Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Antibiotics Edit a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Molecular Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence Genes in Drug-Resistant Bacteria"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanism and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2023 | Viewed by 6865

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Aunchalee Thanwisai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok 65000, Thailand
Interests: medical bacteriology; whole-genome sequencing; antimicrobial resistance; molecular diagnostics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most serious issues in human and veterinary medicine worldwide. AMR is a natural process wherein microorganisms, particularly bacteria, elicit certain resistance processes, receive resistant genes from other bacteria through horizontal gene transfer, and adapt to antibiotics. Antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms are present in humans, animals, food, plants, and the environment. The primary cause of AMR is the misuse and overuse of antibiotics and poor hygiene and sanitation in both humans and animals. Studies on the diversity, distribution, and persistence of drug-resistant and virulence genes in bacterial populations serve as useful tools for improving the understanding of AMR epidemiology. Therefore, we welcome studies on molecular epidemiology, AMR, and the molecular characterization of antibiotic-resistant and virulence genes in bacteria, which can contribute to the understanding of potential molecular, genetic, and environmental risk factors to the etiology, distribution, and prevention of diseases in healthcare facilities and farms.

Dr. Aunchalee Thanwisai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

molecular epidemiology
antimicrobial resistance
virulence genes
drug-resistant bacteria
antimicrobial activity

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Open AccessArticle

Antimicrobial Usage and Detection of Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Methicillin- and Tetracycline-Resistant Strains in Raw Milk of Lactating Dairy Cattle

and

Antibiotics 2023, 12(4), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12040673 - 29 Mar 2023

Viewed by 719

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is a prominent cause of food-borne diseases worldwide. Enterotoxigenic strains of this bacteria are frequently found in raw milk, and some of these strains are resistant to antimicrobials, posing a risk to consumers. The main objectives of this study were to determine the antimicrobial resistance pattern of S. aureus in raw milk and to detect the presence of mecA and tetK genes in it. A total of 150 milk samples were obtained aseptically from lactating cattle, including Holstein Friesian, Achai, and Jersey breeds, maintained at different dairy farms. The milk samples were checked for the presence of S. aureus, and it was detected in 55 (37%) of them. The presence of S. aureus was verified by culturing on selective media, gram staining, and performing coagulase and catalase tests. Further confirmation was performed through PCR with a species-specific thermonuclease (nuc) gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the confirmed S. aureus was then determined by using the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion technique. Out of the 55 confirmed S. aureus isolates, 11 were determined to be multidrug-resistant (MDR). The highest resistance was found to penicillin (100%) and oxacillin (100%), followed by tetracycline (72.72%), amikacin (27.27%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (18.18%), tobramycin (18.18%), and gentamycin (9.09%). Amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin were found to be susceptible (100%). Out of 11 MDR S. aureus isolates, the methicillin resistance gene (mecA) was detected in 9 isolates, while the tetracycline resistance gene (tetK) was found in 7 isolates. The presence of these methicillin- and tetracycline-resistant strains in raw milk poses a major risk to public health, as they can cause food poisoning outbreaks that can spread rapidly through populations. Our study concludes that out of nine empirically used antibiotics, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin were highly effective against S. aureus compared to penicillin, oxacillin, and tetracycline. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence Genes in Drug-Resistant Bacteria)

Open AccessArticle

Phenotypic and Genotypic Investigation of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital, Thailand

and

Antibiotics 2023, 12(3), 580; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12030580 - 15 Mar 2023

Viewed by 922

Abstract

(1) Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is well known as a causative agent of severe hospital-acquired infections, especially in intensive care units. The present study characterised the genetic traits of biofilm-forming carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) clinical isolates. Additionally, this study determined the prevalence of biofilm-producing A. baumannii isolates from a tertiary care hospital and investigated the association of biofilms with the distribution of biofilm-related and antibiotic resistance-associated genotypes. (2) Methods: The 995 non-duplicate A. baumannii isolates were identified, and their susceptibilities to different antibiotics were determined using the disk diffusion method. Using the modified microtiter plate assay, the CRAB isolates were investigated for their biofilm formation ability. Hemolysin and protease activities were determined. CRABs were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting bla_VIM, bla_NDM, bla_IMP, bla_OXA-23-like, bla_OXA-24-like, bla_OXA-51-like, csuE and pgaB genes. Individual CRAB isolates were identified for their DNA fingerprint by repetitive element sequence-based (REP)-PCR. (3) Results: Among all A. baumannii isolates, 172 CRABs were identified. The major antibiotic resistance gene among the CRAB isolates was bla_OXA-51-like (100%). Ninety-nine isolates (57.56%) were biofilm producers. The most prevalent biofilm gene was pgaB (79.65%), followed by csuE (76.74%). Evidence of virulence phenotypes revealed that all CRAB exhibited proteolytic activity; however, only four isolates (2.33%) were positive for the hemolytic-producing phenotype. REP-PCR showed that 172 CRAB isolates can be divided into 36-DNA fingerprint patterns. (4) Conclusions: The predominance of biofilm-producing CRAB isolates identified in this study is concerning. The characterisation of risk factors could aid in controlling the continual selection and spreading of the A. baumannii phenotype in hospitals, thereby improving patient care quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence Genes in Drug-Resistant Bacteria)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Estimation, Evaluation and Characterization of Carbapenem Resistance Burden from a Tertiary Care Hospital, Pakistan

and

Antibiotics 2023, 12(3), 525; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12030525 - 06 Mar 2023

