CARB-17 Family of β-Lactamases Mediates Intrinsic Resistance to Penicillins in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Abstract

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus is commonly resistant to ampicillin, yet the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not clear. In this study, a novel class A carbenicillin-hydrolyzing β-lactamase (CARB) family of β-lactamases, bla CARB-17 , was identified and found to be responsible for the intrinsic penicillin resistance in V. parahaemolyticus . Importantly, bla CARB-17 -like genes were present in all 293 V. parahaemolyticus genome sequences available in GenBank and detectable in all 91 V. parahaemolyticus food isolates, further confirming the intrinsic nature of this gene.