A penicillin- and metronidazole-resistant Clostridium botulinum strain responsible for an infant botulism case.

The clinical course of a case of infant botulism was characterized by several relapses despite therapy with amoxicillin and metronidazole. Botulism was confirmed by identification of botulinum toxin and Clostridium botulinum in stools. A C. botulinum A2 strain resistant to penicillins and with heterogeneous resistance to metronidazole was isolated from stool samples up to 110 days after onset. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested by disc agar diffusion and MICs were determined by Etest. Whole genome sequencing allowed detection of a gene cluster composed of blaCBP for a novel penicillinase, blaI for a regulator, and blaR1 for a membrane-bound penicillin receptor in the chromosome of the C. botulinum isolate. The purified recombinant penicillinase was assayed. Resistance to ß-lactams was in agreement with the kinetic parameters of the enzyme. In addition, the ß-lactamase gene cluster was found in three C. botulinum genomes in databanks and in two of 62 genomes of our collection, all the strains belonging to group I C. botulinum. This is the first report of a C. botulinum isolate resistant to penicillins. This stresses the importance of antibiotic susceptibility testing for adequate therapy of botulism.

Structural insights into the loss of penicillinase and the gain of ceftazidimase activities by OXA-145 ß-lactamase in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

OBJECTIVES: We previously described extended-spectrum oxacillinase OXA-145 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which differs from narrow-spectrum OXA-35 by loss of Leu-155. The deletion results in loss of benzylpenicillin hydrolysis and acquisition of activity against ceftazidime. We report the crystal structure of OXA-145 and provide the basis of its switch in substrate specificity. METHODS: OXA-145 variants were generated by site-directed mutagenesis and purified to homogeneity. The crystal structure of OXA-145 was determined and molecular dynamics simulations were performed. Kinetic parameters were investigated in the absence and in the presence of sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) for representative substrates. RESULTS: The structure of OXA-145 was obtained at a resolution of 2.3 Å and its superposition with that of OXA-10 showed that Trp-154 was shifted by 1.8 Å away from the catalytic Lys-70, which was not N-carboxylated. Addition of NaHCO3 significantly increased the catalytic efficiency against penicillins, but not against ceftazidime. The active-site cavity of OXA-145 was larger than that of OXA-10, which may favour the accommodation of large molecules such as ceftazidime. Molecular dynamics simulations of OXA-145 in complex with ceftazidime revealed two highly coordinated water molecules on the α- or ß-face of the acyl ester bond, between Ser-67 and ceftazidime, which could be involved in the catalytic process. CONCLUSIONS: Deletion of Leu-155 resulted in inefficient positioning of Trp-154, leading to a non-carboxylated Lys-70 and thus to loss of hydrolysis of the penicillins. Ceftazidime hydrolysis could be attributed to enlargement of the active site and to a catalytic mechanism independent of the carboxylated Lys-70.

Purification and characterization of a trypanothione-glutathione thioltransferase from Trypanosoma cruzi.

Although trypanothione [T(S)2] is the major thiol component in trypanosomatidae, significant amounts of glutathione are present in Trypanosoma cruzi. This could be explained by the existence of enzymes using glutathione or both glutathione and T(S)2 as cofactors. To assess these hypotheses, a cytosolic fraction of T. cruzi epimastigotes was subjected to affinity chromatography columns using as ligands either S-hexylglutathione or a non-reducible analogue of trypanothione disulphide. A similar protein of 52 kDa was eluted in both cases. Its partial amino acid sequence indicated that it was identical with the protein encoded by the TcAc2 cDNA previously described [Schoneck, Plumas-Marty, Taibi et al. (1994) Biol. Cell 80, 1-10]. This protein showed no significant glutathione transferase activity but surprisingly catalysed the thiol-disulphide exchange between dihydrotrypanothione and glutathione disulphide. The kinetic parameters were in the same range as those determined for trypanothione reductase toward its natural substrate. This trypanothione-glutathione thioltransferase provides a new target for a specific chemotherapy against Chagas' disease and may constitute a link between the glutathione-based metabolism of the host and the trypanothione-based metabolism of the parasite.

Purification and characterization of the VanB ligase associated with type B vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecalis V583.

Acquired resistance to glycopeptides in enterococci is associated with the production of D-Alanine:D-Alanine ligase-related proteins. The VanA protein associated with high-level vancomycin and teicoplanin resistance (VanA phenotype) synthesizes a new peptidoglycan precursor, D-alanine-D-lactate, that has reduced glycopeptide affinity. Production of a similar protein, VanB, is induced in strains that display variable levels of vancomycin resistance but remain susceptible to teicoplanin (VanB phenotype). This paper describes the over-production, purification and characterization of VanB. Comparison of kinetic parameters of the two Van enzymes suggests that differences in catalytic efficiency could account, at least in part, for the various levels of vancomycin resistance.