Scientific African (Jun 2024)
Transition mutation bias is crucial to adaptive extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) resistance evolution
Abstract
The importance of slow accumulation of mutation in the nucleic acids of bacteria and the possibility of organismal transcriptional modification to suit their adaptation are key drivers favouring natural selection and subsequently adaptive evolution. This study was aimed at providing insight into factors influencing adaptive extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) resistance evolution. A total of twenty-six (26) extended spectrum beta lactamase-producing Gram-negative bacteria isolated in our previous study were subjected to uniplex and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing prior to mutation discovery analyses, while the maximum likelihood value, transition-transversion ratio, tajimas neutrality test, nucleotide diversity and selection analyses were estimated following standard recommended protocols. Results obtained depict the PCR discriminated ESBL alleles as; TEM (n = 11.5 %), CTX-M (n = 15.4 %), SHV (n = 19.2 %) while the co-occurred ESBL alleles were estimated as CTX-M and TEM (n = 3.85 %), CTX-M and SHV (n = 15.4 %), TEM and SHV (n = 23.1 %), CTX-M, TEM and SHV (n = 11.5 %). The transition, transversion, deletion and insertion distribution pattern were evaluated as; TEM (46, 39,11 and 4 %), SHV (50, 31, 8 and 11 %) and CTX-M (60, 21,12 and 7 %) (p < 0.05) respectively. The maximum likelihood value, transition-transversion ratio, tajimas neutrality test, nucleotide diversity and selection analyses for TEM, SHV and CTX-M were (−8436, 1.18, 5.2, 62 % and 84.9 %,), (−8321, 1.60, 5.4, 68.9 % and 97.8 %) and (−7284, 2.86, 6.0, 55.2 % and 77.2 %) sequentially. Our findings therefore have shown that adaptive ESBL resistance evolution is driven by transition mutation, positive natural selection and ESBL gene flow. It is thus imperative to state that understanding these adaptive resistance driven factors and how they operate is crucial to deciphering the fundamental principles of adaptive evolution that might help circumvent the global challenges of antibiotic resistance.