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Updated: Sep 14, 2026
Deciphering and Imaging Pathogenesis and Cording of Mycobacterium abscessus in Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: September 9, 2015
Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Mycobacterium abscessus complex isolates from respiratory specimens in
Qian Guo1, Jianhao Wei2, Wenda Zou3
1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, People's Republic of China; Department of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200233, People's Republic of China.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to compare the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) isolates and to investigate the relationship between susceptibility profiles and genetic mechanisms of macrolide resistance.
Methods:
More than 200 isolates collected from respiratory specimens between 2014 and 2018 were randomly analysed in this study. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (Mics) of ten potential antimicrobial agents were determined by the microplate alamarBlue assay.
Results:
We identified 43 MABC isolates, including 32 M. abscessus subsp. abscessus (M. abscessus) (6 from immunocompromised patients) and 11 M. abscessus subsp. massiliense (M. massiliense). The majority of MABC isolates were susceptible to amikacin (96.9% and 100.0% for M. abscessus and M. massiliense, respectively), linezolid (96.9% and 100.0%, respectively), cefoxitin (100.0% and 100.0%, respectively), imipenem (90.6% and 72.7%, respectively) and tobramycin (90.6% and 72.7%, respectively). The resistance rates to clarithromycin and doxycycline in isolates of M. abscessus (68.8% and 100.0%) were significantly higher than those in isolates of M. massiliense (18.2% and 63.6%) (P < 0.05), whereas the percentage of tobramycin-resistant isolates among M. abscessus (9.4%) was significantly lower than among M. massiliense (27.3%) (P = 0.007). Sequencing analyses showed significant differences between erm(41) of M. abscessus and M. massiliense.
Conclusion:
Mycobacterium abscessus is the dominant pathogen of pulmonary MABC infections in our hospital. Aminoglycosides (amikacin and tobramycin), β-lactams (cefoxitin and imipenem) and linezolid exhibited potent inhibitory activity against MABC in vitro. The erm(41) gene may be a promising marker to predict macrolide susceptibility for M. abscessus.
