The evolutionary histories of clinical and environmental SHV β-lactamases are intertwined.

ABSTRACT: The rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens focuses our attention on the source of antibiotic resistance genes, on the existence of these genes in environments exposed to little or no antibiotics, and on the relationship between resistance genes found in the clinic and those encountered in non-clinical settings. Here, we address the evolutionary history of a class of resistance genes, the SHV β-lactamases. We focus on bla SHV genes isolated both from clinical and non-clinical sources and show that clinically important resistance determinants arise repeatedly from within a diverse pool of bla SHV genes present in the environment. While our results argue against the notion of a single common origin for all clinically derived bla SHV genes, we detect a characteristic selective signature shapin

SUBMITTER: Dorit RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3759353 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature