Efflux Pump, Methylation and Mutations in the 23S
rRNA Genes Contributing to the Development of Macrolide Resistance
in Streptococcus suisIsolated from Infected Human and Swine in China
Jinhu Huang§, Yingxia Li§,
Kexin Shang, Jam Kashif1, Xiaolu Qian and Liping Wang*
Laboratory of Veterinary
Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing
Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210095, PR China;1Also
affiliated with Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan.
*Corresponding author:wlp71@163.com
Abstract
Streptococcus suis is one of the major
etiologic agents of contagious infections in swine and is also emerged as a
zoonotic agent. A recent large scale outbreak has also affected human in China.
So far, the accurate information about the macrolide resistant mechanism in
S. suis clinical isolates of swine as
well as human was not enough. Here we investigated the macrolide resistance in
S. suis. MIC, followed by PCR and
sequencing, was done to detect the genetic determinants involved in macrolide
resistance. MIC results showed a high level resistant rate to macrolides.
Likewise, methylation in the 23S rRNA genes by ErmB and efflux mediated by the
MefA and MsrD are both found responsible for macrolide resistance in these
studied clinical strains of S. suis.
Furthermore, the mutants produced from clinical susceptible strains by stepwise
induction of resistance were also checked for any other possible mechanism
involved in macrolide resistance. Mutations on 23S rRNA, L4 and L22 ribosomal
proteins were found responsible for macrolide resistance in passage mutants,
these findings were different as compared with studied clinical strains. To our
knowledge, this is first to report that the correlation between efflux pump and
modifications in L22 ribiosomal protein contributed to develop the macrolide
resistance in S. suis isolates.
Key words:
Efflux Pump,
Macrolide resistance,
Methylation,
Mutations, Streptococcus suis