Broad-spectrum adaptive antibiotic resistance associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa mucin-dependent surfing motility.

Broad-spectrum adaptive antibiotic resistance associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa mucin-dependent surfing motility. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2018 Jul 02;: Authors: Sun E, Gill EE, Falsafi R, Yeung A, Liu S, Hancock REW Abstract Surfing motility is a novel form of surface adaptation exhibited by the nosocomial pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in the presence of the glycoprotein mucin that is found in high abundance at mucosal surfaces especially the lungs of cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis patients. Here we investigated the adaptive antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa under conditions in which surfing occurs compared to cells undergoing swimming. P. aeruginosa surfing cells were significantly more resistant to several classes of antibiotics including aminoglycosides, carbapenems, polymyxins, and fluroquinolones. This was confirmed by incorporation of antibiotics into growth medium, which revealed a concentration-dependent inhibition of surfing motility that occurred at concentrations much higher than those needed to inhibit swimming. To investigate the basis of resistance, RNA-Seq was performed and revealed that surfing influenced the expression of numerous genes. Included amongst genes dysregulated under surfing conditions were multiple genes from the Pseudomonas resistome, which are known to affect antibiotic resistance when mutated. Screening transposon mutants in these surfing-dysregulated resistome genes revealed th...
Source: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Antimicrob Agents Chemother Source Type: research