Cross-resistance between triclosan and antibiotics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is mediated by multidrug efflux pumps: exposure of a susceptible mutant strain to triclosan selects nfxB mutants overexpressing MexCD-OprJ

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001 Feb;45(2):428-32. doi: 10.1128/AAC.45.2.428-432.2001.

Abstract

Triclosan is an antiseptic frequently added to items as diverse as soaps, lotions, toothpaste, and many commonly used household fabrics and plastics. Although wild-type Pseudomonas aeruginosa expresses the triclosan target enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase, it is triclosan resistant due to expression of the MexAB-OprM efflux system. Exposure of a susceptible Delta(mexAB-oprM) strain to triclosan selected multidrug-resistant bacteria at high frequencies. These bacteria hyperexpressed the MexCD-OprJ efflux system due to mutations in its regulatory gene, nfxB. The MICs of several drugs for these mutants were increased up to 500-fold, including the MIC of ciprofloxacin, which was increased 94-fold. Whereas the MexEF-OprN efflux system also participated in triclosan efflux, this antimicrobial was not a substrate for MexXY-OprM.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local / pharmacology*
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / analysis
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial / genetics
  • Genes, MDR / genetics
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / drug effects*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / metabolism*
  • Triclosan / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Triclosan