Antimicrobial resistance is a huge burden to both global health and economy and we urgently need new treatment options. In antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), many environmental factors, including pH, are overlooked when determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) focusing instead on culturing reliability.
One of the most used antibiotics in healthcare belongs to the beta-lactam group, which include penicillins and cephalosporins. On the other hand, bacteria can resist these drugs with beta-lactamases, an enzyme which breaks down this type of antibiotics.
With this study, we show how the pH can have large and contrasting effects on the MIC and ecology of specific beta-lactamases. At the same time, we have a possible explanation for why bacteria tend to amass beta-lactamases with the same function: each beta-lactamase may be adapted to specific environments.
Mikkel Anbo’s presentation
