Prevalence and characterization of resistance to gentamicin in gram-negative bacteria.
A survey of the occurrence of resistance to gentamicin in clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria revealed a 3-fold increase in the percentage of resistant strains between 1974 (4%), and 1976 (12%). Gentamicin resistance was mainly found in isolates from hospitalized patients. Serratia (35--78%), Proteus inconstans (53--62%), Klebsiella (6--21%), Acinetobacter (9--17%) and Pseudomonas (9--14%) exhibited the highest percentage of resistance to this drug. Gentamicin inactivating enzymes were detected in 16 selected resistant isolates. Of these, ten strains (Klebsiella, Serratia, Pseudomonas, E. coli) produced the aminoglycoside 2''-adenylyltransferase, five (Proteus, indole-positive) the aminoglycoside 2'-N-acetyltransferase and one isolate (Proteus mirabilis) the aminoglycoside 3-N-acetyltransferase. Eight of the 16 strains were able to transfer gentamicin resistance and certain other resistance markers to appropriate receptor strains during mixed cultivation, indicating the presence of transferable plasmid-mediated resistance.
D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000378:metabolism; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000378:metabolism; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D010957:Plasmids; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000378:metabolism; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000378:metabolism
D005839:Gentamicins; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D000123:Acetyltransferases; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases