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Mycobacterium avium isolates resistant to clarithromycin and azithromycin have been recovered from patients undergoing antibiotic therapy. Comparison of DNA fingerprints of sensitive and resistant isolates showed that resistance resulted from mutation of the original, sensitive isolate in five of seven patients. In the other two patients, the clarithromycin-resistant isolates were unrelated to the sensitive isolate, suggesting that the resistant isolate resulted from either superinfection or selection of a resistant strain from a polyclonal population. Investigation of the mechanisms of clarithromycin and azithromycin resistance in M. avium showed that high-level resistance resulted from a point mutation at position A-2058 in the 23S rRNA. Based on this finding, a rapid screen for clarithromycin-resistance in M. avium was developed based on PCR. Twenty-three clinical isolates were analyzed, seven of which were clarithromycin-resistant. The target product was amplified only in clarithromycin-resistant strains, all of which had mutations at position 2058. A polyuridylic acid (poly U)-dependent in vitro translation system from M. avium was developed to investigate the effect of antibiotics on protein synthesis. Clarithromycin was an effective inhibitor of protein synthesis in cell-free extracts of a susceptible M. avium strain, whereas a high-level resistant strain was less susceptible to clarithromycin in vitro. Mixtures of extracts from sensitive and resistant strains showed a pattern of clarithromycin inhibition similar to the resistant strain, suggesting that resistance may be dominant in partial diploids. Three M. avium strains exhibiting step-wise, intermediate resistance to azithromycin were characterized in comparison to the sensitive parent. All strains were similar in hydrophobicity, growth medium requirements, and growth response to temperature. The azithromycin-resistant strains were resistant to several unrelated agents, including ciprofloxacin, rifabutin, and ethidium bromide. Addition of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) did not lower minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for ciprofloxacin or ethidium bromide. Cell-free extracts of the strains were as sensitive to azithromycin in vitro as the parent strain. The results rule out inactivation, efflux, and mutations in the target as resistance mechanisms, and suggest intermediate resistance may be due to altered permeability of the cell wall or membrane. / Ph. D.

L'analyse de la structure cristallographique de l'hémoglobine tronquée N de Mycobacterium tuberculosis (trHbN) a mis en évidence deux tunnels hydrophobes reliant le site actif à l'extérieur de la protéine. TrHbN a la capacité de protéger la respiration aérobique en phase stationnaire de Mycobacterium bovis de l'inhibition par le NO, possiblement grâce à son activité NO-dioxygénase. De plus, trHbN présente une des affinités pour l'oxygène les plus élevées observées pour une globine (K<i = 9 nM). Ces caractéristiques pourraient dépendre des tunnels de trHbN qui, par leur topologie, leur taille et leur caractère hydrophobe, pourraient servir à la migration sélective de ligands apolaires. Pour étudier cette hypothèse, des mutants aux entrées des tunnels obstruées ont été conçus in silico dans un premier temps, par une approche rationnelle. L'effet de ces mutations a été étudié par dynamique moléculaire d'une part et par spectroscopie et enzymologie d'autre part. Cette approche a montré que ces mutations n'ont pas perturbé le repliement de la protéine, la dynamique des résidus impliqués dans la stabilisation de ligands exogènes ou les caractéristiques spectrales de trHbN. De plus, la stabilisation d'une molécule d'eau au site distal est demeurée l'étape limitante de l'association de ligands à Thème. L'obstruction partielle à l'addition du NO à trHbNFen02 pour les mutants du tunnel court indique que celui-ci, ainsi que des voies de migration autres que les tunnels cristallographiques sont impliqués dans la migration de substrats apolaires au site distal.

Master of Science

A virulent Mycobacterium avium strain, LR25, which carries 3 plasmids (18, 28, and 165 kb) and grows at 43°C was compared to its plasmid-free, avirulent segregant, strain LR163, to investigate the basis for the latter's inability to grow at 43°C. The failure of mid-log phase cultures of strain LR163 to grow at 43°C was dependent upon the presence of high levels of culture aeration. In addition, highly aerated mid-log phase cultures of strain LR163 failed to grow at 379C, By contrast, late-log phase cultures of strain LR163 were capable of growth when shifted to 43°9C under highly aerobie conditions. Mid-log phase cells of strain LR163 had 30% of the catalase activity of mid-log phase cells of strain LR25 and were more susceptible to hydrogen peroxide (0.08% w/v). Catalase activities of late-log, early-stationary, and stationary phase cells of strain LR163 were Significantly higher than mid-log phase cells. Catalase activity of strain LR25 was highest in cells of mid-log phase cultures, whereas the catalase activity of strain LR163 was highest in cells of stationary phase cultures. These data support the idea that plasmid-encoded genes influence M. avium catalase activity. / Master of Science

