In vitro-selected resistance to fluoroquinolones in two Brucella strains associated with mutational changes in gyrA

Abstract

In the present study, Brucella melitensis biovar Abortus 2308 and Brucella abortus 3196 biotype 5 reference strains, which are susceptible to fluoroquinolones, became in vitro-resistant to fluoroquinolones by culture in trypticase soy agar. The quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of the gyrA and parC genes of the two reference strains were analysed by polymerase chain reaction sequencing analysis to obtain the wild-type sequence. These sequences were then compared with the corresponding sequences of four in vitro-selected fluoroquinolone-resistant mutants to characterise mutations associated with resistance. Sequencing of the ofloxacin-selected resistant mutant 2308 revealed a transition of GAT to AAT (corresponding to position 87 of Escherichia coli gyrA), leading to substitution of Asp91 → Asn, whilst at the same position the ciprofloxacin-selected resistant mutant 2308 revealed a transition of GAT to TAT (corresponding to the same position of E. coli as above), leading to substitution of Asp91 → Tyr. The ofloxacin-selected resistant mutant 3196 had a transition of GCT to GTT, generating an amino acid change of Ala87 → Val. Amino acid changes were detected in the portion of the Brucella gyrA gene (Ala71 to Gln110) corresponding to the E. coli gyrA QRDR region (Ala67 to Gln110). Amino acid changes were also detected in Ser83, corresponding to the region where fluoroquinolone-associated amino acid changes are most commonly found in other bacterial species.