Macrolide Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A heat‐inducible mutant, resistant to macrolide antibiotics (Mac), was isolated from Staphylococcus aureus MS537 in which Mac‐resistance was induced by subinhibitory concentrations of erythromycin (EM). After induction at 42 C, this mutant acquired a high resistance to both Mac and lincomycin (LMC). Transduction and biochemical studies revealed that spiramycin (SP)‐resistance in this mutant was induced by exposure to a high temperature (42 C) or by treatment with EM in broth but not in phosphate buffer. Induction did not take place when chloramphenicol (CM) was added to the induction mixture. Ribosomes from the mutant cultured at 42 C decreased their affinity for SP and consequently polypeptide synthesis on such ribosomes was not inhibited by SP, when compared with those cultured at 30 C. From these results, it was concluded that alteration of ribosomes took place after induction by exposure at high temperatures or by EM‐treatment and that the mechanism of SP‐resistance after induction was accounted for by a decrease in SP‐binding to ribosomes.