Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
Production and Testing of Antimicrobial Peptides and Their Mimics
Published on: April 10, 2026
Optimal phenotypic testing of AmpC beta-lactamases using boronic acid solutions
W-Y Su1, T Gottlieb, J Merlino
1Department of Microbiology, Concord Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Yuen.Su@sswahs.nsw.gov.au
Abstract:
Plasmid-mediated class C β-lactamases are reported from Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae with increasing frequency. No screening and confirmatory tests have been uniformly established for these strains. We investigated for the presence of plasmid-mediated AmpC production in 51 clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae, comparing two different boronic acid formulations, phenylboronic acid (PB) and 3-(N-Boc-amino)phenylboronic acid (APB), using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PB performed better than APB.
Insights
Phenylboronic acid (PB) demonstrated superior performance over 3-(N-Boc-amino)phenylboronic acid (APB) in detecting plasmid-mediated AmpC beta-lactamase production in clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates using PCR.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Plasmid-mediated class C beta-lactamases, particularly AmpC, are increasingly prevalent in Gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
- The rise of these enzymes poses a significant challenge to antibiotic treatment due to resistance.
- Standardized screening and confirmatory tests for AmpC production are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of two boronic acid derivatives, phenylboronic acid (PB) and 3-(N-Boc-amino)phenylboronic acid (APB), in detecting plasmid-mediated AmpC production.
- To compare the performance of PB and APB in conjunction with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for identifying AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 51 clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae.
- Utilized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genetic detection.
- Compared the effectiveness of two boronic acid formulations: phenylboronic acid (PB) and 3-(N-Boc-amino)phenylboronic acid (APB).
Main Results:
- Phenylboronic acid (PB) exhibited better performance than 3-(N-Boc-amino)phenylboronic acid (APB) in the detection assays.
- The study successfully identified plasmid-mediated AmpC production in the tested clinical isolates.
Conclusions:
- Phenylboronic acid (PB) is a more effective reagent than APB for the PCR-based detection of plasmid-mediated AmpC beta-lactamases.
- Improved diagnostic methods are crucial for identifying and managing infections caused by AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae.
