Open AccessInduction of vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecium by non‐glycopeptide antibiotics
Author(s) -
Allen N.E.,
Hobbs J.N.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07819.x
Subject(s) - bacitracin , vancomycin , glycopeptide , enterococcus faecium , microbiology and biotechnology , peptidoglycan , antibiotics , glycopeptide antibiotic , enterococcus , biology , bacteria , chemistry , cell wall , biochemistry , staphylococcus aureus , genetics
Bacitracin and other antibiotics that inhibit late stages in peptidoglycan biosynthesis induce vancomycin resistance in a high‐level, inducibly vancomycin‐resistant strain of Enterococcus faecium . Exposure to bacitracin led to synthesis of the lactate‐containing UDP‐MurNAc‐pentadepsipeptide precursor required for vancomycin resistance. These findings indicate that inhibition of peptidoglycan biosynthesis can lead to induction of vancomycin resistance and raise the possibility that multiple signals may serve to induce resistance.