When Humans Met Superbugs: Strategies to Tackle Bacterial Resistances to Antibiotics

Bravo, Alicia; Ruiz‐Cruz, Sofía; Alkorta, Itziar; Espinosa, Manuel

doi:10.1515/bmc-2018-0021

Cited by 26 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Colistin is one of the few antimicrobial agents with efficacy against CRE infections; therefore, colistin resistance could enable CRE to become a “Superbug.” 38 In 2015, plasmid‐encoded colistin resistance gene, mcr‐1 , was discovered in China 39 . It has been reported that mcr genes are found worldwide and the risk of CRE turning into a “Superbug” is quite realistic 40 .…”

Section: Current Situation Of Cre In Japan and Worldwidementioning

confidence: 99%

Current situation of carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter in Japan and Southeast Asia

Akeda

2021

Microbiology and Immunology

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In the recent years, issues related to drug-resistant bacteria have evolved worldwide, and various countermeasures have been taken to control their spread. Among a wide variety of drug-resistant bacterial species, carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and carbapenemresistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb), are those for which countermeasures are particularly important. Carbapenems are the last resort antibiotics for any bacterial infection; therefore, infectious diseases caused by these drug-resistant bacteria are difficult to treat. In the case of CRE, since carbapenemases responsible for carbapenem resistance are mostly encoded on transmissible plasmids, it is known that susceptible bacteria can easily become carbapenem-resistant by transfer of plasmids between Enterobacteriaceae. In addition, Enterobacteriaceae are common bacterial species found in the guts of animals, including humans. Acinetobacter is ubiquitously isolated in the environment. Due to these characteristics, it is quite difficult to prevent the intrusion of multi-drug resistant pathogens in hospitals. Therefore, effective countermeasures should be developed and utilized against such dangerous pathogens based on molecular epidemiological analyses. In this review, there are also some examples presented on how to manage to monitor and control those troublesome drug-resistant bacteria conducted in Japan and Southeast Asia.

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Section: Current Situation Of Cre In Japan and Worldwidementioning

confidence: 99%

Current situation of carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter in Japan and Southeast Asia

Akeda

2021

Microbiology and Immunology

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“…This fact has resulted in today's eminent lack of new antibiotic drug leads, making us face a looming crisis that the emergence of resistance is outpacing the development of new antibiotics (Dickey et al, 2017;Woodworth et al, 2018). The previous admonitory terms of "gloom scenario, " "dark horizons, " and "back to the pre-antibiotic era" are becoming reality nowadays (Bravo et al, 2018). All these facts impel scientists to rapidly explore new chemical entities for developing novel antibiotics to target the emerging multidrug-resistant microbial pathogens that cause life-threatening infections.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioprospecting of Soil-Derived Actinobacteria Along the Alar-Hotan Desert Highway in the Taklamakan Desert

Liu

Wang

et al. 2021

Front. Microbiol.

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Taklamakan desert is known as the largest dunefield in China and as the second largest shifting sand desert in the world. Although with long history and glorious culture, the Taklamakan desert remains largely unexplored and numerous microorganisms have not been harvested in culture or taxonomically identified yet. The main objective of this study is to explore the diversity, novelty, and pharmacological potential of the cultivable actinomycetes from soil samples at various sites along the Alar-Hotan desert highway in the Taklamakan desert. A total of 590 actinobacterial strains were recovered by the culture-dependent approach. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences unveiled a significant level of actinobacterial diversity with 55 genera distributed in 27 families of 12 orders. Thirty-six strains showed relatively low 16S rRNA similarities (<98.65%) with validly described species, among which four strains had already been characterized as novel taxa by our previous research. One hundred and forty-six actinobacterial isolates were selected as representatives to evaluate the antibacterial activities and mechanism of action by the paper-disk diffusion method and a double fluorescent protein reporter “pDualrep2” system, respectively. A total of 61 isolates exhibited antagonistic activity against the tested “ESKAPE” pathogens, among which seven strains could produce bioactive metabolites either to be able to block translation machinery or to induce SOS-response in the pDualrep2 system. Notably, Saccharothrix sp. 16Sb2-4, harboring a promising antibacterial potential with the mechanism of interfering with protein translation, was analyzed in detail to gain deeper insights into its bioactive metabolites. Through ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-quadrupole time-of-flight (QToF)-MS/MS based molecular networking analysis and databases identification, four families of compounds (1–16) were putatively identified. Subsequent bioassay-guided separation resulted in purification of four 16-membered macrolide antibiotics, aldgamycin H (8), aldgamycin K (9), aldgamycin G (10), and swalpamycin B (11), and their structures were elucidated by HR-electrospray ionization source (ESI)-MS and NMR spectroscopy. All compounds 8–11 displayed antibacterial activities by inhibiting protein synthesis in the pDualrep2 system. In conclusion, this work demonstrates that Taklamakan desert is a potentially unique reservoir of versatile actinobacteria, which can be a promising source for discovery of novel species and diverse bioactive compounds.

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“…(a) fractional genetic transfer, (b) fractional componential drift and (c) phenotypic continuance. Credits: adapted from Bravo et al ., 2018; Zeineldin; and Mirumur, 2011, 2014.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interplanetary transmissions of life in an evolutionary context

Hegner

2020

International Journal of Astrobiology

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The theory of lithopanspermia proposes the natural exchange of organisms between solar system bodies through meteorites. The focus of this theory comprises three distinct stages: planetary ejection, interplanetary transit and planetary entry. However, it is debatable whether organisms transported within the ejecta can survive all three stages. If the conjecture is granted, that life can indeed be safely transmitted from one world to another, then it is not only a topic pertaining to planetary science but also biological sciences. Hence, these stages are only the first three factors of the equation. The other factors for successful lithopanspermia are the quality, quantity and evolutionary strategy of the transmitted organisms. When expanding into new environments, invading organisms often do not survive in the first attempt and usually require several attempts through propagule pressure to obtain a foothold. There is a crucial difference between this terrestrial situation and the one brought about by lithopanspermia. While invasive species on Earth repeatedly enters a new habitat, a species pragmatically arrives on another solar system body only once; thus, an all-or-nothing response will be in effect. The species must survive in the first attempt, which limits the probability of survival. In addition, evolution sets a boundary through the existence of an inverse proportionality between the exchanges of life between two worlds, thus further restricting the probability of survival. However, terrestrial populations often encounter unpredictable and variable environmental conditions, which in turn necessitates an evolutionary response. Thus, one evolutionary mode in particular, bet hedging, is the evolutionary strategy that best smooth out this inverse proportionality. This is achieved by generating diversity even among a colony of genetically identical organisms. This variability in individual risk-taking increases the probability of survival and allows organisms to colonize more diverse environments. The present analysis to understand conditions relevant to a bacterial colony arriving in a new planetary environment provides a bridge between the theory of bet hedging, invasive range expansion and planetary science.

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When Humans Met Superbugs: Strategies to Tackle Bacterial Resistances to Antibiotics

Cited by 26 publications

References 71 publications

Current situation of carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter in Japan and Southeast Asia

Current situation of carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter in Japan and Southeast Asia

Bioprospecting of Soil-Derived Actinobacteria Along the Alar-Hotan Desert Highway in the Taklamakan Desert

Interplanetary transmissions of life in an evolutionary context

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