Horizontal gene transfer of ftsI, encoding penicillin-binding protein 3, in Haemophilus influenzae

Horizontal gene transfer has been identified in only a small number of genes in Haemophilus influenzae, an organism which is naturally competent for transformation. This report provides evidence for the genetic transfer of the ftsI gene, which encodes penicillin-binding protein 3, in H. influenzae. Mosaic structures of the ftsI gene were found in several clinical isolates of H. influenzae. To identify the origin of the mosaic sequence, complete sequences of the corresponding gene from seven type strains of Haemophilus species were determined. Comparison of these sequences with mosaic regions identified a homologous recombination of the ftsI gene between H. influenzae and Haemophilus haemolyticus. Subsequently, ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae strains harboring identical ftsI sequences were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Divergent PFGE patterns among beta-lactamase-nonproducing ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) strains from different hospitals indicated the potential for the genetic transfer of the mutated ftsI gene between these isolates. Moreover, transfer of the ftsI gene from BLNAR strains to beta-lactamase-nonproducing ampicillin-susceptible (BLNAS) H. influenzae strains was evaluated in vitro. Coincubation of a BLNAS strain (a rifampin-resistant mutant of strain Rd) and BLNAR strains resulted in the emergence of rifampin- and cefdinir-resistant clones at frequencies of 5.1 x 10(-7) to 1.5 x 10(-6). Characterization of these doubly resistant mutants by DNA sequencing of the ftsI gene, susceptibility testing, and genotyping by PFGE revealed that the ftsI genes of BLNAR strains had transferred to BLNAS strains during coincubation. In conclusion, horizontal transfer of the ftsI gene in H. influenzae can occur in an intraspecies and an interspecies manner.