Investigating the basis of antibiotic resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium

Summary The project will use molecular methods including Sanger sequencing, quantitative PCR, and digital PCR, in combination with bacterial culture, to investigate the mutations that contribute to antibiotic resistance, and how these mutations arise.

Project Details

Antibiotic resistance is a substantial and growing problem. Our laboratory is investigating mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium, a common sexually-transmitted bacterial pathogen. Infection with M. genitalium causes urethritis in men and can lead to reproductive complications for women.

M. genitalium has an unusual biology and highly reduced genome, making it susceptible to a small spectrum of antimicrobial reagents. Resistance to first line (macrolide) and second line (fluoroquinolone) treatments is high, and increasing. Dual resistance to both classes of antibiotic has increased, resulting in effectively “untreatable” infections.

The project will use molecular methods including Sanger sequencing, quantitative PCR, and digital PCR, in combination with bacterial culture, to investigate the mutations that contribute to antibiotic resistance, and how these mutations arise.

Developments in this area will contribute to our understanding of treatment failure. This will lead to the development of the next generation of diagnostic assays that report the presence of antibiotic resistance mutations, thereby allowing treatment to be tailored to the individual. The long term outcome will be improved antimicrobial stewardship.