TEM-1 1-lactamase is the most prevalent plasmid-mediated 13-lactamase in gram-negative bacteria. Recently, TEM I-lactamase variants with amino acid substitutions in the active-site pocket of the enzyme have been identified in natural isolates with increased resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins. To identify other amino acid substitutions that alter the activity of TEM-1 towards extende...

In a collection of 43 indole-positive Klebsiella clinical isolates, which were initially identified as Klebsiella oxytoca, there were 18 isolates which exhibited a pattern characteristic of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) resistance. This study aimed to confirm their identity by biochemical tests and by PCR and to determine the genetic basis for their resistance to the beta-lactams and ...

BACKGROUND Despite increasing importance of Acinetobacter baumannii in nosocomial infections and rapid development of multi-antimicrobial resistance in this strain, the resistance mechanisms of beta-lactam antimicrobials in A. baumannii were not clearly defined. In order to observe the resistance mechanisms against beta-lactams and carbapenem, we characterized the production of beta-lactamases ...

A clinical Providencia stuartii isolate SM662 was recovered from a patient hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the Military hospital, Tunisia. This isolate was resistant to penicillins, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones. A marked in vitro synergy between ceftazidime or cefotaxime and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid on Mueller-Hinton agar plates suggested the presence of an...

In this study, 121 Escherichia coli samples isolated from clinical specimens obtained from Pakistan Institute of Medical Science, Islamabad, Pakistan, were analyzed for extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC β-lactamases using disk-diffusion assay and polymerase chain reaction. Of the isolates, 78 and 43 were identified as ESBL and AmpC producers, respectively. The highest resistance (...

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) pose a threat to public health because of their ability to confer resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins such as cefotaxime. The CTX-M β-lactamases are the most widespread ESBL enzymes among antibiotic resistant bacteria. Many of the active site residues are conserved between the CTX-M family and non-ESBL β-lactamases such as TEM-1, but the residue...

Although resistance to the expanded-spectrum cephalosporins among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae lacking inducible b-lactamases occurs virtually worldwide, little is known about this problem among isolates recovered in South Africa. Isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis resistant to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins recovered from patients in variou...

The genetic and biochemical basis of ampicillin resistance amongst the aerobic Gram-negative commensal faecal flora of healthy volunteers in South Africa has been determined. Amongst 608 ampicillin resistant strains isolated from 320 of the participants, 158 were able to transfer their ampicillin resistant determinants into Escherichia coli K-12 J62-2. Iso-electric focusing of the beta-lactamas...

To control the antibiotic resistance epidemic, it is necessary to understand the distribution of genetic material encoding antibiotic resistance in the environment and how anthropogenic inputs, such as wastewater, affect this distribution. Approximately two-thirds of antibiotics administered to humans are -lactams, for which the predominant bacterial resistance mechanism is hydrolysis by -lacta...

LK-157 is a novel tricyclic carbapenem with potent activity against class A and class C -lactamases. When tested against the purified TEM-1 and SHV-1 enzymes, LK-157 exhibited 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) in the ranges of the clavulanic acid and tazobactam IC50s (55 nM and 151 nM, respectively). Moreover, LK-157 significantly inhibited AmpC -lactamase (IC50, 62 nM), as LK-157 was >2,00...