Erythromycin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and oral commensal Neisseria spp. carry known rRNA methylase genes.
Two Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from Seattle and two isolates from Uruguay were resistant to erythromycin (MIC, 4 to 16 microg/ml) and had reduced susceptibility to azithromycin (MIC, 1 to 4 microg/ml) due to the presence of the self-mobile rRNA methylase gene(s) ermF or ermB and ermF. The two Seattle isolates and one isolate from Uruguay were multiresistant, carrying either the 25.2-MDa tetM-containing plasmid (Seattle) or a beta-lactamase plasmid (Uruguay). Sixteen commensal Neisseria isolates (10 Neisseria perflava-N. sicca, 2 N. flava, and 4 N. mucosa) for which erythromycin MICs were 4 to 16 microg/ml were shown to carry one or more known rRNA methylase genes, including ermB, ermC, and/or ermF. Many of these isolates also were multiresistant and carried the tetM gene. This is the first time that a complete transposon or a complete conjugative transposon carrying an antibiotic resistance gene has been described for the genus Neisseria.
Roberts
M C
MC
Department of Pathobiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. marilynr@u.washington.edu
Chung
W O
WO
Roe
D
D
Xia
M
M
Marquez
C
C
Borthagaray
G
G
Whittington
W L
WL
Holmes
K K
KK
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009343:Neisseria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004917:Erythromycin; D008780:Methyltransferases; C035181:rRNA (adenosine-O-2'-)methyltransferase