Background: Quinolones are broad-spectrum antibiotics, which are used for the treatment of different infectious diseases associated with Enterobacteriaceae. During recent decades, the wide use as well as overuse of quinolones against diverse infections has led to the emergence of quinolone-resistant bacterial strains. Herein, we present the development of quinolone antibiotics, their function and also the different quinolone resistance mechanisms in Enterobacteriaceae by reviewing recent literature.
Methods: All data were extracted from Google Scholar search engine and PubMed site, using keywords; quinolone resistance, Enterobacteriaceae, plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance, etc.
Results and conclusion: The acquisition of resistance to quinolones is a complex and multifactorial process. The main resistance mechanisms consist of one or a combination of target-site gene mutations altering the drug-binding affinity of target enzymes. Other mechanisms of quinolone resistance are overexpression of AcrAB-tolC multidrug-resistant efflux pumps and downexpression of porins as well as plasmid-encoded resistance proteins including Qnr protection proteins, aminoglycoside acetyltransferase (AAC(6')-Ib-cr) and plasmid-encoded active efflux pumps such as OqxAB and QepA. The elucidation of resistance mechanisms will help researchers to explore new drugs against the resistant strains.
Keywords: Enterobacteriaceae; DNA gyrase; efflux pumps; plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance; porins; quinolone resistance.
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.