Home LiteratureArticle Details
PMID: 3011847 Published · ppublish English Journal Article

The role of beta-lactamase in staphylococcal resistance to penicillinase-resistant penicillins and cephalosporins.

Journal of clinical microbiology ·Vol. 23 ·No. 5 ·1986-05-00 ·Pages 832-9

McDougal LK, Thornsberry C

Abstract

We showed that most Staphylococcus aureus strains that have borderline or intermediate susceptibility to the penicillinase-resistant penicillins (PRPs) react this way because of the activity of their beta-lactamase on these antimicrobial agents. These strains produced large amounts of staphylococcal beta-lactamase that rapidly hydrolyzed penicillin and partially hydrolyzed the PRPs. Susceptibility to hydrolysis was penicillin greater than oxacillin greater than cephalothin greater than methicillin. The borderline results and the hydrolysis could be prevented by the beta-lactamase inhibitors clavulanic acid and sulbactam. For intrinsically methicillin-resistant (heteroresistant) S. aureus, the inhibitors reduced the penicillin MICs, but the strains remained resistant to all the beta-lactam antimicrobial agents, including penicillin. We conclude that the borderline in vitro susceptibility or resistance to PRPs in most of these S. aureus strains is mediated by beta-lactamase and they are not heteroresistant or intrinsically resistant. We do not know whether this in vitro resistance is expressed clinically.

