Western College of Veterinary Medicine

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A neglected and emerging antimicrobial resistance gene encodes for a serine-dependent macrolide esterase
(PNAS, 2023-02) Dhindwal, Poonam; Thompson, Charis; Kos, Daniel; Planedin, Koa; Jain, Richa; Jelinski, Murray; Ruzzini, Antonio
The accumulation of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in specific environments, and eventually in pathogens, challenges the utility of antibiotics. Thousands of ARGs and resistance-conferring mutations are known and accessible in curated databases. Nevertheless, our catalog of ARGs is incomplete. Blind spots—novel and unreported ARGs—pose unknown risks to human health, animal wellness, and the sustainability of agriculture. A novel and unreported ARG is one that cannot be identified by homology-based inference. These unknown genes are absent from the ARG databases that serve antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance programs intended to inform clinical practice. Growing concerns related to antimicrobial use and efficacy prompted us to evaluate watering bowls as sentinel systems for ARG detection at a beef cattle feedlot. The identification and functional characterization of a neglected ARG that resulted form the basis of this report.