Molecular basis of intrinsic macrolide resistance in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

ABSTRACT: The intrinsic resistance of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) to most antibiotics, including macrolides, is generally attributed to the low permeability of the mycobacterial cell wall. However, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are much more sensitive to macrolides than members of the MTC. A search for macrolide resistance determinants within the genome of M. tuberculosis revealed the presence of a sequence encoding a putative rRNA methyltransferase. The deduced protein is similar to Erm methyltransferases, which confer macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS) resistance by methylation of 23S rRNA, and was named ErmMT. The corresponding gene, ermMT (erm37), is present in all members of the MTC but is absent in NTM species. Part of ermMT is deleted in some vaccine strains of Myc

SUBMITTER: Buriankova K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC310192 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature