Interspecies transfer of the penicillin-binding protein 3-encoding gene ftsI between Haemophilus influenzae and Haemophilus haemolyticus can confer reduced susceptibility to β-lactam antimicrobial agents

• Published in: Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy Vol. 59; no. 7; pp. 4339 - 4342
• Main Authors: Søndergaard, Annette, Witherden, Elizabeth A, Nørskov-Lauritsen, Niels, Tristram, Stephen G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 01-07-2015
• Subjects: Ampicillin - pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; beta-Lactam Resistance; beta-Lactam Resistance - genetics; beta-Lactams; beta-Lactams - pharmacology; Cefotaxime - pharmacology; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Haemophilus; Haemophilus - genetics; Haemophilus influenzae; Haemophilus influenzae - genetics; Homologous Recombination - genetics; Mechanisms of Resistance; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Penicillin-Binding Proteins; Penicillin-Binding Proteins - genetics
• ISSN: 0066-4804; 1098-6596
• DOI: 10.1128/AAC.04854-14

Mutations in ftsI, encoding penicillin-binding protein 3, can cause decreased β-lactam susceptibility in Haemophilus influenzae. Sequencing of ftsI from clinical strains has indicated interspecies recombination of ftsI between H. influenzae and Haemophilus haemolyticus. This study documented apparently unrestricted homologous recombination of ftsI between H. influenzae and H. haemolyticus in vitro. Transfer of ftsI from resistant isolates conferred similar but not identical increases in the MICs of susceptible strains of H. influenzae and H. haemolyticus.