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Dr. João Botelho

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Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Interests: antibiotic resistance evolution; mobile genetic elements; bioinformatics; genomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The inappropriate use of antibiotics has driven the dissemination of antibiotic resistance (AR) in most bacteria. The emergence of AR is mainly driven by two processes: (i) chromosomal mutations altering the cellular targets of antibiotics or decreasing their intracellular concentrations, and (ii) horizontal transfer of resistance genes encoded on mobile elements, such as plasmids, integrative and conjugative elements, and bacteriophages. As a result, the main goal of this Special Issue is to seek manuscript submissions that further our understanding on the crossroads of mobile elements and AR, by exploring some of the following topics:

Evolutionary dynamics between mobile genetic elements and bacteria
Genome mining and study of AR genes encoded within mobile elements
Network-based analyses of the bacterial ‘mobilome’
Transmission of AR and development of mathematical models
Machine learning algorithms used to predict AR

Dr. João Botelho
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

Antibiotic resistance
Mobile elements
Evolution
Mathematical models
Machine learning

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

14 pages, 746 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Conjugative Plasmids Disseminating CTX-M-15 among Human, Animals and the Environment in Mwanza Tanzania: A Need to Intensify One Health Approach

by Caroline A. Minja, Gabriel Shirima and Stephen E. Mshana

Antibiotics 2021, 10(7), 836; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/antibiotics10070836 - 09 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1806

Abstract

Background: Globally, bla_CTX-M-15 beta-lactamases are the most popular extended spectrum beta-lactamase alleles that are widely distributed due its mobilisation by mobile genetic elements in several compartments. We aimed to determine the conjugation frequencies and replicon types associated with plasmids carrying bla_CTX-M-15 gene from Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase producing isolates in order to understand the dissemination of resistance genes in different compartments. Material and methods: A total of 51 archived isolates carrying bla_CTX-M-15 beta-lactamases were used as donors in this study. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed as previously described for both donors and transconjugants. Conjugation experiment was performed by a modified protocol of the plate mating experiment, and plasmid replicon types were screened among donor and transconjugant isolates by multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction in a set of three primer panels. Results: The conjugation efficiency of plasmids carrying bla_CTX-M-15 was 88.2% (45/51) with conjugation frequencies in the order of 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁹ and a 100% transfer efficiency observed among E. coli of animal origin. Majority of donors (n = 21) and transconjugants (n = 14) plasmids were typed as either Inc FIA or Inc FIB. Resistance to non-beta-lactam antibiotics was transferrable in 34/45 (75.6%) of events. Ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim resistance was co-transferred in 29/34 (85.3%) such events. Gentamicin resistance was transferred in 17/34 (50%) of events. Conclusions: Majority of plasmids carrying bla_CTX-M-15 were conjugatively transferred by IncF plasmids along with non-beta lactam resistance. There is a need for more research on plasmids to understand how plasmids especially multi replicon plasmids interact and the effect of such interaction on conjugation. One Health approach is to be intensified to address antimicrobial resistance which is a public health threat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mobile Elements and Antibiotic Resistance)

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