Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Concepcion Sanchez-Cid, Timothy M. Ghaly, Michael R. Gillings, Timothy M. Vogel
Summary: Antibiotics at sub-inhibitory concentrations in the environment can still exert selective pressure on bacteria, leading to the selection and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. This study found that gentamicin at sub-inhibitory concentrations promoted the integration and selection of gentamicin resistance genes in class 1 integrons after just one day of exposure, potentially increasing their dissemination in the environment. These findings highlight the effects of antibiotics at sub-inhibitory concentrations and raise concerns about antibiotics as emerging pollutants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Sabrina Lunara Santos Pavelquesi, Ana Carolina Almeida de Oliveira Ferreira, Angeislenie Ricelle Magalhaes Rodrigues, Calliandra Maria de Souza Silva, Daniela Castilho Orsi, Izabel Cristina Rodrigues da Silva
Summary: The study revealed high resistance rates of Salmonella to tetracyclines and sulfonamides, with poultry and pork being the most frequent samples used to isolate Salmonella. The most frequently detected tetracycline resistance genes in Salmonella were tetA and tetB, while sul1 was the most common sulfonamide resistance gene. These genes are associated with plasmids, transposons, or both, and have potential for transfer to other bacteria, environments, animals, and humans.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yafei Wang, Chenhao Wang, Shen Yan, Yingchun Li, Chen Cai, Huiling Liu, Peng Ren, Mengmeng Wang, Shaoping Kuang
Summary: In this study, nitrogen-doped biochar was used as an activator in a persulfate oxidation system to effectively degrade tetracycline, inactivate antibiotic resistant bacteria, and remove antibiotic resistant genes. The reactive sites for persulfate activation were found to be defects and edge pyridinic nitrogen generated during the nitrogen doping process. Singlet oxygen was the major mechanism for persulfate activation, while sulfate and hydroxyl radicals played minor roles. Tetracycline was degraded through hydroxylation, demethylation, and decarboxylation, and the NLBH/PDS system efficiently inactivated antibiotic resistant bacteria and reduced intracellular antibiotic resistant genes. This study highlights a promising alternative technique for the removal of antibiotics, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and intracellular antibiotic resistant genes in future advanced wastewater treatment systems.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Li Zhao, Lalitkumar K. Vora, Stephen A. Kelly, Linlin Li, Eneko Larraneta, Helen O. McCarthy, Ryan F. Donnelly
Summary: Antibiotic resistance is a serious health problem and is expected to worsen in the future. Researchers have developed a hydrogel-forming microarray patch system that can deliver antibiotics in a sustained manner.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Diana Dias, Andreia Cruz, Carlos Fonseca, Sonia Mendo, Tania S. Caetano
Summary: In recent years, the interaction between wildlife and humans has been increasing due to human activities. It is important to understand the impact of these interactions on the health of wild animals and the potential risks of zoonotic diseases. This study used metabarcoding to analyze the fecal microbiota of red deer and identified several potential human and veterinary pathogens. The study also found the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes, some of which are considered future threats to human health.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zeyou Chen, Lichun Yin, Wei Zhang, Anping Peng, J. Brett Sallach, Yi Luo, Hui Li
Summary: Soil salinity can affect the bioavailability of antibiotics to bacteria, with high salinity potentially increasing the selection pressure exerted by antibiotics on bacteria.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qian Zhang, Hao-Tian Chi, Linrui Wu, Zixin Deng, Yi Yu
Summary: The biosynthesis of apramycin involves phosphorylation, deacetylation, and dephosphorylation steps with the enzymes AprU, AprP, and AprZ. Streptomyces tenebrarius uses C-5 phosphorylation and N-7' acetylation to avoid auto-toxicity of apramycin. This study provides insights for designing new generation AGAs to combat drug-resistant pathogens.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
V. J. Timms, K. A. Hassan, L. A. Pearson, B. A. Neilan
Summary: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat, with predictions of 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Cyanobacteria have been found to be a potential reservoir for AMR genes, with these genes found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jose A. Rodrigues, Wonhee Cha, Rebekah E. Mosci, Sanjana Mukherjee, Duane W. Newton, Paul Lephart, Hossein Salimnia, Walid Khalife, James T. Rudrik, Shannon D. Manning
Summary: In a four-year active surveillance study at four metropolitan hospitals in Michigan, an increasing trend in Campylobacter jejuni infections was observed. Analysis of 214 C. jejuni isolates revealed widespread antibiotic resistance, with differences in infection rates by hospital type and patient characteristics associated with disease severity.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Annalisa Pisciotta, Alessia Maria Sampino, Alessandro Presentato, Marco Galardini, Angel Manteca, Rosa Alduina
