Occurrence of single-point gyrA mutations among ciprofloxacin-susceptible Escherichia coli isolates causing urinary tract infections in Latin America

To detect if isolates susceptible to quinolones already carry mutations in the gyrA and parC genes, we selected 12 ciprofloxacin-susceptible Escherichia coli strains collected from patients with urinary tract infections in Latin America in 1998, as part of ongoing SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program. The isolates studied exhibited minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for ciprofloxacin between less than or equal to 0.015 mu g/mL and 0.5 mu g/mL. The molecular characterization of quinolone resistance was determinated by amplification of the gyrA and parC by PCR followed by sequencing of the respective amplicons. We observed that E. coli isolates exhibiting MIC, less than or equal to 0.06 mu g/mL for ciprofloxacin did not show mutations in either topoisomerase. On the other hand, all isolates with MIC between 0.12 mu g/mL and 0.5 mu g/mL demonstrated single mutation in the gyrA gene. The most frequent mutation occurred at position 83, where the amino acid serine was replaced by leucine. No mutations in the parC gene were observed. To preserve the potency and prevent the development of resistance, we suggest that quinolone usage should be rational, especially in the treatment of urinary tract infections, and in the prophylaxis of immunosupressed patient populations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.