Antibiotic resistance in microbes (original) (raw)
- Journal List
- Cell Mol Life Sci
- v.56(9-10); 1999 Nov
- PMC11147152
Cell Mol Life Sci. 1999 Nov; 56(9-10): 742–754.
D. Mazel
U.P.M.T.G., Dept. des Biotechnologies, Institut Pasteur, 25–28 rue du Dr. Roux, F-75724 Paris Cedex 15 (France), , , , FR
J. Davies
University of British Columbia and TerraGen Discovery, Inc., 300–2386 East Mall-UBC, Vancouver BC, V6T 1Z3 (Canada), Fax +1 604 2218881, e-mail: jed@unixg.ubc.ca, , , , CA
U.P.M.T.G., Dept. des Biotechnologies, Institut Pasteur, 25–28 rue du Dr. Roux, F-75724 Paris Cedex 15 (France), , , , FR
University of British Columbia and TerraGen Discovery, Inc., 300–2386 East Mall-UBC, Vancouver BC, V6T 1Z3 (Canada), Fax +1 604 2218881, e-mail: jed@unixg.ubc.ca, , , , CA
Abstract.
The treatment of infectious disease is compromised by the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of microbial pathogens. A variety of biochemical processes are involved that may keep antibiotics out of the cell, alter the target of the drug, or disable the antibiotic. Studies have shown that resistance determinants arise by either of two genetic mechanisms: mutation and acquisition. Antibiotic resistance genes can be disseminated among bacterial populations by several processes, but principally by conjugation. Thus the overall problem of antibiotic resistance is one of genetic ecology and a better understanding of the contributing parameters is necessary to devise rational approaches to reduce the development and spread of antibiotic resistance and so avoid a critical situation in therapy—a return to a pre-antibiotic era.
Keywords: Key words. Horizontal gene transfer; integron; acquisition; mutation; ecology.
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