Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance Mechanism Studies

Antimicrobial resistance poses significant challenges to animal health, impacting treatment efficacy and leading to persistent infections. As a Contract Research Organization (CRO), BioVenic provides a one-stop solution for comprehensive veterinary antimicrobial resistance mechanism studies, supporting your research and development needs. Our services cover both phenotypic and inherited resistance mechanisms, ensuring a thorough analysis and understanding of AMR in veterinary pathogens.

Phenotypic Resistance Mechanisms

• Biofilm Formation
  Biofilms are structured communities of bacteria encased in a protective extracellular matrix. This matrix acts as a shield, protecting bacteria from antibiotics and the host's immune system. Biofilm-associated bacteria exhibit significantly heightened resistance, often requiring higher doses of antibiotics for effective treatment. Our services for resistance mechanism studies focus on understanding the conditions that promote biofilm formation and identifying strategies to disrupt these structures, thereby enhancing antibiotic efficacy.
• Microbial Drug Persistence
  Within bacterial populations, a subset known as persisters can survive antibiotic treatment without acquiring genetic resistance. These persisters can resume growth once the antibiotic pressure is removed, making it challenging to completely eradicate infections. We conduct detailed studies to characterize these persisters, aiming to uncover their unique properties and develop strategies to target them effectively.
• Microbial Drug Indifference
  Some bacteria exhibit indifference to certain drugs due to their physiological state rather than specific resistance mechanisms. This can include dormancy or slow growth, where antibiotics targeting actively dividing cells are less effective. Our research services delve into these physiological states, helping to identify conditions under which bacteria become indifferent to antibiotics and finding ways to counteract this indifference.
• Change in Permeability to Drugs
  The permeability of bacterial pathogens to antibiotics can be influenced by various factors, including environmental conditions such as temperature and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Alterations in bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), outer membrane vesicles, the number or type of porins, and the activity of multiple efflux pumps also play significant roles. We investigate these factors to understand how they impact antibiotic uptake and resistance, providing insights into overcoming permeability-related resistance.

Fig.1 Phenotypic Resistance to Antibiotics.¹

Inherited Resistance Mechanisms

• Drug Uptake Limitation
  Pathogens can limit the uptake of antibiotics, thereby reducing their efficacy. This can be achieved through changes in membrane structure or the expression of specific proteins that hinder drug entry. We provide services for these mechanisms to identify how bacterial and fungal pathogens achieve drug uptake limitation and explore potential ways to counteract this resistance strategy.
• Drug Efflux Activation
  Bacterial efflux pumps play a crucial role in expelling antibiotics from the cell, thereby reducing their intracellular concentration and effectiveness. BioVenic provide one-stop solution, focusing on the mechanisms of the activation and regulation of these efflux pumps, as well as identifying inhibitors that can block their function, thereby restoring antibiotic susceptibility. Efflux pumps belong to various families, including:
  • ATP-binding Cassette (ABC) Family
  • Multidrug and Toxic Compound Extrusion (MATE) Family
  • Small Multidrug Resistance (SMR) Family
  • Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS)
  • Resistance-nodulation-cell Division (RND) Family
• Drug Inactivation
  Bacteria and fungus can produce enzymes that inactivate antibiotics, rendering them ineffective. These enzymes can modify or degrade the antibiotic molecule, preventing it from reaching its target. We conduct detailed metabolomics and proteomics studies on pathogen enzymes responsible for drug inactivation, aiming to identify new inhibitors that can block their action and enhance antibiotic effectiveness.
• Drug Target Modification
  Bacteria and fungus can alter their drug targets through mutations or modifications, reducing the binding affinity of antibiotics. This can involve changes in ribosomal structures, DNA gyrase, or other essential proteins targeted by antibiotics. We investigate these modifications from phenotype to genomics to understand how they confer resistance and explore potential strategies to circumvent this mechanism, such as developing new drugs or drug combinations that can bypass modified targets.

Fig.2 General antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.

Our Services

Our comprehensive services to studying antimicrobial resistance mechanisms involves a range of advanced techniques and technologies, including:

• Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis
  To identify genetic determinants of resistance and understand regulatory mechanisms.
• Proteomics and Metabolomics
  To study protein expression and metabolic changes associated with resistance.
• Advanced Microscopy and Imaging
  For visualizing phenotypic structures and bacterial interactions, such as biofilms, persisters, etc.
• High-Throughput Screening
  To identify potential inhibitors of resistance mechanisms with multiple veterinary antimicrobial susceptibility testing services.
• In Vitro, Ex vivo and In Vivo Models
  For testing the safety and efficacy of new therapeutic strategies under realistic conditions.

Our Advantages

• We offer customized solutions tailored to your specific research and development needs for veterinary antimicrobial resistance mechanism studies.
• Utilizing the latest technologies and methodologies, we provide accurate and reliable data to inform decision-making and regulatory submissions.
• We provide detailed reports and data analysis, ensuring that you have the information you need to advance your research and development efforts.

Antimicrobial resistance is a complex and multifaceted challenge in veterinary medicine. BioVenic's comprehensive suite of services covers all aspects of antimicrobial resistance mechanism studies, from phenotypic resistance mechanisms to inherited resistance mechanisms. By leveraging advanced techniques and technologies, we provide detailed insights into the complex interactions between bacteria and antibiotics, helping you to develop effective strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance in veterinary pathogens. Please contact us to provide your research and development needs, and benefit from our expertise in tackling one of the most pressing challenges in veterinary antimicrobial resistance mechanism studies.

Reference

1. Corona, Fernando, and Jose L. Martinez. "Phenotypic resistance to antibiotics." Antibiotics 2.2 (2013): 237-255.