The thymidylate kinase genes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and methicillin ‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus confer 3′‐azido‐3′‐deoxythymidine resistance to Escherichia coli

This study investigates the ability of an evolutionarily conserved essential gene to provide resistance against antimicrobial compounds. An Escherichia coli chromosomally encoded thymidylate kinase (tmk) conditional lethal strain was developed to investigate tmk alleles from relevant nosocomial pathogens. The thymidylate kinase conditional lethal strain harboring a plasmid with a tmk gene from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or Pseudomonas aeruginosa downstream of an inducible promoter was examined for survival against increasing concentrations of 3′‐azido‐3′‐deoxythymidine (AZT). The results indicate that M. tuberculosis and MRSA thymidylate kinases are deficient in cellular activity toward AZT monophosphate. Certain bacteria may have inherent resistance to pro‐drug antibiotics.
Source: FEMS Microbiology Letters - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Research Letter Source Type: research