Recombinant and DNA vaccines utilizing Mycobacterium sp. antigen 85A (Ag85A) were assessed for immunostimulatory and protective effects against M. marinum. Because of their known susceptibility to piscine mycobacteriosis, Morone sp. were utilized as the models for these studies. The first study evaluated a recombinant vaccine with a Brucella abortus strain RB51 vector expressing the Mycobacterium bovis Ag85A. Striped bass (M. saxatilis) were inoculated at doses equivalent to 106, 107, 108, 109, and 1010 colony-forming units/fish. Vaccinated fish demonstrated significant specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses towards the Ag85A in a dose-dependant manner. However, vaccinated fish failed to demonstrate cross-protective responses after live Mycobacterium marinum challenge 70 days post-vaccination. A DNA vaccine was constructed utilizing the Mycobacterium marinum Ag85A gene and a commercially-available eukaryotic expression vector. Hybrid striped bass (M. saxatilis x M. chrysops) were immunized by intramuscular (i.m.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection at doses of 5 μg, 25 μg, or 50 μg plasmid. These fish produced significant Ag85A-specific antibody and lymphoproliferative responses over those of control fish injected with saline or empty plasmid. Non-specific macrophage phagocytic and respiratory burst functions failed to exhibit significant upregulation after vaccination. Fish receiving the DNA vaccine developed protective responses to high-dose M. marinum challenge 90 days post-vaccination, as demonstrated by increased relative percent survival and by reduced splenic bacterial counts over control fish. Furthermore specific immunostimulatory and protective effects were significantly increased using higher vaccine doses and using the i.m. injection route. Given these promising findings, the protective responses induced by the DNA vaccine were further investigated. Hybrid striped bass were injected with 25 μg or 50 μg plasmid i.m. and developed specific protective responses to high-dose M. marinum challenge 120 days post-vaccination. The 25 μg and 50 μg groups both developed more rapidly and significantly increased immune responses post-challenge over those of the control groups. The vaccination groups also demonstrated increased survival, reduced splenic bacterial counts, and reduced granuloma formation compared to the control groups. However, though the vaccination groups did not demonstrate the same acute effects post-challenge as the control groups, the vaccination groups ultimately developed increased splenic bacterial counts and granuloma formation, and eventually experienced 100% mortalities. Because piscine mycobacteriosis can affect virtually any species of fish, a vaccine against this disease could be widely beneficial to the aquaculture and ornamental fish industries. The vaccines in these studies exhibited significant immunostimulatory capabilities in Morone sp., but only the DNA vaccine showed promise for conferring protection against M. marinum challenge. Though the DNA vaccine only provided limited protection against high challenge doses, future studies may likely find enhanced protective effects against lower, more natural exposure doses. / Master of Science

Clofazimine is a member of the phenazine pigment family which has been successfully used in chemotherapy against a variety of mycobacteria including M. avium. The presence of clofazimine in growth medium resulted in higher carotenoid pigmentation in M. avium cells. Carotenoid pigments have been shown to quench superoxide radicals supporting the hypothesis that pigmentation possibly protected cells against superoxide. Clofazimine caused the generation of superoxide radicals in M. intracellulare strain LR163 represented by cyanide-resistant oxygen consumption. The amount of oxygen consumed was dependant upon the clofazimine concentration. This supports the hypothesis that clofazimine is antibiotic via its ability to generate toxic oxygen metabolites. Higher catalase activity was found in extracts of cells grown in the presence of a low concentration of clofazimine. At a higher concentration, the amount of catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were lower than the basal level. This finding did not agree with the hypothesis. At this point the reason for the drop in the activities (i.e. lower than basal level) is not known. Clofazimine was mildly synergistic with rifampicin. This result supports hypothesis that the defense mechanism of M. intracellulare to clofazimine was enzymatic. Clofazimine-resistant derivatives of M. intracellulare strain LR163 have been isolated. Their characterization will provide a direct approach towards determining the mode of action of clofazimine in cells. / Master of Science