MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL
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MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL
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josemunita@udd.cl
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24825037700

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Ceftaroline-Resistant, DaptomycinTolerant, and Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate MethicillinResistant Staphylococcus aureus Causing Infective Endocarditis

2017 , Masayuki Nigo , Lorena Diaz , Lina P. Carvajal , Truc T. Tran , Rafael Rios , Diana Panesso , Juan D. Garavito , William R. Miller , Audrey Wanger , George Weinstock , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL , Cesar A. Arias , Henry F. Chambers

ABSTRACT We report a case of infective endocarditis (IE) caused by ceftaroline-resistant, daptomycin-tolerant, and heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Resistance to ceftaroline emerged in the absence of drug exposure, and the E447K substitution in the active site of PBP2a previously associated with ceftaroline resistance was identified. Additionally, we present evidence of patient-to-patient transmission of the strain within the same unit. This case illustrates the difficulties in treating MRSA IE in the setting of a multidrug-resistant phenotype.

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Managing All the Genotypic Knowledge: Approach to a Septic Patient Colonized by Different Enterobacteriales with Unique Carbapenemases

2019 , Stacy C. Park , Alexander M. Wailan , Katie E. Barry , Kasi Vegesana , Joanne Carroll , Amy J. Mathers , William R. Miller , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL

The recent development of new antimicrobials active against carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriales (CPE) has brought new hope for the treatment of infections due to these organisms. However, the evolving epidemiology of bacteria with carbapenemases may complicate management, as providers are faced with treating patients colonized by bacteria producing multiple carbapenemases.

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Deletion of liaR Reverses Daptomycin Resistance in Enterococcus faecium Independent of the Genetic Background

2015 , Diana Panesso , Jinnethe Reyes , Elizabeth P. Gaston , Morgan Deal , Alejandra Londoño , Masayuki Nigo , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL , William R. Miller , Yousif Shamoo , Truc T. Tran , Cesar A. Arias

ABSTRACT We have shown previously that changes in LiaFSR, a three-component regulatory system predicted to orchestrate the cell membrane stress response, are important mediators of daptomycin (DAP) resistance in enterococci. Indeed, deletion of the gene encoding the response regulator LiaR in a clinical strain of Enterococcus faecalis reversed DAP resistance (DAP-R) and produced a strain hypersusceptible to antimicrobial peptides. Since LiaFSR is conserved in Enterococcus faecium , we investigated the role of LiaR in a variety of clinical E. faecium strains representing the most common DAP-R genetic backgrounds. Deletion of liaR in DAP-R E. faecium R446F (DAP MIC of 16 μg/ml) and R497F (MIC of 24 μg/ml; harboring changes in LiaRS) strains fully reversed resistance (DAP MICs decreasing to 0.25 and 0.094 μg/ml, respectively). Moreover, DAP at concentrations of 13 μg/ml (achieved with human doses of 12 mg/kg body weight) retained bactericidal activity against the mutants. Furthermore, the liaR deletion derivatives of these two DAP-R strains exhibited increased binding of boron-dipyrromethene difluoride (BODIPY)-daptomycin, suggesting that high-level DAP-R mediated by LiaR in E. faecium involves repulsion of the calcium-DAP complex from the cell surface. In DAP-tolerant strains HOU503F and HOU515F (DAP MICs within the susceptible range but bacteria not killed by DAP concentrations of 5× the MIC), deletion of liaR not only markedly decreased the DAP MICs (0.064 and 0.047 μg/ml, respectively) but also restored the bactericidal activity of DAP at concentrations as low as 4 μg/ml (achieved with human doses of 4 mg/kg). Our results suggest that LiaR plays a relevant role in the enterococcal cell membrane adaptive response to antimicrobial peptides independent of the genetic background and emerges as an attractive target to restore the activity of DAP against multidrug-resistant strains.

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A Multicenter Study To Evaluate Ceftaroline Breakpoints: Performance in an Area with High Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Sequence Type 5 Lineage

2019 , Ayesha Khan , Lina M. Rivas , Maria Spencer , Rodrigo Martinez , Marusella Lam , Pamela Rojas , PORTE TORRE, LORENA ISABEL , Francisco Silva , Stephanie Braun , Francisca Valdivieso , Margareta Mv̈lhauser , Mónica Lafourcade , William R. Miller , Patricia García , Cesar A. Arias , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL , Robin Patel

Ceftaroline (CPT) is a broad-spectrum agent with potent activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The sequence type 5 (ST5) Chilean-Cordobés clone, associated with CPT nonsusceptibility, is dominant in Chile, a region with high rates of MRSA infections.

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Cefiderocol heteroresistance associated with mutations in TonB-dependent receptor genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa of clinical origin

2024 , Stephanie L. Egge , Samie A. Rizvi , Shelby R. Simar , ALCALDE RICO, MANUEL , JOSE RODRIGO WALDEMAR MARTINEZ SOLIS , Blake M. Hanson , An Q. Dinh , Rodrigo P. Baptista , Truc T. Tran , Samuel A. Shelburne , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL , Cesar A. Arias , Morgan Hakki , William R. Miller , Ryan K. Shields

ABSTRACT The siderophore-cephalosporin cefiderocol (FDC) presents a promising treatment option for carbapenem-resistant (CR) P. aeruginosa (PA). FDC circumvents traditional porin and efflux-mediated resistance by utilizing TonB-dependent receptors (TBDRs) to access the periplasmic space. Emerging FDC resistance has been associated with loss of function mutations within TBDR genes or the regulatory genes controlling TBDR expression. Further, difficulties with antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and unexpected negative clinical treatment outcomes have prompted concerns for heteroresistance, where a single lineage isolate contains resistant subpopulations not detectable by standard AST. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of TBDR mutations among clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa and the phenotypic effect on FDC susceptibility and heteroresistance. We evaluated the sequence of pirR , pirS , pirA , piuA , or piuD from 498 unique isolates collected before the introduction of FDC from four clinical sites in Portland, OR (1), Houston, TX (2), and Santiago, Chile (1). At some clinical sites, TBDR mutations were seen in up to 25% of isolates, and insertion, deletion, or frameshift mutations were predicted to impair protein function were seen in 3% of all isolates ( n = 15). Using population analysis profile testing, we found that P. aeruginosa with major TBDR mutations were enriched for a heteroresistant phenotype and undergo a shift in the susceptibility distribution of the population as compared to susceptible strains with wild-type TBDR genes. Our results indicate that mutations in TBDR genes predate the clinical introduction of FDC, and these mutations may predispose to the emergence of FDC resistance.

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Whole-Genome Analyses of Enterococcus faecium Isolates with Diverse Daptomycin MICs

2014 , Lorena Diaz , Truc T. Tran , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL , William R. Miller , Sandra Rincon , Lina P. Carvajal , Aye Wollam , Jinnethe Reyes , Diana Panesso , Natalia L. Rojas , Yousif Shamoo , Barbara E. Murray , George M. Weinstock , Cesar A. Arias

