Contributions of β-lactamase substrate specificity and outer membrane permeability to the antibiotic sheltering of β-lactam-susceptible bacteria

The use of β-lactam antibiotics is threatened by antibiotic resistant bacteria that produce β-lactamases. These enzymes not only protect the bacteria that produce them but also shelter other bacteria in the same environment that would otherwise be susceptible. While this phenomenon is of clinical significance, many of the factors that contribute to β-lactamase-mediated antibiotic sheltering have not been well-studied. We report the development of a luminescence assay to directly monitor the survival of β-lactam-susceptible bacteria in the presence of β-lactamase-producing bacteria and β-lactam antibiotics. This method provides a rapid and scalable means of quantifying antibiotic sheltering in mixed microbial populations. We applied this assay to investigate the contributions of several factors to sheltering, including the class of β-lactam, the substrate specificity of the β-lactamase, and the cell wall permeability of the β-lactamase-producing bacterium. Our results show that the extent of sheltering that occurs depends greatly on the particular combination of β-lactam and β-lactamase, and also on the ability of a β-lactamase to access its β-lactam substrate.