Abstract
Highly penicillin- and cephalosporin-resistant Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus oralis were isolated in Spain, Hungary, and Berlin. With chromosomal DNA of these strains, resistant transformants of Streptococcus pneumoniae were obtained that expressed low-affinity variants of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) 2x, 1a, 2a, and 2b in different combinations, depending on the selective conditions. The transformants had cefotaxime MICs of up to 6 microg/mL, and those with a low-affinity PBP 2b were highly deficient in penicillin-induced lysis. Sequence analysis of the pbp2x genes confirmed the presence of a global gene pool of penicillin resistance determinants shared by commensal and pathogenic streptococci.
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Base Sequence
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Berlin / epidemiology
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Carrier Proteins / genetics*
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Carrier Proteins / metabolism
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Cefotaxime / pharmacology
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Cephalosporin Resistance / genetics
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Cephalosporins / pharmacology
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DNA, Bacterial / analysis
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DNA, Bacterial / genetics
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Drug Resistance, Microbial / genetics*
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Gene Expression
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Gene Transfer Techniques
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Genes, Bacterial
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Humans
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Hungary / epidemiology
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Microbial Sensitivity Tests
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Molecular Epidemiology
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Penicillin Resistance / genetics
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Penicillin-Binding Proteins*
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Sequence Alignment
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Sequence Analysis, DNA
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Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
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Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
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Spain / epidemiology
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Streptococcal Infections / drug therapy
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Streptococcal Infections / epidemiology
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Streptococcal Infections / genetics
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Streptococcus / genetics*
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Streptococcus oralis / genetics*
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Streptococcus pneumoniae / genetics*
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Transformation, Genetic
Substances
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Carrier Proteins
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Cephalosporins
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DNA, Bacterial
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Penicillin-Binding Proteins
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PBP 2x protein, Streptococcus
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Cefotaxime