doi: 10.1073/pnas.62.4.1159. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Eisenstein B. I., Sox T., Biswas G., Blackman E., Sparling P. F. Conjugal transfer of the gonococcal penicillinase plasmid. Science. 1977 Mar 11;195(4282):998–1000. doi: 10.1126/science.402693. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Elwell L. P., Roberts M., Mayer L. W., Falkow S. Plasmid-mediated beta-lactamase production in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Mar;11(3):528–533. doi: 10.1128/aac.11.3.528. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Engelkirk P. G., Schoenhard D. E. Physical evidence of a plasmid in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Infect Dis. 1973 Feb;127(2):197–200. doi: 10.1093/infdis/127.2.197. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Eriquez L. A., D'Amato R. F. Purification by affinity chromatography and properties of a beta-lactamase isolated from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1979 Feb;15(2):229–234. doi: 10.1128/aac.15.2.229. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fuchs P. C., Thornsberry C., Barry A. L., Jones R. N., Gavan T. L., Gerlach E. H., Sommers H. M. Rosamicin: in vitro activity comparison with erythromycin and other antibiotics against clinical isolates from the genito-urinary tract and Neisseria meningitidis. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 1979 Sep;32(9):920–927. doi: 10.7164/antibiotics.32.920. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Heffron F., Sublett R., Hedges R. W., Jacob A., Falkow S. Origin of the TEM-beta-lactamase gene found on plasmids. J Bacteriol. 1975 Apr;122(1):250–256. doi: 10.1128/jb.122.1.250-256.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hendry A. T., Stewart I. O. Auxanographic grouping and typing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Can J Microbiol. 1979 Apr;25(4):512–521. doi: 10.1139/m79-075. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hoyme U., Baumueller A., Madsen P. O. Rosamicin in urethral and vaginal secretions and tissues in dogs and rats. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Aug;12(2):237–239. doi: 10.1128/aac.12.2.237. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. KELLOGG D. S., Jr, PEACOCK W. L., Jr, DEACON W. E., BROWN L., PIRKLE D. I. NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE. I. VIRULENCE GENETICALLY LINKED TO CLONAL VARIATION. J Bacteriol. 1963 Jun;85:1274–1279. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.6.1274-1279.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kirven L. A., Thornsberry C. Transfer of beta-lactamase genes of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by conjugation. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Jun;11(6):1004–1006. doi: 10.1128/aac.11.6.1004. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lederberg E. M., Cohen S. N. Transformation of Salmonella typhimurium by plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1974 Sep;119(3):1072–1074. doi: 10.1128/jb.119.3.1072-1074.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mathew A., Harris A. M., Marshall M. J., Ross G. W. The use of analytical isoelectric focusing for detection and identification of beta-lactamases. J Gen Microbiol. 1975 May;88(1):169–178. doi: 10.1099/00221287-88-1-169. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mayer L. W., Holmes K. K., Falkow S. Characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infect Immun. 1974 Oct;10(4):712–717. doi: 10.1128/iai.10.4.712-717.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Meyers J. A., Sanchez D., Elwell L. P., Falkow S. Simple agarose gel electrophoretic method for the identification and characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1976 Sep;127(3):1529–1537. doi: 10.1128/jb.127.3.1529-1537.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. O'Callaghan C. H., Morris A., Kirby S. M., Shingler A. H. Novel method for detection of beta-lactamases by using a chromogenic cephalosporin substrate. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Apr;1(4):283–288. doi: 10.1128/aac.1.4.283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Percival A., Rowlands J., Corkill J. E., Alergant C. D., Arya O. P., Rees E., Annels E. H. Penicillinase-producing Gonococci in Liverpool. Lancet. 1976 Dec 25;2(8000):1379–1382. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(76)91919-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Perine P. L., Thornsberry C., Schalla W., Biddle J., Siegel M. S., Wong K. H., Thompson S. E. Evidence for two distinct types of penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Lancet. 1977 Nov 12;2(8046):993–995. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(77)92891-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Roberts M., Elwell L. P., Falkow S. Molecular characterization of two beta-lactamase-specifying plasmids isolated from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1977 Aug;131(2):557–563. doi: 10.1128/jb.131.2.557-563.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Roberts M., Falkow S. Conjugal transfer of R plasmids in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Nature. 1977 Apr 14;266(5603):630–631. doi: 10.1038/266630a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Roberts M., Piot P., Falkow S. The ecology of gonococcal plasmids. J Gen Microbiol. 1979 Oct;114(2):491–494. doi: 10.1099/00221287-114-2-491. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Ross G. W., O'Callaghan C. H. Beta-lactamase assays. Methods Enzymol. 1975;43:69–85. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(75)43081-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Siegel M. S., Thornsberry C., Biddle J. W., O'Mara P. R., Perine P. L., Wiesner P. J. Penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae: results of surveillance in the United States. J Infect Dis. 1978 Feb;137(2):170–175. doi: 10.1093/infdis/137.2.170. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Sox T. E., Mohammed W., Blackman E., Biswas G., Sparling P. F. Conjugative plasmids in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol. 1978 Apr;134(1):278–286. doi: 10.1128/jb.134.1.278-286.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Wagman G. H., Waitz J. A., Marquez J., Murawaski A., Oden E. M., Testa R. T., Weinstein M. J. A new Micromonospora-produced macrolide antibiotic, rosamicin. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 1972 Nov;25(11):641–646. doi: 10.7164/antibiotics.25.641. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. van Embden J. D., van Klingeren B., Dessens-Kroon M., van Wijngaarden L. J. Penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the Netherlands: epidemiology and genetic and molecular characterization of their plasmids. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1980 Nov;18(5):789–797. doi: 10.1128/aac.18.5.789. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES