Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Human Commensal <i>Neisseria</i> Species
Pathogenic <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> causes the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> has evolved high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AR) leading to therapeutic failures even in dual-therapy treatment with azithromycin and ceftriaxone. AR mec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/5/538 |
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| author | Maira Goytia Symone T. Thompson Skylar V. L. Jordan Kacey A. King |
| author_facet | Maira Goytia Symone T. Thompson Skylar V. L. Jordan Kacey A. King |
| author_sort | Maira Goytia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pathogenic <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> causes the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> has evolved high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AR) leading to therapeutic failures even in dual-therapy treatment with azithromycin and ceftriaxone. AR mechanisms can be acquired by genetic transfer from closely related species, such as naturally competent commensal <i>Neisseria</i> species. At present, little is known about the antimicrobial resistance profiles of commensal <i>Neisseria</i>. Here, we characterized the phenotypic resistance profile of four commensal <i>Neisseria</i> species (<i>N. lactamica</i>, <i>N. cinerea</i>, <i>N. mucosa</i>, and <i>N. elongata</i>) against 10 commonly used antibiotics, and compared their profiles to 4 <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> strains, using disk diffusion and minimal inhibitory concentration assays. Overall, we observed that 3 of the 4 commensals were more resistant to several antibiotics than pathogenic <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> strains. Next, we compared publicly available protein sequences of known AR genes, including penicillin-binding-protein 2 (PBP2) from commensals and <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> strains. We found mutations in PBP2 known to confer resistance in <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> also present in commensal <i>Neisseria</i> sequences. Our results suggest that commensal <i>Neisseria</i> have unexplored antibiotic resistance gene pools that may be exchanged with pathogenic <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i>, possibly impairing drug development and clinical treatment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:39:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b6515662e87421babf2b29a5d00de4d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:39:23Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b6515662e87421babf2b29a5d00de4d2023-11-21T18:35:22ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822021-05-0110553810.3390/antibiotics10050538Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Human Commensal <i>Neisseria</i> SpeciesMaira Goytia0Symone T. Thompson1Skylar V. L. Jordan2Kacey A. King3Department of Biology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA 30314, USADepartment of Biology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA 30314, USADepartment of Biology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA 30314, USADepartment of Biology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA 30314, USAPathogenic <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> causes the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> has evolved high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AR) leading to therapeutic failures even in dual-therapy treatment with azithromycin and ceftriaxone. AR mechanisms can be acquired by genetic transfer from closely related species, such as naturally competent commensal <i>Neisseria</i> species. At present, little is known about the antimicrobial resistance profiles of commensal <i>Neisseria</i>. Here, we characterized the phenotypic resistance profile of four commensal <i>Neisseria</i> species (<i>N. lactamica</i>, <i>N. cinerea</i>, <i>N. mucosa</i>, and <i>N. elongata</i>) against 10 commonly used antibiotics, and compared their profiles to 4 <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> strains, using disk diffusion and minimal inhibitory concentration assays. Overall, we observed that 3 of the 4 commensals were more resistant to several antibiotics than pathogenic <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> strains. Next, we compared publicly available protein sequences of known AR genes, including penicillin-binding-protein 2 (PBP2) from commensals and <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> strains. We found mutations in PBP2 known to confer resistance in <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> also present in commensal <i>Neisseria</i> sequences. Our results suggest that commensal <i>Neisseria</i> have unexplored antibiotic resistance gene pools that may be exchanged with pathogenic <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i>, possibly impairing drug development and clinical treatment.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/5/538Commensal bacteria<i>Neisseria</i>antimicrobial resistancemultidrug resistance |
| spellingShingle | Maira Goytia Symone T. Thompson Skylar V. L. Jordan Kacey A. King Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Human Commensal <i>Neisseria</i> Species Antibiotics Commensal bacteria <i>Neisseria</i> antimicrobial resistance multidrug resistance |
| title | Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Human Commensal <i>Neisseria</i> Species |
| title_full | Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Human Commensal <i>Neisseria</i> Species |
| title_fullStr | Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Human Commensal <i>Neisseria</i> Species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Human Commensal <i>Neisseria</i> Species |
| title_short | Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Human Commensal <i>Neisseria</i> Species |
| title_sort | antimicrobial resistance profiles of human commensal i neisseria i species |
| topic | Commensal bacteria <i>Neisseria</i> antimicrobial resistance multidrug resistance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/5/538 |
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