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Diversity of β-Lactamase Genes in Gram-Negative Soil Bacteria from Northwest Ohio

Albaaj, Mohammed
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566553116919146

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, Biological Sciences.
The development of resistance to numerous antibiotics by bacterial pathogens presents a matter of growing concern in the healthcare community. The inability of standard antibiotics to resolve once easily treated infections has put modern populations at risk and has resulted in a significantly increased economic burden to health care systems worldwide. It is critical to develop new drugs and strategies to combat this growing healthcare challenge. Effective drug design and strategy requires understanding of resistance at the molecular level. This study considers the resistance to one major class of antibiotics, the β-lactams, from the perspective of environmental organisms that carry genes that encode enzymes that inactive these antibiotics. These microbial populations serve as a potential reservoir in which resistance mechanisms evolve and from which they can potentially move into clinically relevant settings. I recovered bacteria from environmental soil-based sources using a selective medium (MacConkey agar) supplemented with ampicillin to isolate bacteria with resistance to this mainstay β-lactam antibiotic. Isolates were screened for the presence of genes encoding β-lactamase proteins in of the CTX-M type. This highly prevalent group of enzymes confer resistance to bacteria by mediating the hydrolysis and inactivation of a wide variety of β-lactam antibiotics. Following identification, the sequences of CTX-M-type β-lactamase genes were determined, with the predicted amino acid sequences of their encoded proteins compared to each other and to previously identified CTX-M β-lactamases. The β-lactamases identified shared high degrees of sequence identity indicative of a close evolutionary relationship, yet occurred in bacterial isolates that appeared to be evolutionarily more distant based on divergent 16S rRNA gene sequences. These observations suggested the possibility that the CTX-M-type β-lactamase genes examined were dispersed by lateral gene transfer, consistent with other studies.
Raymond Larsen, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Michael Geusz, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Vipaporn Phuntumart, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
46 p.
Biology; Microbiology; Soil Sciences
gram-negative soil bacteria; beta-lactamase; antibiotic resistance; CTX-M; Rahnella; Pseudomonas; lateral gene transfer; horizontal gene transfer

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Albaaj, M. (2019). Diversity of β-Lactamase Genes in Gram-Negative Soil Bacteria from Northwest Ohio [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566553116919146

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Albaaj, Mohammed. Diversity of β-Lactamase Genes in Gram-Negative Soil Bacteria from Northwest Ohio. 2019. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566553116919146.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Albaaj, Mohammed. "Diversity of β-Lactamase Genes in Gram-Negative Soil Bacteria from Northwest Ohio." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566553116919146

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1566553116919146
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© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.