Abstract
A novel TEM-derived plasmid-encoded β-lactamase, resistant to inhibition by clavulanic acid, has been identified in a clinical strain of Escherichia coli found in Scotland. The β-lactamase gene was carried on an 81-kb plasmid that conferred no other resistances. The novel enzyme conferred resistance to the amoxycillin/clavulanic acid combination on the host bacterium. The β-lactamase has a p I of 5.25 and lies between the PSE-4 and SAR-1 β-lactamases on an isoelectric focusing gel. This β-lactamase has a M r value of 25 000, similar to the TEM-1 enzyme and a comparable substrate profile. Its most significant difference is that it is inhibited by clavulanic acid 100-fold less efficiently than the TEM-1 enzyme. The enzyme was confirmed to be derived from the TEM enzymes by probing the plasmid DNA with an intragenic gene probe for TEM-1. This is the first report of a clinical bacterium carrying a TEM-enzyme that confers resistance to clavulanic acid combinations and we have designated the β-lactamase as TRC-1.
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