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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
08:42
Visual and Microscopic Evaluation of Streptomyces Developmental Mutants
Published on: September 12, 2018
Expanding the soil antibiotic resistome: exploring environmental diversity
Vanessa M D'Costa1, Emma Griffiths, Gerard D Wright
1Antimicrobial Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, 1200 Main St W, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5.
Current Opinion in Microbiology
|October 24, 2007
Summary
Environmental bacteria harbor multi-drug resistance, revealing a vast environmental antibiotic resistome. This discovery challenges traditional views and offers new avenues for antimicrobial drug discovery.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
- Genomics
Background:
- Antibiotic resistance is primarily studied in clinical settings.
- Emerging evidence shows environmental bacteria possess multi-drug resistance.
- The environmental antibiotic resistome is increasingly recognized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the significance of environmental bacteria in antibiotic resistance.
- To introduce the concept of the environmental antibiotic resistome.
- To discuss implications for antimicrobial drug discovery.
Main Methods:
- Review of functional screens.
- Analysis of metagenomic databases.
- Synthesis of current research on environmental resistance genes.
Main Results:
- Environmental bacteria are frequently multi-drug resistant.
- The environment contains a high density of antibiotic resistance genes (the antibiotic resistome).
- This finding expands the known scope of antibiotic resistance.
Conclusions:
- The environmental resistome is a critical area of study.
- Understanding the environmental resistome is essential for future antimicrobial strategies.
- It presents challenges and opportunities for developing new drugs.
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