Viewed by 949

Abstract

Carbapenem resistance has become major concern in healthcare settings globally; therefore, its monitoring is crucial for intervention efforts to halt resistance spread. During May 2019–April 2022, 2170 clinical strains were characterized for antimicrobial susceptibility, resistance genes, replicon and sequence types. Overall, 42.1% isolates were carbapenem-resistant, and significantly associated with Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) (p = 0.008) and Proteus species (p = 0.043). Carbapenemases were detected in 82.2% of isolates, with bla_NDM-1 (41.1%) associated with the ICU (p < 0.001), cardiology (p = 0.042), pediatric medicine (p = 0.013) and wound samples (p = 0.041); bla_OXA-48 (32.6%) was associated with the ICU (p < 0.001), cardiology (p = 0.008), pediatric medicine (p < 0.001), general surgery (p = 0.001), general medicine (p = 0.005) and nephrology (p = 0.020); bla_KPC-2 (5.5%) was associated with general surgery (p = 0.029); bla_NDM-1/bla_OXA-48 (11.4%) was associated with general surgery (p < 0.001), and wound (p = 0.002), urine (p = 0.003) and blood (p = 0.012) samples; bla_OXA-48/bla_VIM (3.1%) was associated with nephrology (p < 0.001) and urine samples (p < 0.001). Other detected carbapenemases were bla_VIM (3.0%), bla_IMP (2.7%), bla_OXA-48/bla_IMP (0.1%) and bla_VIM/bla_IMP (0.3%). Sequence type (ST)147 (39.7%) represented the most common sequence type identified among K. pneumoniae, along with ST11 (23.0%), ST14 (15.4%), ST258 (10.9%) and ST340 (9.6%) while ST405 comprised 34.5% of Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates followed by ST131 (21.2%), ST101 (19.7%), ST10 (16.0%) and ST69 (7.4%). Plasmid replicon types IncFII, IncA/C, IncN, IncL/M, IncFIIA and IncFIIK were observed. This is first report describing the carbapenem-resistance burden and emergence of bla_KPC-2-ST147, bla_NDM-1-ST340 and bla_NDM-1-ST14 in K. pneumoniae isolates and bla_NDM-1-ST69 and bla_NDM-1/bla_OXA-48-ST69 in E. coli isolates coharboring extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) from Pakistan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence Genes in Drug-Resistant Bacteria)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Molecular and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Characterization of Escherichia coli Isolates from Bovine Slaughterhouse Process

José Vázquez-Villanueva

Karina Vázquez

Ana Verónica Martínez-Vázquez

Alfredo Wong-González

Jesus Hernández-Escareño

Omar Cabrero-Martínez

Wendy Lizeth Cruz-Pulido

Abraham Guerrero

Gildardo Rivera

and

Virgilio Bocanegra-García

Antibiotics 2023, 12(2), 291; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12020291 - 01 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 906

Abstract

Antimicrobials are routinely used in human and veterinary medicine. With repeated exposure, antimicrobials promote antibiotic resistance, which poses a threat to public health. In this study, we aimed to determine the susceptibility patterns, virulence factors, and phylogroups of E. coli isolates during the killing process in a bovine slaughterhouse. We analyzed 336 samples (from water, surfaces, carcasses, and feces), and 83.3% (280/336) were positive for E. coli. The most common phenotypic resistances that we detected were 50.7% (142/280) for tetracycline, 44.2% (124/280) for cephalothin, 34.6% (97/280) for streptomycin, and 36.7% (103/280) for ampicillin. A total of 82.4% of the isolates had resistance for at least one antimicrobial, and 37.5% presented multiresistance. We detected a total of 69 different phenotypic resistance patterns. We detected six other resistance-related genes, the most prevalent being tetA (22.5%) and strB (15.7%). The prevalence values of the virulence genes were 5.4% in hlyA, 1.4% in stx1, and 0.7% in stx2. The frequencies of the pathogenic strains (B2 and D) were 32.8% (92/280) and 67.1% (188/280) as commensals A and B1, respectively. E. coli isolates with pathogenic potential and multiresistance may represent an important source of dissemination and a risk to consumers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence Genes in Drug-Resistant Bacteria)

Open AccessArticle

High-Throughput Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals the Inhibitory Effect of Hydroquinine on Virulence Factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Nontaporn Rattanachak

Sattaporn Weawsiangsang

Touchkanin Jongjitvimol

and

Jirapas Jongjitwimol

Antibiotics 2022, 11(10), 1436; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11101436 - 19 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2787

Abstract

Hydroquinine is an organic alkaloid compound that exhibits antimicrobial activity against several bacterial strains including strains of both drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa. Despite this, the effects of hydroquinine on virulence factors in P. aeruginosa have not yet been characterized. We therefore aimed to uncover the mechanism of P. aeruginosa hydroquinine-sensitivity using high-throughput transcriptomic analysis. We further confirmed whether hydroquinine inhibits specific virulence factors using RT-qPCR and phenotypic analysis. At half the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of hydroquinine (1.250 mg/mL), 254 genes were differentially expressed (97 downregulated and 157 upregulated). We found that flagellar-related genes were downregulated by between −2.93 and −2.18 Log₂-fold change. These genes were consistent with the analysis of gene ontology and KEGG pathway. Further validation by RT-qPCR showed that hydroquinine significantly suppressed expression of the flagellar-related genes. By analyzing cellular phenotypes, P. aeruginosa treated with ½MIC of hydroquinine exhibited inhibition of motility (30–54% reduction) and pyocyanin production (~25–27% reduction) and impaired biofilm formation (~57–87% reduction). These findings suggest that hydroquinine possesses anti-virulence factors, through diminishing flagellar, pyocyanin and biofilm formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence Genes in Drug-Resistant Bacteria)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Molecular Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence Genes in Drug-Resistant Bacteria"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI