Inactivation of kanamycin A by phosphorylation in pathogenic Nocardia

Among the five species of pathogenic Nocardia, i.e., N. asteroides, N. brasiliensis, N. farcinica, N. nova and N. otitidiscaviarum, all strains of N. brasiliensis and N. farcinica showed resistance to an aminoglycoside antibiotic, kanamycin A, showing the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values of more than 100 micrograms/ml. This species-specific difference in sensitivity was found to be explained by the production of an inactivation enzyme, aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase APH(3'). Structural studies by mass and NMR spectroscopy on the inactivated substance produced by a cell-free extract of the Nocardia confirmed the conversion of kanamycin A to an inactive substance, kanamycin A 3'-phosphate. The MIC values of N. otitidiscaviarum and N. nova for kanamycin A, on the other hand, ranged from 0.78 micrograms/ml to 100 micrograms/ml, and both species were non-producers of APH(3'). Sensitivity to the antibiotic and APH(3') productivity of N. asteroides varied depending on the strain.