ABSTRACT Daptomycin (DAP) is a lipopeptide antibiotic frequently used as a “last-resort” antibiotic against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE). However, an important limitation for DAP therapy against VRE is the emergence of resistance during therapy. Mutations in regulatory systems involved in cell envelope homeostasis are postulated to be important mediators of DAP resistance in E. faecium . Thus, in order to gain insights into the genetic bases of DAP resistance in E. faecium , we investigated the presence of changes in 43 predicted proteins previously associated with DAP resistance in enterococci and staphylococci using the genomes of 19 E. faecium with different DAP MICs (range, 3 to 48 μg/ml). Bodipy-DAP (BDP-DAP) binding to the cell membrane assays and time-kill curves (DAP alone and with ampicillin) were performed. Genetic changes involving two major pathways were identified: (i) LiaFSR, a regulatory system associated with the cell envelope stress response, and (ii) YycFGHIJ, a system involved in the regulation of cell wall homeostasis. Thr120→Ala and Trp73→Cys substitutions in LiaS and LiaR, respectively, were the most common changes identified. DAP bactericidal activity was abolished in the presence of liaFSR or yycFGHIJ mutations regardless of the DAP MIC and was restored in the presence of ampicillin, but only in representatives of the LiaFSR pathway. Reduced binding of BDP-DAP to the cell surface was the predominant finding correlating with resistance in isolates with DAP MICs above the susceptibility breakpoint. Our findings suggest that genotypic information may be crucial to predict response to DAP plus β-lactam combinations and continue to question the DAP breakpoint of 4 μg/ml.

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Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing for Enterococci

2022 , Ayesha Khan , William R. Miller , Dierdre Axell-House , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL , Cesar A. Arias , Romney M. Humphries

Enterococci are major, recalcitrant nosocomial pathogens with a wide repertoire of intrinsic and acquired resistance determinants and the potential of developing resistance to all clinically available antimicrobials. As such, multidrug-resistant enterococci are considered a serious public health threat.

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In Vivo Resistance to Ceftolozane/Tazobactam in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Arising by AmpC- and Non-AmpC-Mediated Pathways

2018 , Erik Skoglund , Henrietta Abodakpi , Rafael Rios , Lorena Diaz , Elsa De La Cadena , An Q. Dinh , Javier Ardila , William R. Miller , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL , Cesar A. Arias , Vincent H. Tam , Truc T. Tran

Two pairs of ceftolozane/tazobactam susceptible/resistant P. aeruginosa were isolated from 2 patients after exposure to β-lactams. The genetic basis of ceftolozane/tazobactam resistance was evaluated, and β-lactam-resistant mechanisms were assessed by phenotypic assays. Whole genome sequencing identified mutations in AmpC including the mutation (V213A) and a deletion of 7 amino acids (P210–G216) in the Ω-loop. Phenotypic assays showed that ceftolozane/tazobactam resistance in the strain with AmpCV213A variant was associated with increased β-lactamase hydrolysis activity. On the other hand, the deletion of 7 amino acids in the Ω-loop of AmpC did not display enhanced β-lactamase activity. Resistance to ceftolozane/tazobactam in P. aeruginosa is associated with changes in AmpC; however, the apparent loss of β-lactamase activity in AmpC∆7 suggests that non-AmpC mechanisms could play an important role in resistance to β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations.

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Real-World Performance of Susceptibility Testing for Ceftolozane/Tazobactam against Non-Carbapenemase-Producing Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2022 , RIVAS JIMENEZ, LINA MARIA , Manuel Alcalde-Rico , José R. W. Martínez , María Victoria Moreno , Pamela Rojas , Aniela Wozniak , Patricia García , Jorge Olivares-Pacheco , William R. Miller , Cesar A. Arias , Ayesha Khan , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL

Ceftolozane/tazbactam (C/T) is a potent anti-pseudomonal agent that has clinical utility against infections caused by non-carbapenemase, producing-carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (non-CP-CR-PA). Accurate, precise, and reliable antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is crucial to guide clinical decisions.

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Correction for Khan et al., “A Multicenter Study To Evaluate Ceftaroline Breakpoints: Performance in an Area with High Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Sequence Type 5 Lineage”

2021 , Ayesha Khan , Lina M. Rivas , Maria Spencer , Rodrigo Martinez , Marusella Lam , Pamela Rojas , PORTE TORRE, LORENA ISABEL , Francisco Silva , Stephanie Braun , Francisca Valdivieso , Margareta Mϋlhauser , Mónica Lafourcade , William R. Miller , Patricia García , Cesar A. Arias , MUNITA SEPULVEDA, JOSE MANUEL

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