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Antibiotic Resistance and Transfer in Lactic Acid Bacteria

  • Chapter
Genetics of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Part of the book series: The Lactic Acid Bacteria ((LAAB,volume 3))

Abstract

Acquired antibiotic resistance, that is, resistance genes located on conjugative or mobilizable plasmids and transposons can be found in species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) living in habitats (e.g., human and animal intestines) that are regularly challenged with antibiotics. Most data are available for pathogenic streptococci, enterococci, and enteric lactobacilli. However, conjugative genetic elements with antibiotic resistance traits detected in LAB from animals and food are very similar to elements characterized in pathogenic streptococci and enterococci, for example, θ-type replicating plasmids of the pAMßl/pIP501 family, and transposons of the Tn916 type. Observed resistance genes include tetM, ermAM, cat sat, and vanA.

A composite 29,871 bp resistance plasmid detected in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis isolated from a raw milk soft cheese contains tetS previously described in Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus faecalis, cat and str from Staphylococcus aureus, and a new efflux protein for macrolide antibiotics. Three of its five IS elements are almost or completely identical with IS1216 present in the vanA resistance transposon Tnl546. In streptococci (e.g., Strep. pneumoniae), transformation and homologous recombination have been proposed to lead to a mosaic gene structure of penicillin binding proteins, which provides protection against ß-lactam antibiotics.

These data support the view that in antibiotic-challenged habitats LAB, like other bacteria, participate in the communication systems which transfer resistance traits over species and genus borders. The prevalence of such bacteria with acquired resistances, like enterococci, is high in animals (and humans) that are regularly treated with antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance traits as selectable markers in genetic modification of LAB for different purposes are presently being replaced, for example, by metabolic traits to generate food-grade vectors.

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  1. Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland

    Michael Teuber, Franziska Schwarz & Leo Meile

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  1. Michael Teuber
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  1. Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland

    Brian J. B. Wood

  2. Cranfield University at Silsoe, Bedfordshire, UK

    Philip J. Warner

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Teuber, M., Schwarz, F., Meile, L. (2003). Antibiotic Resistance and Transfer in Lactic Acid Bacteria. In: Wood, B.J.B., Warner, P.J. (eds) Genetics of Lactic Acid Bacteria. The Lactic Acid Bacteria, vol 3. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0191-6_11

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