Molecular epidemiology of gram-negative bacteria and genetic of antibiotic resistance

Abstract

There is growing concern about bacteria that cause hospital-acquired infections or in the community, especially the ones multiresistant to antibiotics (popularly named superbacteria) or those affecting patients with chronic infectious diseases. Therefore, this proposed Thematic Project covers highly specialized and innovative studies on genetics of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, investigation on virulence associated with resistance and epidemiology of bacterial infections in Brazil. The first four subprojects plus subprojects 7 and 8 aimed directly to explore the spread of plasmidial resistance and/or virulence genes which can contribute to the successful colonization/infection of the bacteria and/or exacerbation of bacterial infections: (1) Phenotypic and molecular characterization of antibiotic resistant enterobacteria isolated from broiler chickens in farms from Sao Paulo and Goiás State, (2) Molecular study of beta-lactamases-producing Gram-negative bacteria isolated from patients with suspected meningitis in the region of Ribeirão Preto, (3) Typing of plasmid carrying blaOXA genes in Acinetobacter spp. by A. baumannii-PCR Based Replicon Typing, (4) Entire sequencing of resistance plasmids carrying resistance genes in gram-negative bacteria, (7) Investigation of virulence, resistance, and populational structure of Enterobacter cloacae Complex and (8) Genome analyses of SPM-1- and KPC-2-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa by next generation sequencing. Finally the fifth and sixth subprojects aimed at the molecular study of bacteria complicating the clinical status of patients with cystic fibrosis: (5) Phenotypic and molecular characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis and clinical evaluation of the patients and (6) Epidemiology of bacterial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis involving Achromobacter spp. and Burkholderia cepacia complex. This thematic project encompasses multidisciplinary, multi-institutional and transnational team, with proven expertise in different areas of the subprojects interconnected by common mottos. (AU)