Novel mechanism of resistance to oxazolidinones, macrolides, and chloramphenicol in ribosomal protein L4 of the pneumococcus.
Two clinical Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates, identified as resistant to macrolides and chloramphenicol and nonsusceptible to linezolid, were found to contain 6-bp deletions in the gene encoding riboprotein L4. The gene transformed susceptible strain R6 so that it exhibited such resistance, with the transformants also showing a fitness cost. We demonstrate a novel bacterial mechanism of resistance to chloramphenicol and nonsusceptibility to linezolid.
Wolter
Nicole
N
Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, P.O. Box 1038, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa. nicole.edmondson@nhls.ac.za
Smith
Anthony M
AM
Farrell
David J
DJ
Schaffner
William
W
Moore
Matthew
M
Whitney
Cynthia G
CG
Jorgensen
James H
JH
Klugman
Keith P
KP
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002701:Chloramphenicol / Q000494:pharmacology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D018942:Macrolides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009154:Mutation; D023303:Oxazolidinones / Q000494:pharmacology; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D018942:Macrolides; D023303:Oxazolidinones; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; C056368:ribosomal protein L4; D002701:Chloramphenicol