Summary: DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that has been detected in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. This study focused on the role of cytosine methylation in Streptomyces coelicolor and found that it affects gene expression, growth, and antibiotic biosynthesis. The researchers identified methylated cytosines and methylation motifs in the genome, and demonstrated that cytosine methylation influences gene transcription. This study provides new insights into the role of cytosine methylation in controlling bacterial gene expression.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ran Duan, Shuanglong Ma, Shengjun Xu, Beibei Wang, Mengfei He, Guangxin Li, Haichao Fu, Peng Zhao
Summary: Tetracycline has been detected in various environments, leading to the development of resistance in bacterial populations. This study fabricated soybean straw biochars (SSBs) at different pyrolysis temperatures and used them as activators for the degradation of tetracycline and disinfection of tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli. The results showed that the purification effect of SSBs depended on the pyrolysis temperature, with SSB1000/PS system exhibiting superior degradation and disinfection capabilities. The purification mechanisms of tetracycline and Escherichia coli were found to be different, with tetracycline degradation mainly relying on surface-bound radicals and bactericidal activity attributed to free SO4 center dot- in bulk solutions. The catalytic performance of SSB1000 was attributed to its unique characteristics, such as large mesopore volumes, high C=O content, low interfacial charge transfer resistance, and strong electron donating capacity.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mengmeng Wang, Yafei Wang, Yingchun Li, Chenhao Wang, Shaoping Kuang, Peng Ren, Binghan Xie
Summary: In order to reduce the negative impact of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) on the environment, this study used iron-loaded biochar (Fe-LBH) as an activator in a persulfate (PDS) oxidation system to degrade tetracycline (TC), inactivate antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), and remove ARGs. The Fe-LBH-PDS system showed efficient removal of TC (more than 85%) within 30 minutes, higher than the pristine biochar-PDS system (15.5%). In addition, it was found that Fe (II) and oxygen functional groups played important roles in the PDS activation process.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lijuan Feng, Changyan Xiao, Yuqin Luo, Yan Qiao, Dongzhi Chen
Summary: The presence of seaweeds improved the removal rates of nitrogen and phosphorus in maricultural wastewater, while the coexistence of seaweeds and OTC had varying impacts on the distribution of diverse antibiotic resistance genes in sediment.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Rosa M. Giraldez-Perez, Elia M. Grueso, Raquel Jimenez-Aguayo, Alfonso Carbonero, Marina Gonzalez-Bravo, Edyta Kuliszewska, Rafael Prado-Gotor
Summary: This study prepared new nanosystems for effective antibiotic delivery, exhibiting good antibacterial properties and internalization capacity in bacteria, making them suitable for medical applications.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hong Li, Hongyuan Liu, Libo Qiu, Qiaona Xie, Binhui Chen, Hua Wang, Yuyang Long, Lifang Hu, Chengran Fang
Summary: The mechanism of antibiotic resistance development under tetracycline pressure in an activated sludge system was discussed and analyzed. Tet genes respond to macro-factors in the system, resulting in the formation of an invisible selection zone where antibiotic-resistant microorganisms thrive and spread. Different types of tet genes select corresponding dominant bacteria, forming an interactive mechanism that drives the continuous development of antibiotic resistance. This study provides an executable strategy to control antibiotic resistance development in wastewater treatment plants.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Min Xu, Wenliang Wang, Nicholas Waglechner, Elizabeth J. Culp, Allison K. Guitor, Gerard D. Wright
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Kara K. Tsang, Finlay Maguire, Haley L. Zubyk, Sommer Chou, Arman Edalatmand, Gerard D. Wright, Robert G. Beiko, Andrew G. McArthur
Summary: By generating and applying predictive models, this study identified previously unknown beta-lactamase substrate activities, which can help guide researchers in understanding the mechanisms of resistance.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Christian Hobson, Andrew N. Chan, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: The ongoing challenge of antibiotic resistance is a formidable threat towards the discovery and use of traditional antibiotics. The study and understanding of molecular mechanisms in the resistome provide a basis for the genomics-driven discovery and development of novel antimicrobials to combat emerging pathogens that are resistant to even the newest approved therapies.
Article
Microbiology
Emily Bordeleau, Peter J. Stogios, Elena Evdokimova, Kalinka Koteva, Alexei Savchenko, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: Apramycin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, has a unique structure and resistance mechanism, making it a promising candidate in combating multidrug-resistant pathogens.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Matthew D. Surette, Peter Spanogiannopoulos, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: Rifamycin antibiotics, including rifampin, rifabutin, and rifapentine, are derived from natural rifamycins and primarily used to treat mycobacterial infections such as tuberculosis. These antibiotics inhibit bacterial RNA polymerase by binding to the beta-subunit, leading to cell death. Resistance to rifamycin antibiotics mainly arises from point mutations in RNA polymerase among clinical strains, while environmental mycobacteria and actinomycetes show a richer and diverse rifamycin resistome with various enzymatic mechanisms.
ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Venkateswarlu Yarlagadda, Vishwas N. Rao, Manpreet Kaur, Allison K. Guitor, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: The increasing multidrug resistance in Neisseria gonorrheae is a growing public health crisis. Moenomycin, identified from a screen of microbial natural products, shows excellent activity against multidrug-resistant N. gonorrheae and has the potential to be a lead for antigonococcal therapeutic candidates.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Thomas M. Privalsky, Alexander M. Soohoo, Jinhua Wang, Christopher T. Walsh, Gerard D. Wright, Eric M. Gordon, Nathanael S. Gray, Chaitan Khosla
Summary: The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has become an urgent health crisis, requiring renewed investment in the discovery and development of antibiotics. A multifaceted approach is necessary to address the antibacterial resistance crisis, with a focus on exploring validated antibacterial targets and lead molecules. Creative techniques, such as studying underexplored ecological niches or utilizing available data from genome mining efforts, can help in the search for new antibiotic leads.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kalinka Koteva, David Sychantha, Caitlyn M. Rotondo, Christian Hobson, James F. Britten, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: This study reports the crystal structure of a natural metallophore and MBL inhibitor, AMA, and synthesizes 23 novel analogs. In vitro evaluation shows three analogs with favorable characteristics that can be further developed into more potent and broader-spectrum MBL inhibitors.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Min Xu, Wenliang Wang, Nicholas Waglechner, Elizabeth J. Culp, Allison K. Guitor, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: The rise and dissemination of glycopeptide antibiotic (GPA)-resistant pathogens in healthcare settings have driven efforts to discover new GPAs that can overcome resistance. In this study, a phylogeny-guided genome mining strategy and heterologous production using the GPAHex synthetic biology platform were used to characterize five newly discovered type V GPAs. These GPAs demonstrated potent activity against GPA-resistant clinical isolates and their mode of action was consistent with the inhibition of cell division by evading autolysin activity. This research expands the chemical diversity of GPAs, offers new drug development prospects, and showcases the potential of the GPAHex platform in mining GPA chemical dark matter.
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Elizabeth J. Culp, David Sychantha, Christian Hobson, Andrew C. Pawlowski, Gerd Prehna, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: A widespread family of bacterial ClpP-associated gene clusters has been identified, which produce specific compounds that selectively inhibit ClpP enzyme activity and may play an important role in bacterial competition.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Michael A. Cook, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: Antibiotics have played a crucial role in modern medicine, but they are facing challenges of microbial resistance and traditional reimbursement models. Therefore, innovation is needed in policy, quantitative understanding of societal value, and investment in alternatives. Significant investment in research and development is also necessary to address the antibiotic crisis.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Kalinka Koteva, Min Xu, Wenliang Wang, Aline A. Fiebig-Comyn, Michael A. Cook, Brian K. Coombes, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: The continued efficacy of glycopeptide antibiotics is threatened by the emergence and spread of resistant pathogens, especially vancomycin-resistant enterococci. This study modified a Type V glycopeptide antibiotic, rimomycin A, to generate 32 new analogues. Compound 17, derived from rimomycin A through N-terminal acylation and C-terminal amidation, showed improved activity against VRE and increased solubility. In a mouse model of VRE infection, compound 17 significantly reduced bacterial load. This study paves the way for the development of next-generation glycopeptide antibiotics in response to the growing problem of VRE infections.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Michael A. Cook, Daniel Pallant, Linda Ejim, Arlene D. Sutherland, Xiaodong Wang, Jarrod W. Johnson, Susan Mccusker, Xuefei Chen, Maya George, Sommer Chou, Kalinka Koteva, Wenliang Wang, Christian Hobson, Dirk Hackenberger, Nicholas Waglechner, Obi Ejim, Tracey Campbell, Ricardo Medina, Lesley T. Macneil, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: Microbial natural products are rich sources of bioactive compounds, but the pharmaceutical industry is shifting towards synthetic compounds due to the repeated rediscovery of known compounds. However, the development of advanced mass spectrometry tools and genomics provides opportunities to revisit microbial natural product libraries.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Adam J. Schaenzer, Annia Rodriguez Hernandez, Kaitlyn Tsai, Christian Hobson, Danica Galonic Fujimori, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: This study identifies the compounds MTN and MTL from Streptomyces WAC01849 that selectively potentiate the activity of PhLOPSA antibiotics in a Cfr-dependent manner. Furthermore, these compounds inhibit Cfr-mediated ribosome methylation, suggesting their potential as Cfr inhibitors for the development of clinically useful antibiotics.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emily Bordeleau, Peter J. Stogios, Elena Evdokimova, Kalinka Koteva, Alexei Savchenko, Gerard D. Wright
Summary: The efficacy of aminoglycoside antibiotics is decreasing due to the emergence of resistance mechanisms in bacteria. In this study, the authors identify a new enzyme, ApmA, that confers broad-spectrum aminoglycoside resistance through a unique molecular mechanism. They also discover additional clinical drugs that are susceptible to modification by this enzyme, diverging from previous findings in the same enzyme family.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
