AUTHOR=Ilina Elena , Malakhova Maja , Bodoev Ivan , Filimonova Alla , Oparina Nina , Govorun Vadim 

TITLE=Mutation in ribosomal protein S5 leads to spectinomycin resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2013

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00186

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2013.00186

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Spectinomycin remains a useful reserve option for therapy of gonorrhea. The emergence of multidrug-resistant <italic>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</italic> strains with decreased susceptibility to cefixime and to ceftriaxone makes it the only medicine still effective for treatment of gonorrhea infection in analogous cases. However, adoption of spectinomycin as a routinely used drug of choice was soon followed by reports of spectinomycin resistance. The main molecular mechanism of spectinomycin resistance in <italic>N. gonorrhoeae</italic> was C1192T substitution in 16S rRNA genes. Here we reported a Thr-24→Pro mutation in ribosomal protein S5 (RPS5) found in spectinomycin resistant clinical <italic>N. gonorrhoeae</italic> strain, which carried no changes in 16S rRNA. In a series of experiments, the transfer of <italic>rpsE</italic> gene allele encoding the mutant RPS5 to the recipient <italic>N. gonorrhoeae</italic> strains was analyzed. The relatively high rate of transformation [ca. 10<sup>−5</sup> colony-forming units (CFUs)] indicates the possibility of spread of spectinonycin resistance within gonococcal population due to the horizontal gene transfer (HGT).</p>