It has long been recognized that the modification of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) to reduce their affinity for beta-lactams is an important mechanism (target modification) by which Gram-positive cocci acquire antibiotic resistance. Among Gram-negative rods (GNR), however, this mechanism has been considered unusual, and restricted to clinically irrelevant laboratory mutants for most specie...

Background The beta lactam antibiotics are predominant therapeutic agents against a number of infectious diseases. The production of the enzyme beta lactamase by microbes which hydrolyses the beta lactam antibiotics is an important mechanism of resistance. This study aimed to determine prevalence, phenotypic patterns, and ESBLproduction status both phenotypic and genotypic for the CTX –M type E...

the nosocomial infections, caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria, are the most important cause of mortality throughout the world. one important mechanism against beta-lactam antibiotics is the production of beta-lactamases. enterobacteriaceae and non-fermentative bacteria, like pseudomonas aeruginosa and acinetobacter baumannnii may produce these enzymes. currently, there is no vaccine to pre...

Therapeutic use of cephaloridine, a beta-lactam antibiotic, in humans is associated with carnitine deficiency. A potential mechanism for the development of carnitine deficiency is competition between cephaloridine and carnitine for the renal reabsorptive process. OCTN2 is an organic cation/carnitine transporter that is responsible for Na(+)-coupled transport of carnitine in the kidney and other...

Two types of Escherichia coli mutants tolerant to beta-lactam antibiotics were isolated. One is E. coli chi2452, which showed a tolerant response against beta-lactam antibiotics when grown at 42 degrees C, and the others are the mutants C-80 and C-254, selected from mutagenized E. coli chi1776 by cycles of exposure to ampicillin, cephaloridine, and starvation of the nutritionally required diami...

The Sterne and Ames strains of Bacillus anthracis carry chromosomal genes bla1 and bla2, which confer beta-lactam resistance when expressed in Escherichia coli. MIC measurements and steady-state kinetic analyses indicate that Bla1 possesses penicillinase activity while Bla2 possesses penicillinase, cephalosporinase, and carbapenem-hydrolyzing activities.

Using an isogenic system, we have determined the impact that the four promoters known to control bla(TEM) gene expression have on beta-lactamase activity. For both TEM-1 and TEM-30, this activity gradually increased in relation to the presence of promoters P3, Pa/Pb, and P4 upstream of the corresponding gene. Promoter P5, only found upstream of the bla(TEM-1B) gene, was related to the highest e...

OBJECTIVE To compare beta lactam monotherapy with beta lactam-aminoglycoside combination therapy for severe infections. DATA SOURCES Medline, Embase, Lilacs, Cochrane Library, and conference proceedings, to 2003; references of included studies; contact with all authors. No restrictions, such as language, year of publication, or publication status. STUDY SELECTION All randomised trials of be...

Acquired metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) can confer broad-spectrum beta-lactam resistance (including carbapenems) not reversible by conventional beta-lactamase inhibitors and are emerging resistance determinants of remarkable clinical importance. In 2001, multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa carrying bla(VIM) MBL genes were found to be widespread (approximately 20% of all P. aeruginosa iso...

Humans have been plagued with the threat of bacterial infection since before the dawn of recorded history, and have thus always had a keen interest in finding a suitable treatment for these maladies. In the early part of the 19th century, colonial Americans were fearful of death by bacterial infections that are now considered routine, and usually inquired about one another's health in their let...