The Czs heavy metal efflux pump and its expression in Elizabethkingia anophelis when exposed to β-lactam drugs

Abstract

Cobalt, zinc, and cadmium are heavy metals which can often be found in clinical settings (on handrails, medical equipment, etc.). These metals have been found to have antimicrobial properties. Elizabethkingia anophelis, an emerging nosocomial infection in the Great Lakes region of North America, has proteins that may counteract these properties and make the organism more dangerous in a clinical setting. We used information from the RAST database and compared it to RNA sequencing data from E. anophelis to determine the effect of two different antibiotics on these proteins. We found that the frequency of transcription of these proteins responded to the introduction of βlactams (i.e. penicillins, to which E. anophelis is resistant) either as a stress response by the bacteria, or as a concerted effort to pump βlactams from the cell. Our research may impact how cobalt, zinc, and cadmium-containing compounds are used in clinical settings when combating E. anophelisand how general practices regarding the combating of drug-resistant microbes are carried out.