Target gene sequencing to define the susceptibility of Neisseria meningitidis to ciprofloxacin.

Eva Hong (1) , Sara Thulin Hedberg (2) , Raquel Abad (3) , Cecilia Fazio (4) , Rocío Enríquez (3) , Ala-Eddine Deghmane (1) , Keith A. Jolley (5) , Paola Stefanelli (4) , Magnus Unemo (2) , Julio A Vazquez (3) , Frédéric Veyrier (1) , Muhamed-Kheir Taha (1)

1 CNR - Centre National de Référence des Méningocoques et Haemophilus influenzae - National Reference Center Meningococci and Haemophilus influenzae
2 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Örebro University Hospital
3 ISC - Instituto de Salud Carlos III [Madrid]
4 Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-Mediated Diseases [Rome]
5 University of Oxford

Meningococcal gyrA gene sequence data, MICs, and mouse infection were used to define the ciprofloxacin breakpoint for Neisseria meningitidis. Residue T91 or D95 of GyrA was altered in all meningococcal isolates with MICs of ≥ 0.064 μg/ml but not among isolates with MICs of ≤ 0.032 μg/ml. Experimental infection of ciprofloxacin-treated mice showed slower bacterial clearance when GyrA was altered. These data suggest a MIC of ≥ 0.064 μg/ml as the ciprofloxacin breakpoint for meningococci and argue for the molecular detection of ciprofloxacin resistance.

Domains: Infectious diseases

Eva Hong, Sara Thulin Hedberg, Raquel Abad, Cecilia Fazio, Rocío Enríquez, et al.. Target gene sequencing to define the susceptibility of Neisseria meningitidis to ciprofloxacin.. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2013, 57 (4), pp.1961-1964. ⟨10.1128/AAC.02184-12⟩. ⟨pasteur-02089320⟩