MeSH Terms
Cephalosporins/pharmacology Cephalothin/pharmacology Clavulanic Acid Clavulanic Acids/pharmacology Methicillin/pharmacology Microbial Sensitivity Tests Oxacillin/pharmacology Penicillanic Acid/pharmacology Penicillin Resistance Penicillinase/metabolism Penicillins/pharmacology Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects,enzymology Sulbactam beta-Lactamase Inhibitors beta-Lactamases/metabolism
Chemicals
Cephalosporins Clavulanic Acids Penicillins beta-Lactamase Inhibitors Clavulanic Acid Penicillanic Acid Penicillinase beta-Lactamases Methicillin Cephalothin Sulbactam Oxacillin
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
McDougal L K
Thornsberry C
References (34)
34 references, click to expand
  1. Inactivation of benzylpenicillin and methicillin by hospital staphylococci.
    Br Med J. 1963 Jul 27;2(5351):202-5 PMID: 13965729
  2. Susceptibility of the "penicillinase-resistant" penicillins and cephalosporins to penicillinase of Staphylococcus aureus.
    J Clin Pathol. 1977 Jan;30(1):35-9 PMID: 838869
  3. Gratuitous synthesis of beta-lactamase in Staphylococcus aureus.
    J Bacteriol. 1968 Dec;96(6):2110-7 PMID: 5724975
  4. Clavulanic acid: a beta-lactamase-inhiting beta-lactam from Streptomyces clavuligerus.
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1977 May;11(5):852-7 PMID: 879738
  5. New recommendations for disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility tests for methicillin-resistant (heteroresistant) staphylococci.
    J Clin Microbiol. 1984 Apr;19(4):482-8 PMID: 6562125
  6. Further evolution of a strain of Staphylococcus aureus in vivo: evidence for significant inactivation of flucloxacillin by penicillinase.
    J Med Microbiol. 1975 May;8(2):337-47 PMID: 1040676
  7. PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF THE EXOPENICILLINASE FROM STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS.
    Biochem J. 1963 Sep;88:452-9 PMID: 14071518
  8. CP-45,899 in combination with penicillin or ampicillin against penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Bacteroides.
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1980 Apr;17(4):615-22 PMID: 6249192
  9. Penicillinase production and intrinsic resistance to penicillins in methicillin-resistant cultures of Staphylococcus aureus.
    J Med Microbiol. 1969 Aug;2(3):261-78 PMID: 5405709
  10. Antibiotic and clavulanic acid treatment of subcutaneous abscesses caused by Bacteroides fragilis alone or in combination with aerobic bacteria.
    J Infect Dis. 1983 Jul;148(1):156-9 PMID: 6350486
  11. Guideline for isolation precautions in hospitals.
    Infect Control. 1983 Jul-Aug;4(4 Suppl):245-325 PMID: 6309693
  12. The inhibition of staphylococcal beta-lactamase by clavulanic acid.
    Biochem J. 1979 Apr 1;179(1):67-76 PMID: 38773
  13. Effect of inoculum size on in vitro susceptibility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to eighteen antimicrobial agents.
    Eur J Clin Microbiol. 1985 Feb;4(1):68-70 PMID: 3987682
  14. Novel method for detection of beta-lactamases by using a chromogenic cephalosporin substrate.
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Apr;1(4):283-8 PMID: 4208895
  15. Antibiotic resistance plasmids of Staphylococcus aureus and their clinical importance.
    Bacteriol Rev. 1975 Mar;39(1):1-32 PMID: 1091256
  16. Penicillinase production and intrinsic resistance to penicillins in Staphylococcus aures.
    Lancet. 1966 Apr 16;1(7442):835-8 PMID: 4159958
  17. Failure of cephaloridine in a case of staphylococcal endocarditis.
    Br Med J. 1966 Nov 19;2(5524):1244 PMID: 5917838
  18. NATURE AND INTERACTIONS OF THE GENETIC ELEMENTS GOVERNING PENICILLINASE SYNTHESIS IN STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS.
    J Bacteriol. 1965 Aug;90:467-80 PMID: 14329463
  19. Mechanisms of resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics in Staphylococcus aureus.
    Scand J Infect Dis Suppl. 1984;42:64-71 PMID: 6335600
  20. Role of an altered penicillin-binding protein in methicillin- and cephem-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1985 Sep;28(3):397-403 PMID: 3878127
  21. Liberation of surface-located penicillinase from Staphylococcus aureus.
    Biochem J. 1967 Mar;102(3):742-7 PMID: 16742488
  22. Low-affinity penicillin-binding protein associated with beta-lactam resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.
    J Bacteriol. 1984 May;158(2):513-6 PMID: 6563036
  23. Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.
    Lancet. 1970 Apr 18;1(7651):800-4 PMID: 4191434
  24. Inoculum standardization in antimicrobial susceptibility testing: evaluation of overnight agar cultures and the Rapid Inoculum Standardization System.
    J Clin Microbiol. 1983 Mar;17(3):450-7 PMID: 6841581
  25. CP-45,899, a beta-lactamase inhibitor that extends the antibacterial spectrum of beta-lactams: initial bacteriological characterization.
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1978 Sep;14(3):414-9 PMID: 309306
  26. Stability of the isoxazolyl penicillins to staphylococcal beta-lactamase.
    J Antimicrob Chemother. 1982 Mar;9(3):239-40 PMID: 6978881
  27. Comparative stabilities of penicillins and cephalosporins to staphylococcal beta-lactamase and activities against Staphylococcus aureus.
    J Antimicrob Chemother. 1980 May;6(3):333-41 PMID: 6967480
  28. Amoxicillin combined with clavulanic acid for the treatment of soft tissue infections in children.
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1983 Nov;24(5):679-81 PMID: 6660847
  29. Treatment of staphylococcal infections.
    J Antimicrob Chemother. 1983 Jan;11(1):3-6 PMID: 6550055
  30. Experimental osteomyelitis. 3. Treatment with cephaloridine.
    J Infect Dis. 1973 May;127(5):525-8 PMID: 4698640
  31. Reliability of the microdilution technic for detection of methicillin-resistant strains of staphylococcus aureus.
    Am J Clin Pathol. 1977 May;67(5):489-95 PMID: 324263
  32. Effect of salts on penicillinase release by Staphylococcus aureus.
    Microbios. 1974 Jun-Jul;10A SUPPL(41):55-63 PMID: 4457740
  33. Successful use of broth microdilution in susceptibility tests for methicillin-resistant (heteroresistant) staphylococci.
    J Clin Microbiol. 1983 Nov;18(5):1084-91 PMID: 6643661
  34. Effect of the source of Mueller-Hinton agar and resistance frequency on the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
    J Clin Microbiol. 1985 Feb;21(2):205-10 PMID: 3844408
Article Info
Journal
Journal of clinical microbiology
Abbr.
J Clin Microbiol
ISSN
0095-1137
DOI
10.1128/jcm.23.5.832-839.1986
Published
1986-05-00
Pages
832-9
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
7505564
PMCID
PMC268732
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/jcm.23.5.832-839.1986 PMC Full Text View journal details
Analysis Services
Analysis Services

Contact

No. 2 Wenbo Road, Zhangqiu District, Jinan, Shandong

Qilu Normal University · Genelibs Bioinformatics Lab

750 Shunhua Rd, Jinan

2F, Bldg F, University Science Park

Tel: 0531-88819269

WeChat Official Account

Follow our WeChat subscription account for real-time updates and the latest in medical and biological research.


Business Email

E-mail: [email protected]

Copyright © 2026.Genelibs Jinan Honghui Biotechnology Co., Ltd. 鲁ICP备20007159号-2