Antibiotic resistance
hideAntibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of antibiotics. It is a specific type of drug resistance. Antibiotic resistance evolves via natural selection acting upon random mutation, but it can also be engineered by applying an evolutionary stress on a population. Once such a gene is generated, bacteria can then transfer the genetic information in a horizontal fashion (between individuals) by plasmid exchange. If a bacterium carries several resistance genes, it is called multiresistant or, informally, a superbug. The term antimicrobial resistance is sometimes used to explicitly encompass organisms other than bacteria.
Antibiotic resistance can also be introduced artificially into a microorganism through transformation protocols. This can aid in implanting artificial genes into the microorganism. If the resistance gene is linked with the gene to be implanted, the antibiotic can be used to kill off organisms that lack the new gene.
For more information about Antibiotic resistance, read the full article at
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News tagged with antibiotic resistance
Misuse of antibiotics not the only cause of resistance says report
Oct 15, 2009 |
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The perception that antibiotic resistance is primarily the undesirable consequence of antibiotic abuse or misuse is a view that is simplistic and inaccurate, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Microbiology. ...
Researchers identify workings of L-form bacteria
Oct 13, 2009 |
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Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have for the first time identified the genetic mechanisms involved in the formation and survival of L-form bacteria. Their findings are described in a study ...
Death by light: Nanoparticles as agents for the photodynamic killing of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The increasing antibiotic resistance of bacteria is a serious problem of our time. Hospital germs in particular have developed strains against which practically every current antibiotic is ineffective. In ...
Researchers discover a new antibacterial lead
Sep 27, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Antibiotic resistance has been a significant problem for hospitals and health-care facilities for more than a decade. But despite the need for new treatment options, there have been only two ...
C. difficile hypervirulence genes identified
Sep 25, 2009 |
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Five genetic regions have been identified that are unique to the most virulent strain of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), the hospital superbug. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biolog ...
'Evolutionary forecasting' for drug resistance
Sep 21, 2009 |
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Rice University biochemists are developing a system of "evolutionary forecasting" to better understand the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.
Man-made crises 'outrunning our ability to deal with them,' scientists warn
Sep 11, 2009 |
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The world faces a compounding series of crises driven by human activity, which existing governments and institutions are increasingly powerless to cope with, a group of eminent environmental scientists and economists has ...
Chemical Additive Could Make Old Antibiotics Viable Against Antibiotic-Resistant Bugs
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A Texas Tech researcher said a recently patented chemical additive could break down the shield of certain types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Distribution of antibiotic for eye disease linked to low death risk among Ethiopian children
Sep 01, 2009 |
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Children in Ethiopia who received the antibiotic azithromycin as a method for controlling the contagious eye disease trachoma had a lower odds of death compared to children who did not receive the antibiotic, according to ...
'Jumping genes' create antibiotic resistance in bacteria
Aug 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A small piece of foreign DNA recognizes when and where to slip into a bacterium's genetic code, allowing bacteria to genetically adapt to their environment -- and develop resistance to antibiotics, ...
New drug-resistant TB strains could become widespread, says new study
Aug 10, 2009 |
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The emergence of new forms of tuberculosis could swell the proportion of drug-resistant cases globally, a new study has found. The finding raises concern that although TB incidence is falling in many regions, the emergence ...
Genes key to staph disease severity, drug resistance found hitchhiking together
Jul 31, 2009 |
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Scientists studying Staphylococcus bacteria, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), have discovered a potent staph toxin responsible for disease severity. They also found the gene for the toxin traveling with a geneti ...
Solving the mystery of DNA repair
Jul 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Penny Beuning, an assistant professor of chemical biology and biotechnology at Northeastern, this month received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early-Career Development grant ...
Ultrasensitive detector promises improved treatment of viral respiratory infections
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Jun 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A Vanderbilt chemist and a biomedical engineer have teamed up to develop a respiratory virus detector that is sensitive enough to detect an infection at an early stage, takes only a few minutes ...
Antibiotic prescribing should be standardized across Europe to help tackle resistance
Jun 24, 2009 |
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Antibiotic prescribing for respiratory illnesses should be standardised across Europe to help reduce inappropriate prescribing and resistance, say experts in a study published on bmj.com today.
