Antibiotic resistance: Origins, mechanisms, approaches to counter

Microbial resistance is emerging faster than we are replacing our armamentarium of antimicrobial agents. Resistance to penicillin developed soon after it was introduced into clinical practice in 1940s. Now resistance developed to every major class of antibiotics. In healthcare facilities around the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied biochemistry and microbiology 2013-12, Vol.49 (8), p.665-671
Main Author: Debabov, Dmitri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents
Bacterial infections
Bacteriology
Biochemistry
Biofilms
Biomedical and Life Sciences
cell walls
Drug resistance
genes
Health care
health services
industry
Life Sciences
Medical Microbiology
Microbiology
pathogens
Problems and Prospects
resistance mechanisms
transporters
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Summary:Microbial resistance is emerging faster than we are replacing our armamentarium of antimicrobial agents. Resistance to penicillin developed soon after it was introduced into clinical practice in 1940s. Now resistance developed to every major class of antibiotics. In healthcare facilities around the world, bacterial pathogens that express multiple resistance mechanisms are becoming common. The origins of antibiotic resistance genes can be traced to the environmental microbiota. Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance include alterations in bacterial cell wall structure, growth in biofilms, efflux pump expression, modification of an antibiotic target or acquisition of a new target and enzymatic modification of the antibiotic itself. Specific examples of each mechanism are discussed in this review. Some approaches to counter resistance include antibiotic stewardship, co-administration with resistance inhibitors, exploiting genome data in search of new targets and use of non-antibiotic antimicrobials for topical indications. A coordinated effort from government, public and industry is needed to deal with antibiotic resistance health care crisis.
ISSN:0003-6838
1608-3024
DOI:10.1134/S0003683813080024