Mechanisms of zidovudine resistance in bacteria

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 33; no. 4; pp. 235 - 238
• Main Authors: Lewin, C. S, Allen, Ruth A, Amyes, S. G. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01.12.1990; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Action of physical and chemical agents on bacteria; AIDS/HIV; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; DNA, Bacterial - biosynthesis; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Edetic Acid - pharmacology; Enterobacteriaceae - drug effects; Enterobacteriaceae - metabolism; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Escherichia coli - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Microbiology; Phosphorylation; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - drug effects; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - metabolism; Salmonella typhimurium; Salmonella typhimurium - drug effects; Salmonella typhimurium - metabolism; Staphylococcus - drug effects; Staphylococcus - metabolism; Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Staphylococcus aureus - metabolism; Staphylococcus epidermidis - drug effects; Staphylococcus epidermidis - metabolism; Thymidine - metabolism; Thymidine Kinase - metabolism; Zidovudine - pharmacology; Staphylococcus aureus; Pseudomonadales; Radiolabelling; Escherichia coli; Thymidine; Salmonella typhimurium; Mechanism; Resistance; Staphylococcus epidermidis; DNA; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Pseudomonadaceae; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Micrococcaceae; Staphylococcus aureus; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/00222615-33-4-235

Department of Bacteriology, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG Received May 16, 1990 Revision received June 21, 1990. Surmmary: Unlike their parent strains, zidovudine-resistant derivatives of Escherichia coli KL16 and Salmonella typhimurium NCTC 5710 were found to be incapable of incorporating radiolabeled thymidine into their chromosomal DNA. Since incorporation was still prevented in the presence of EDTA, resistance to zidovudine was not associated with a permeability barrier, but appeared to result from the loss of thymidine kinase activity, required for the phosphorylation of zidovudine. Pseudomonas aeruginosa , which is intrinsically zidovudine-resistant, was also shown to be incapable of incorporating thymidine into its DNA, but Staphylococcus epidermidis SK360 and Staph. aureus E3T, which are also intrinsically zidovudine-resistant, possessed thymidine kinase activity. This suggests that two distinct mechanisms of resistance to zidovudine exist in bacteria. Zidovudine resistance did not appear to confer resistance to other antibacterial agents.