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. 1980 May;17(5):789–797. doi: 10.1128/aac.17.5.789

Antibiotic resistance in Neisseria denitrificans.

C R MacKenzie, I J McDonald, K G Johnson
PMCID: PMC283877  PMID: 6901594

Abstract

An ampicillin-resistant strain of Neisseria denitrificans was produced by serial passage of the organisms in media containing increased concentrations of antibiotic. The 400-fold increase in resistance obtained was a relatively stable characteristic. Ampicillin resistance in this organism was apparently related to a loss or modification of the penicillin-binding proteins associated with the cytoplasmic membranes. Membranes isolated from the ampicillin-resistant strain bound significantly less radioactive penicillin than those isolated from the parent strain and revealed one major and three minor penicillin-binding proteins. All four penicillin-binding proteins were present in reduced amounts or had a decreased capacity for penicillin binding in the ampicillin-resistant cells. The increased resistance did not involve enzymic degradation of the antibiotic or a general reduction in the permeability of the outer layers of the cell. No difference in the amount of peptidoglycan present in the parent and ampicillin-resistant cells or in the gross chemical structure of the peptidoglycans of the two strains was observed.

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Selected References

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

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