Evolutionary trajectories of β-lactam resistance in Enterococcus faecalis strains

Resistance to ampicillin and imipenem in Enterococcus faecalis is infrequent. However, the evolution of resistance can occur through prolonged antibiotic exposure during the treatment of chronic infections. In this study, we conducted a Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE) using four genetically diverse strains of E. faecalis with varying susceptibilities to ampicillin and imipenem. Each strain was subjected to increasing concentrations of either ampicillin or imipenem over 200 days, with three independent replicates for each strain. Selective pressure from imipenem led to the rapid selection of highly resistant lineages across all genetic backgrounds, compared to ampicillin. In addition to high resistance, we describe, for the first time, the evolution of a β-lactam dependent phenotype observed in lineages from all backgrounds. WGS and bioinformatic analysis revealed mutations in three main functional classes: genes involved in cell wall synthesis and degradation, genes in the walK/R two-component system, and genes in the c-di-AMP pathway. Our analysis identified new mutations in genes known to be involved in resistance as well as novel genes potentially associated with resistance. Furthermore, the newly described β-lactam dependent phenotype was correlated with the inactivation of c-di-AMP degradation, resulting in high levels of this second messenger. Together, these data highlight the diverse genetic mechanisms underlying resistance to ampicillin and imipenem in E. faecalis . The emergence of high resistance levels and β-lactam dependency underscores the importance of understanding evolutionary dynamics in the development of antibiotic resistance.

E. faecalis is a major human pathogen, and treatment is frequently compromised by poor response to first-line antibiotics such ampicillin. Understanding the factors that play a role in susceptibility/resistance to these drugs will help guide the development of much needed treatments.