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Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes
08:58

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Published on: March 3, 2023

Antibiotic resistance

Thomas J Pallasch1

  • 1School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. tpallasch@earthlink.net

Dental Clinics of North America
|December 11, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotic resistance is a major threat, with microbes evolving defenses and sharing them. Overuse of antibiotics leads to resistance, causing infections to become untreatable.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Microbes possess ancient defense mechanisms, including those transferable via transposable elements.
  • Human overuse of antibiotics has driven widespread microbial resistance.
  • Some microorganisms exhibit resistance to all available antibiotics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the evolutionary basis of microbial defense mechanisms.
  • To underscore the consequences of antibiotic misuse on microbial resistance.
  • To detail the potential outcomes of antibiotic administration.

Main Methods:

  • Review of evolutionary and microbiological literature.
  • Analysis of antibiotic resistance mechanisms.
  • Examination of microbial response to antibiotic exposure.

Main Results:

  • Microbial defense mechanisms are ancient and transferable.
  • Antibiotic abuse has resulted in broad-spectrum resistance.
  • Antibiotic use can lead to toxicity, superinfections, or promote resistance evolution.
  • Only one of six outcomes of antibiotic use is beneficial: aiding host defenses.

Conclusions:

  • Microbial resistance is a significant evolutionary and public health challenge.
  • Responsible antibiotic stewardship is crucial to mitigate resistance.
  • Understanding microbial defense strategies is key to combating resistance.

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