Bacteria naturally adapt to various environmental stimuli, and as they mutate, these changes can make them resistant to drugs that would kill or slow their growth.
In a recent article published in PLOS Genetics, UCF School of Medicine microbiologist Dr. Salvador Almagro-Moreno discovers the evolutionary origins of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria. His studies on the bacteria that cause cholera, Vibrio cholerae, provide information to decipher what conditions must occur for infectious agents to become resistant.
“How AMR is produced in bacterial populations and the pathways that lead to these new traits are still poorly understood,” he said. “This poses a huge threat to public health, as antimicrobial resistance is on the rise.”
Dr. Almagro-Moreno studied genetic variants of a protein found in bacterial membranes called OmpU. Using computational and molecular approaches, her team discovered that several OmpU mutations in the cholera bacterium lead to resistance to numerous antimicrobial agents. This resistance included antimicrobial peptides that act as defenses in the human intestine. The researchers found that other OmpU variants did not provide these properties, making the protein an ideal system for deciphering the specific processes that occur to make some bacteria resistant to antimicrobials.
By comparing antibiotic resistant and sensitive variants, the researchers were able to identify specific parts of OmpU associated with the emergence of antibiotic resistance. They also found that the genetic material encoding these variants, along with associated traits, can be passed between bacterial cells, increasing the risk of spreading ADR in populations under antibiotic pressure.
By understanding how mutations occur, researchers can better understand and develop therapies to combat resistant infections. Dr. Almagro-Moreno is also looking at environmental factors such as pollution and warming of the oceans as possible causes of resistant bacteria. “We are studying the genetic diversity of environmental populations, including Florida coastal isolates, to develop a new approach to understanding how antimicrobial resistance evolves,” she explained.
Understanding the bacterium that causes cholera, an acute diarrheal disease associated with infected food and water, has global implications. The disease affects up to 4 million people worldwide and severe cases can cause death within hours.
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