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Updated: May 15, 2025

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
09:00

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

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Blocking horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes: an effective strategy in combating antibiotic resistance

Pragyan Paramita Swain1, Rajesh Kumar Sahoo1

  • 1Centre for Biotechnology, Siksha O Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar, India.

Critical Reviews in Microbiology
|April 10, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat. Inhibiting horizontal gene transfer (HGT), a key mechanism for spreading antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), offers a promising strategy to combat AMR.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Public Health
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health challenge.
  • The development of new antibiotics lags behind the emergence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB).
  • Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a primary driver for the dissemination of ARGs among bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the contribution of HGT to bacterial evolution.
  • To identify hotspots for ARG dissemination via HGT.
  • To highlight the potential of HGT inhibitors as a strategy to mitigate AMR.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on HGT mechanisms (conjugation, transformation, transduction).
  • Analysis of factors promoting HGT of ARGs.
  • Exploration of HGT inhibitors as a therapeutic strategy.

Main Results:

  • HGT plays a crucial role in the spread of ARGs and bacterial evolution.
  • Certain non-antibiotic compounds can promote HGT of ARGs.
  • Inhibiting HGT is identified as a key strategy to control AMR.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting HGT mechanisms is a promising approach to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
  • HGT inhibitors offer a novel strategy to mitigate the public health threat of AMR.
  • Further research into HGT inhibitors is warranted to develop effective interventions against resistant bacteria.
Keywords:
HGT inhibitorsHorizontal gene transferantimicrobial resistanceconjugationtransformation

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