Insertional mutation of marA vitiates inducible multiple antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Choleraesuis.
marA has been shown to mediate a multiple antimicrobial resistance (MAR) phenotype following induction in some members of the Enterobacteriaceae. When Salmonella Choleraesuis was exposed to inducing agents they displayed higher minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) to multiple antimicrobial agents and an increase in marA expression as determined by northern hybridization analysis. The objective of the present study was to determine if mutation of marA vitiated multiple antimicrobial resistance inducibility in S. Choleraesuis. A loss-of-function mutation of marA in a single S. Choleraesuis isolate was created by insertion of the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene cassette within marA using double homologous recombination. This mutation was complemented with an expression plasmid possessing marA under the control of an IPTG-inducible promoter. Mutation and complementation of marA was verified using polymerase chain reaction, Northern hybridization, and Western blotting assays. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of tetracycline, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, and rifampin were determined against induced and uninduced wildtype, marA-disrupted and marA-complemented strains using a microbroth dilution assay. Minimum inhibitory concentrations against induced wildtype and marA-complemented strains increased four- to eight-fold for all antimicrobials tested when compared to the uninduced strains while the MICs of the induced marA-disrupted mutant remained the same. However, this increase was abrogated when the cells were grown in the presence of the efflux pump inhibitor compound EPI phe-arg-naphthylamide. The results indicate that a functional marA is solely required for an inducible multiple antimicrobial resistance phenotype in S. Choleraesuis.
Tibbetts
Robert J
RJ
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, 406 South University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Lin
Tsang Long
TL
Wu
Ching Ching
CC
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000382:microbiology*; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C485380:MarA protein, Salmonella enterica; D015534:Trans-Activators