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Nanomechanics of Drug-target Interactions and Antibacterial Resistance Detection
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Nanomechanics of Drug-target Interactions and Antibacterial Resistance Detection

Published on: October 25, 2013

Vancomycin tolerance in Gram-positive cocci

Miriam Moscoso1, Mirian Domenech, Ernesto García

  • 1Departamento de Microbiología Molecular y Biología de las Infecciones, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC) and CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

Environmental Microbiology Reports
|June 14, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Vancomycin tolerance in bacteria is increasing, compromising this crucial antibiotic

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Antimicrobial Resistance

Background:

  • Vancomycin is a critical antibiotic for treating multi-resistant Gram-positive infections.
  • Emerging vancomycin resistance and tolerance in pathogens like enterococci, staphylococci, and streptococci threaten its clinical efficacy.
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms of vancomycin tolerance is crucial for developing new therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the molecular basis of vancomycin tolerance in key bacterial pathogens.
  • To identify potential pathways and factors contributing to reduced vancomycin susceptibility.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent evidence on vancomycin tolerance mechanisms.
  • Analysis of studies investigating bacterial responses to vancomycin exposure.
  • Focus on molecular pathways including stringent response, autolysin activity, and two-component regulatory systems.

Main Results:

  • Vancomycin's bactericidal activity may involve superoxide anions in enterococci.
  • The stringent response contributes to vancomycin tolerance in Enterococcus faecalis.
  • Reduced autolysin activity and cell envelope stress-related two-component systems are implicated in vancomycin tolerance in Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Conclusions:

  • Vancomycin tolerance is a complex phenomenon with varied molecular underpinnings across different bacterial species.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the precise regulatory pathways involved in vancomycin tolerance.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is essential for combating antimicrobial resistance and preserving vancomycin's therapeutic value.

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