Antibiotic selection may contribute to increases in macrolide-resistant Treponema pallidum.
To determine whether the 23S rRNA mutation that confers macrolide resistance is present in >1 Treponema pallidum strain, 58 isolates collected between 2001 and 2005 were screened for this mutation and for an unrelated sequence that distinguishes between strains. The odds of identifying a macrolide-resistant strain increased over time (P=.006). In subjects who had received macrolides in the previous year, the relative risk of harboring a resistant strain was 2.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-4.4; P=.02). The macrolide-resistant strains were not identical. These findings suggest that macrolide resistance may be increasing in multiple strains in response to antibiotic pressure.
Marra
Christina M
CM
Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98104-2499, USA. cmarra@u.washington.edu
Colina
April P
AP
Godornes
Charmie
C
Tantalo
Lauren C
LC
Puray
Maritza
M
Centurion-Lara
Arturo
A
Lukehart
Sheila A
SA
D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D018942:Macrolides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / Q000235:genetics; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013587:Syphilis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014861:Washington
D018942:Macrolides; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S