Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy logoLink to Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
. 1979 Feb;15(2):190–199. doi: 10.1128/aac.15.2.190

Aminoglycoside-Modifying Enzymes Among Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus (Herellea vaginicola): Explanation for High-Level Aminoglycoside Resistance

Barbara E Murray 1, Robert C Moellering Jr 1
PMCID: PMC352631  PMID: 426512

Abstract

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus (Herellea vaginicola) is an important cause of nosocomial infection in our hospital where A. calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus is the most frequently isolated gram-negative species resistant to one or more of the aminoglycoside antibiotics. Of 167 strains tested for susceptibility to aminoglycosides, only 6 strains were found that were resistant to ≥128 μg of kanamycin per ml; all others were susceptible to ≤32 μg/ml. Five of these six strains were found to produce aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. Two strains produced a phosphotransferase which mediates resistance to kanamycin and neomycin; three strains produced an acetyltransferase which mediates resistance to kanamycin, tobramycin, and amikacin (minimal inhibitory concentration ≥ 128 μg/ml for each drug). No strain with lower level resistance to kanamycin, tobramycin, or amikacin had enzyme activity. Fourteen strains resistant to gentamicin failed to show significant enzymatic modification of that antibiotic. Although agarose gel electrophoresis of deoxyribonucleic acid preparations from the enzyme-producing strains showed plasmid bands in all, no transfer of aminoglycoside resistance could be achieved, nor was it cured by exposure to novobiocin, ethidium bromide, acridine orange, heat, or prolonged storage. Resistance to mercuric chloride, present in 2 of 60 strains, was lost by 1 strain after exposure to novobiocin, and the loss of resistance was associated with an apparent deletion of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid.

Full text

PDF
190

Images in this article

196Image
on p.196
196Image
on p.196
197Image
on p.197

Selected References

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

  1. Bauer A. W., Kirby W. M., Sherris J. C., Turck M. Antibiotic susceptibility testing by a standardized single disk method. Am J Clin Pathol. 1966 Apr;45(4):493–496. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benveniste R., Davies J. Enzymatic acetylation of aminoglycoside antibiotics by Escherichia coli carrying an R factor. Biochemistry. 1971 May 11;10(10):1787–1796. doi: 10.1021/bi00786a009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Benveniste R., Davies J. Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Annu Rev Biochem. 1973;42:471–506. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.42.070173.002351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DALY A. K., POSTIC B., KASS E. H. Infections due to organisms of the genus Herellea. B5W and B. anitratum. Arch Intern Med. 1962 Nov;110:580–591. doi: 10.1001/archinte.1962.03620230026006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Davies J., Benveniste R., Kvitek K., Ozanne B., Yamada T. Aminoglycosides: biologic effects of molecular manipulation. J Infect Dis. 1969 Apr-May;119(4):351–354. doi: 10.1093/infdis/119.4-5.351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Davies J., Brzezinska M., Benveniste R. The problems of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. R factors: biochemical mechanisms of resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1971 Jun 11;182:226–233. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1971.tb30659.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Davies J., Smith D. I. Plasmid-determined resistance to antimicrobial agents. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1978;32:469–518. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.32.100178.002345. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GRABER C. D., HIGGINS L. S., DAVIS J. S. SELDOM-ENCOUNTERED AGENTS OF BACTERIAL MENINGITIS. JAMA. 1965 Jun 14;192:956–960. doi: 10.1001/jama.1965.03080240026005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. GRABER C. D., RABIN E. R., MASON A. D., Jr, VOGEL E. H., Jr Increasing incidence of nosocomial Herellea vaginicola infections in burned patients. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1962 Jan;114:109–112. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gardner P., Griffin W. B., Swartz M. N., Kunz L. J. Nonfermentative gram-negative bacilli of nosocomial interest. Am J Med. 1970 Jun;48(6):735–749. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(70)80009-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Glew R. H., Moellering R. C., Jr, Kunz L. J. Infections with Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (Herellea vaginicola): clinical and laboratory studies. Medicine (Baltimore) 1977 Mar;56(2):79–97. doi: 10.1097/00005792-197703000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Guerry P., LeBlanc D. J., Falkow S. General method for the isolation of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid. J Bacteriol. 1973 Nov;116(2):1064–1066. doi: 10.1128/jb.116.2.1064-1066.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. HOOK E. B., AASE J. M. HERELLEA MENINGITIS FOLLOWING VENTRICULOGRAPHY. Am J Dis Child. 1964 Nov;108:452–453. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1964.02090010454002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Haas M. J., Dowding J. E. Aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. Methods Enzymol. 1975;43:611–628. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(75)43124-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Haas M., Biddlecome S., Davies J., Luce C. E., Daniels P. J. Enzymatic modification of aminoglycoside antibiotics: a new 6'-N-acetylating enzyme from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1976 Jun;9(6):945–950. doi: 10.1128/aac.9.6.945. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Humphreys G. O., Willshaw G. A., Anderson E. S. A simple method for the preparation of large quantities of pure plasmid DNA. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975 Apr 2;383(4):457–463. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(75)90318-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. 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]
  19. McHugh G. L., Swartz M. N. Elimination of plasmids from several bacterial species by novobiocin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 Sep;12(3):423–426. doi: 10.1128/aac.12.3.423. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. 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]
  21. Moellering R. C., Jr, Mercier B. A., Kunz L. J., Poitras J. W. Evaluation of a computer-associated electronic zone analyzer in single-disc antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Aug;2(2):95–102. doi: 10.1128/aac.2.2.95. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Moellering R. C., Jr, Wennersten C., Kunz L. J., Poitras J. W. Resistance to gentamicin, tobramycin and amikacin among clinical isolates of bacteria. Am J Med. 1977 Jun;62(6):873–881. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(77)90655-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Morohoshi T., Saito T. beta-Lactamase and beta-lactam antibiotics resistance in acinetobacter anitratum (syn: A. calcoaceticus). J Antibiot (Tokyo) 1977 Nov;30(11):969–973. doi: 10.7164/antibiotics.30.969. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. OPSAHL R., Jr Bacterium anitratum (Acinetobacter anitratum) isolated from a case with cerebral abscess and purulent meningitis. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1961;51:72–74. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1961.tb00344.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Olsen R. H., Shipley P. Host range and properties of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa R factor R1822. J Bacteriol. 1973 Feb;113(2):772–780. doi: 10.1128/jb.113.2.772-780.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. REYNOLDS R. C., CLUFF L. E. Infection of man with Mimeae. Ann Intern Med. 1963 May;58:759–767. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-58-5-759. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Sharp P. A., Sugden B., Sambrook J. Detection of two restriction endonuclease activities in Haemophilus parainfluenzae using analytical agarose--ethidium bromide electrophoresis. Biochemistry. 1973 Jul 31;12(16):3055–3063. doi: 10.1021/bi00740a018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Thompson W. R. H vaginicola endocarditis in a heroin addict. JAMA. 1971 Feb 8;215(6):982–982. doi: 10.1001/jama.1971.03180190098033. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Towner K. J., Vivian A. RP4-mediated conjugation in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. J Gen Microbiol. 1976 Apr;93(2):355–360. doi: 10.1099/00221287-93-2-355. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Wallace R. J., Jr, Awe R. J., Martin R. R. Bacteremic Acinetobacter Herellea pneumonia with survival: case report. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1976 May;113(5):695–699. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1976.113.5.695. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Wands J. R., Mann R. B., Jackson D., Butler T. Fatal community-acquired Herellea pneumonia in chronic renal disease. Case report. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1973 Oct;108(4):964–967. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1973.108.4.964. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES