What Is Beta-lactamase And Why Is It Important?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Beta-lactamases are

an important group of bacterial enzymes

, which preferentially cleave the beta-lactam ring of penicillins, cephalosporins, or other medically important beta-lactam antibiotics (Fig. 1).

What do beta-lactamase inhibitors do?

Beta-lactamase inhibitors are drugs that are co-administered with beta-lactam antimicrobials

to prevent antimicrobial resistance by inhibiting serine beta-lactamases

, which are enzymes that inactivate the beta-lactam ring, which is a common chemical structure to all beta-lactam antimicrobials.

What do beta lactamases do?

The beta-lactamase enzymes

inactivate beta-lactam antibiotics by hydrolyzing the peptide bond

of the characteristic four-membered beta-lactam ring rendering the antibiotic ineffective. The inactivation of the antibiotic provides resistance to the bacterium.

What are beta-lactam antibiotics used for?

Beta-lactam antibiotics are used in the management and treatment of

bacterial infections

.

Why is beta-lactamase important?

3 β-Lactams. β-Lactams represent one of the most important groups of antibiotics prescribed for antibacterial treatment today. They

stop bacterial growth by inhibiting PBPs

that are indispensable for the cross-linking process during cell wall biosynthesis.

What bacteria can produce beta-lactamase?

  • Staphylococcus aureus. Even though most S. …
  • Haemophilus influenzae. …
  • Gram-negative rods. …
  • Moraxella catarrhalis. …
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae. …
  • Legionella pneumophila. …
  • Anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli (Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Porphyromonas spp.) …
  • Fusobacterium spp.

Is amoxicillin beta-lactamase resistant?

Some antimicrobials (eg, cefazolin and cloxacillin) are

naturally resistant to certain beta-lactamases

. The activity of the beta-lactams: amoxicillin, ampicillin, piperacillin, and ticarcillin, can be restored and widened by combining them with a beta-lactamase inhibitor.

Are beta-lactamases bad?

beta-Lactamases have proved to be extremely important in influencing therapy with penicillins and cephalosporins against gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic species.

What causes beta-lactamase?

Beta-lactamases are enzymes (EC 3.5. 2.6) produced

by bacteria that provide multi- resistance

to β-lactam antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins, cephamycins, monobactams and carbapenems (ertapenem), although carbapenems are relatively resistant to beta-lactamase.

How does beta-lactamase destroy penicillin?

Penicillin’s mechanism of action

Penicillin and other antibiotics in the beta-lactam family contain a characteristic four-membered beta-lactam ring. Penicillin

kills bacteria through binding of the beta-lactam ring to DD-transpeptidase

, inhibiting its cross-linking activity and preventing new cell wall formation.

How is beta-lactamase treated?

Commonly used medications to treat ESBL-involved infections include:

carbapenems

(imipenem, meropenem, and doripenem) cephamycins (cefoxitin and cefotetan) fosfomycin.

Where is beta-lactamase made?

Gram-positive bacteria that make beta-lactamase excrete the enzyme into

the extracellular space

. Gram-negative bacteria excrete beta-lactamase into the periplasmic space located between the cytoplasmic membrane & the outer membrane, where the cell wall is located.

What is a beta-lactam ring?

A beta-lactam (β-lactam) ring is

a four-membered lactam

. A lactam is a cyclic amide, and beta-lactams are named so because the nitrogen atom is attached to the β-carbon atom relative to the carbonyl. The simplest β-lactam possible is 2-azetidinone.

What does beta-lactamase negative mean?

When beta-lactamase-negative, ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) strains were defined as those for which

the ampicillin MIC was > or = 4.0 microg/ml, 5 to 44%

of our selected strains were BLNAR depending on the medium and/or test method used.

Is beta-lactamase a protein?

Beta-Lactamase Inhibitor Proteins (BLIPs) are a

family of proteins produced

by bacterial species including Streptomyces.

Is penicillin a beta-lactam?


Beta-lactam antibiotics

include penicillins, cephalosporins and related compounds. As a group, these drugs are active against many gram-positive, gram-negative and anaerobic organisms.

Jasmine Sibley
Author
Jasmine Sibley
Jasmine is a DIY enthusiast with a passion for crafting and design. She has written several blog posts on crafting and has been featured in various DIY websites. Jasmine's expertise in sewing, knitting, and woodworking will help you create beautiful and unique projects.