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Intradermal Inoculation of Mycobacterium avium in the Mouse Ear
Published on: July 3, 2025
LdtMav2, a nonclassical transpeptidase and susceptibility of Mycobacterium avium to carbapenems
Rohini Mattoo1, Evan P Lloyd2, Amit Kaushik1
1Department of Medicine, Center for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA.
Aim:
Mycobacterium avium infections, especially in immune-compromised individuals, present a significant challenge as therapeutic options are limited. In this study, we investigated if M. avium genome encodes nonclassical transpeptidases and if newer carbapenems are effective against this mycobacteria.
Materials & Methods:
Biochemical and microbiological approaches were used to identify and characterize a nonclassical transpeptidase, namely L,D-transpeptidase, in M. avium.
Results & Conclusion:
We describe the biochemical and physiological attributes of a L,D-transpeptidase in M. avium, LdtMav2. Suggestive of a constitutive requirement, levels of LdtMav2, a L,D-transpeptidase in M. avium, remain constant during exponential and stationary phases of growth. Among β-lactam antibacterials, only a subset of carbapenems inhibit LdtMav2 and tebipenem, a new oral carbapenem, inhibits growth of M. avium.
